Should you be looking for Microsoft certified training, it stands to reason you’ll want companies to provide a wide range of the finest training courses currently available. Maybe you’d choose to find advisors with experience of the IT industry, who can offer guidance on what sort of job would suit you, and what sort of tasks are suitable for someone with a personality like yours. When you’ve settled on the job you’d like to get into, an appropriate course has to be singled out that’s a match for your current skills and aptitude. This can be personally tailored for your needs.

Apparently, the IT market shows exceptional prospects. But, to arm ourselves with the correct information, what questions do we need to be posing, and which elements are the most important?

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often be the case, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; this is about employment. Focus on the end-goal. Students often train for a single year but end up performing the job-role for decades. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of finding what seems like a program of interest to you and then put 10-20 years into a job you hate! It’s essential to keep your focus on what it is you’re trying to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that – don’t do it the other way round. Keep your eyes on your goals and study for a job that will keep you happy for many years. Seek help from an experienced industry professional that ‘gets’ the commercial realities of the area you’re interested in, and who can give you ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis of of what you’ll be doing during your working week. It makes good sense to discover if this is the right course of action for you long before you embark on your training program. There’s little reason in beginning your training only to find you’ve taken the wrong route.

Only consider study paths which will progress to commercially accepted exams. There are far too many small companies suggesting their own ‘in-house’ certificates which will prove unusable when it comes to finding a job. All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco have internationally recognised proficiency programmes. These heavyweights can make sure you stand out at interview.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – locate a good company providing 24×7 full access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely hamper your progress. Never purchase study programmes that only provide support to trainees with a call-centre messaging system outside of normal office hours. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. Essentially – support is needed when it’s needed – not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it. The best training colleges opt for an online access round-the-clock facility combining multiple support operations from around the world. You will be provided with a single, easy-to-use interface which switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres no matter what time of day it is: Support when you need it. If you opt for less than direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. It may be that you don’t use it late at night, but what about weekends, early mornings or late evenings?

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’re a practical sort of person – the ‘hands-on’ personality type. Typically, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but you’d hate it. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if book-based learning really isn’t your style. Many studies have proved that much more of what we learn in remembered when we involve as many senses as possible and take action to use what we’ve learned. The latest audio-visual interactive programs with demonstrations and practice sessions will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. You must see examples of the study materials provided by the company you’re considering. It’s essential they incorporate instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s. Purely on-line training should be avoided. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where obtainable, enabling them to be used at your convenience – you don’t want to be reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

Charging for exams upfront and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams is popular with many training course providers. However, let’s consider what’s really going on: Clearly it isn’t free – you’re still coughing up for it – it’s just been wrapped up in the price of the package. It’s well known in the industry that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, when they’re ready to take them and not before, they’ll be in a better position to get through on the first attempt – because they’ll be conscious of what they’ve paid and will therefore apply themselves appropriately. Don’t you think it’s more sensible to find the best exam deal or offer when you’re ready, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the training course provider, and also to sit exams more locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying upfront for exam fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is bad financial management. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with extra money of yours just to give them more interest! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you will never make it to exams – then they’ll keep the extra money. In addition to this, many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of companies won’t pay for re-takes until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time. Average exam fees were about 112 pounds last year via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s obvious that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

What is the reason why qualifications from colleges and universities are now falling behind more commercial qualifications? With the costs of academic degree’s becoming a tall order for many, plus the industry’s recognition that corporate based study is closer to the mark commercially, we have seen a large rise in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA authorised training courses that supply key solutions to a student at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. In essence, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the most important function is always to focus on the exact skills required (including a degree of required background) – without overdoing the detail in all sorts of other things (as universities often do). Imagine if you were an employer – and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. What is easier: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from hopeful applicants, having to ask what each has covered and what trade skills they’ve mastered, or choose a specific set of accreditations that perfectly fit your needs, and make your short-list from that. The interview is then more about the person and how they’ll fit in – rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

We’d all like to believe that our jobs are safe and the future is protected, but the growing likelihood for most jobs in England at the moment seems to be that security may be a thing of the past. Of course, a quickly growing market-place, where staff are in constant demand (because of a massive shortfall of fully trained people), creates the conditions for real job security. The Information Technology (IT) skills deficit around Great Britain currently stands at over 26 percent, as reported by the latest e-Skills study. It follows then that for each 4 job positions that exist across Information Technology (IT), organisations can only find trained staff for 3 of them. This single reality on its own highlights why the country desperately needs considerably more workers to get trained and enter the IT industry. Because the IT sector is developing at the speed it is, it’s unlikely there’s any better sector worth considering for a new future.

If we didn’t have a regular deluge of knowledgeable network and computer support workers, commerce in the UK (and around the world) would inevitably be drawn to a standstill. There is an on-going requirement for technically able people to support systems and users alike. Our requirement for better skilled and qualified individuals multiplies, as human beings become significantly more beholden to PC’s in these modern times.

How can we go about making a good decision then? With all this potential, we’ll need to know where to be looking – and what we should be searching for.

An all too common mistake that many potential students make is to concentrate on the course itself, instead of focusing on where they want to get to. Colleges are full of unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – rather than what would get them the career they desired. Students often train for a single year but end up doing the job for 20 years. Don’t make the error of choosing what sounds like a very ‘interesting’ program and then spend decades in a job you hate! It’s essential to keep your focus on what it is you’re trying to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that – avoid getting them back-to-front. Stay focused on the end-goal and begin studying for a career that will keep you happy for many years. Before setting out on a particular study programme, you’d be well advised to chat over specific job needs with an industry professional, so as to be sure the learning program covers all that is required.

You should only consider learning programmes that move onto industry approved qualifications. There are far too many trainers promoting unknown ‘in-house’ certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. From an employer’s viewpoint, only top businesses such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (as an example) provide enough commercial weight. Anything less won’t make the grade.

Usually, trainers will provide a big box of books. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not a very good way of taking things in. Our ability to remember is increased when multiple senses are involved – this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for as long as we can remember. Programs are now found via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Video streaming means you are able to see your instructors showing you how to perform the required skill, with some practice time to follow – via the interactive virtual lab’s. It’s imperative to see the type of training provided by the company you’re considering. You’ll want to see that they include instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s. Avoid training that is purely online. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where offered, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want – and not be totally reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – locate a good company that includes 24×7 access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely hold up your pace and restrict your intake. Try and find training where you can access help at any time of day or night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get access directly to professional tutors and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re waiting for tutors to call you back when it’s convenient for them. World-class organisations offer an internet-based 24×7 facility utilising a variety of support centres across the globe. You will have a simple interface that seamlessly selects the best facility available at any time of day or night: Support when you need it. If you accept anything less than support round-the-clock, you’ll regret it very quickly. You may not need it during the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point?

Adding in the cost of exams upfront then including an exam guarantee is a common method with a number of training colleges. But look at the facts: Clearly it isn’t free – you’re still footing the bill for it – it’s just been included in your package price. People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are much better placed to get through first time. They are mindful of what they’ve paid and prepare more appropriately to be ready for the task. Doesn’t it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium to a training company, and also to sit exams more locally – instead of the remote centre that’s convenient only to the trainer? Paying in advance for examinations (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is madness. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with additional funds simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won’t get to do them all – but they won’t refund the cash. Also, exam guarantees often have very little value. The majority of organisations won’t pay again for an exam until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time. On average, exams cost around the 112 pounds mark last year through local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. So don’t be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more for ‘Exam Guarantees’, when common sense dictates that the responsible approach is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

A number of students are under the impression that the state educational path is the way they should go. Why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, the IT sector has moved to specialist courses only available through the vendors themselves – namely companies like Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) – without trying to cram in everything else (as degree courses are known to do). Think about if you were the employer – and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which commercial skills they’ve mastered, or choose particular accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview – instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

Massive developments are coming via technology over the next few decades – and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. It’s a common misapprehension that the increase in technology we’ve been going through is cooling down. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are huge changes to come, and the internet in particular will become an increasingly dominant part of our lives. Should lifestyle be around the top on your goal sheet, then you’ll welcome the news that the regular income of a typical IT worker is much higher than salaries in other market sectors. Experts agree that there’s a great UK-wide search for certified IT specialists. In addition as the industry constantly develops, it is likely this pattern will continue for a good while yet.

When choosing any computer training program it is very important that the certification you will gain appropriates with the working world. Additionally, you should make sure that the course suits you, your personality and abilities. There’s lots to choose from with these courses – from basic office skills up to training courses for web designers, networkers programmers etc. Share your ideas before you take the plunge – talk to an advisor with knowledge of the industry. Somebody who you trust to pick the right specialist area for you – that’s both relevant to industry and leads to a job you’ll love. By taking advantage of the latest training methods and keeping overheads low, you will start to see a new kind of training company offering a finer level of training and support for considerably less than the more out-dated colleges.

Being a part of the information technology industry is amongst the most exciting and ground-breaking industries that you could be a part of. To be dealing with leading-edge technology is to be a part of the massive changes shaping life over the next few decades. We’re only just starting to get a feel for how technology will define our world. Technology and the web will profoundly alter how we view and interact with the entire world over the coming decades. And don’t forget salaries either – the typical remuneration in the United Kingdom for the usual man or woman in IT is a lot more than average salaries nationally. Odds are that you’ll earn a much better deal than you’d expect to earn doing other work. The search for properly certified IT professionals is guaranteed for the significant future, thanks to the continuous expansion in this sector and the huge shortage that we still have.

What are the questions we need to pose if we’re to take in the understanding we want? After all, it’s evident there are some rather great possibilities for everyone to mull over.

Potential trainees eager to begin a career in IT often don’t know what direction is best, or even which market to get qualified in. How can we possibly grasp the day-to-day realities of any IT job when it’s an alien environment to us? We normally don’t even know anybody who works in that sector anyway. Generally, the way to deal with this question in the best manner comes from a thorough conversation around some important points: Your personal interests and hobbies – these often show the possibilities will satisfy you; What sort of time-frame do you want for the retraining, and what priority do you place on job satisfaction vs salary; With so many areas to train for in computing – it’s wise to pick up a basic understanding of what makes them different; together with having a serious look into the effort, commitment and time you can give. For the majority of us, getting to the bottom of these areas will require meeting with a professional who has direct industry experience. And we’re not only talking about the certifications – but also the commercial requirements of industry too.

We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: Always get full 24×7 instructor support. We can tell you that you’ll strongly regret it if you don’t heed this. Look for training where you can receive help at all hours of the day and night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors and not a message system as this will slow you down – waiting for tutors to call you back when it’s convenient for them. If you look properly, you’ll find professional companies which provide their students direct-access online support at all times – including evenings, nights and weekends. If you opt for less than direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You might not want to use the service late in the night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point?

Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you identify with this, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where everything is presented via full motion video. Studies in learning psychology have shown that much more of what we learn in remembered when we receive multi-sensorial input and take action to use what we’ve learned. You can now study via interactive discs. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll take everything in through the demonstrations and explanations. Then you test your knowledge by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. Each company you’re contemplating must be pushed to demo a few examples of the materials provided for study. You should hope for instructor-led videos and interactive areas to practice in. It doesn’t make sense to select online only courseware. With highly variable reliability and quality from all internet service providers, make sure you get CD or DVD ROM based materials.

The way in which your courseware is broken down for you is usually ignored by most students. How many parts is the training broken down into? And in what sequence and do you have a say in when you’ll get each part? Individual deliveries for each training module one stage at a time, according to your own speed is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds logical, but you should take these factors into account: What if there are reasons why you can’t finish every single exam? Maybe the prescribed order won’t suit you? Through no fault of your own, you might take a little longer and not get all the study materials as a result. For maximum flexibility and safety, most students now choose to request that all their modules (now paid for) are delivered immediately, and not in stages. You can then decide in what order and how fast or slow you want to finish things.

The right sort of package of training will undoubtedly have accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. As the majority of IT examination boards are American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. It’s not sufficient simply going through the right questions – they must be in an exam format that exactly replicates the real thing. Be sure to have some simulated exam questions so you can check your knowledge at all times. Practice or ‘mock’ exams will help to boost your attitude – then you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

The sometimes daunting task of landing your first job can be eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance service. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though – it’s quite easy for companies marketing departments to make too much of it. Ultimately, the huge shortage of staff in Britain is what will enable you to get a job. Work on polishing up your CV right away however (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don’t put it off until you’ve qualified. It’s not unusual to find that you will be offered your first job while you’re still a student (occasionally right at the beginning). If your CV doesn’t say what you’re learning (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you don’t stand a chance! The best services to help get you placed are normally local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they’re perhaps more focused on results. To bottom line it, as long as you put the same commitment into finding a job as into training, you won’t have any problems. A number of men and women bizarrely spend hundreds of hours on their course materials and then call a halt once qualified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

Nothing great ever happens by accident. Successful people from all walks of life don’t just wake up one morning as high achievers! For change to happen, a plan of action has to be made, targets have to be set and a commitment to see it through has to be adopted.

Before you embark on your studies, you’ll find it valuable to set yourself a series of goals or targets to help you complete the course. Spending a little time planning these goals will pay dividends down the road. To have a chance of reaching your goals, they should always be S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Targeted.

Use the following five D’s to help you get emotionally involved with the result of your efforts. Write your five D’s down in a contract to yourself.

DEFINE what you wish to get out of your soon to be acquired new skill-set, to keep you motivated along the way. Be specific about the material things you’re looking forward to, the kind of home you want, the sort of holidays you’ll take and the type of car you’ll drive.

DESIRE (why you’re doing it) e.g. personal challenge, get out from where you are, you owe it to yourself to have a better job, to prove to someone you’ve got what it takes, to take control of your destiny. This needs to be something that stirs an emotion within you.

Commitment or DEDICATION. Announce to yourself and those close to you that you’re dedicated to your studies by writing up a timetable and sticking with it. However much time you choose to study each week, have it written on a calendar planner that you can cross off once you’ve completed it. Put it in a prominent place so it’s at the forefront of your mind (at least until it becomes a habit). All things that are important get prioritised, so let your friends and family know that this is a priority to you for perhaps ten hours a week for a set number of months. Once your timetable has become established, you’ll take pride in your dedication, and study all the better for it.

A contract illustrates your DETERMINATION to see this thing through. Having a written document about the positive direction of your life makes it harder to bottle out of it.

Having a plan and targets to work towards gives you a DISCIPLINE that helps you to power through the tough times that will occasionally strike you.

Your contract is a working document designed to assist and strengthen you through the change in your life. Keep it close by, and take time to look at it regularly. Add inspiring thoughts and ideas to it that will keep you on track and spur you on. The more emotionally involved you get with the results of completing your course, the sooner you’ll get through it. Expectation of good things, along with planning and goal-setting, have proven time after time to bring the desired results to fruition.