When choosing any course in IT it’s crucial that the qualification you will gain is one that is current with commercial requirements. Additionally, you should make sure that the subject suits you, your abilities and your personality. Pick out training for user skills courses, or take a career track and specialise. Easy to follow courses will help you to realise your dreams.
The latest training methods at last give students the chance to be instructed on a new style of course, that costs significantly less than old-style courses. The great value of the new courses means anyone can afford them.
Now, why ought we to be looking at commercial qualifications as opposed to familiar academic qualifications taught at tech’ colleges and universities? Industry now recognises that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, proper accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised – saving time and money. The training is effectively done by concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (alongside an appropriate level of background knowledge,) rather than covering masses of the background detail and ‘fluff’ that degree courses can often find themselves doing (to fill up a syllabus or course).
If an employer knows what areas need to be serviced, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. The syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and do not vary between trainers (in the way that degree courses can).
Every program under consideration must provide a widely recognised exam at the finale – not a useless ‘in-house’ diploma – fit only for filing away and forgetting. Only properly recognised accreditation from companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe and Cisco will mean anything to employers.
Proper support is incredibly important – ensure you track down something providing 24×7 full access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely hamper your progress. Email support is too slow, and so-called telephone support is normally just routed to a call-centre who will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a time suitable for them. This is no use if you’re lost and confused and only have a specific time you can study.
Be on the lookout for providers that use several support centres across multiple time-zones. These should be integrated to give a single entry point as well as round-the-clock access, when you need it, with no hassle. Search out a company that goes the extra mile. Because only live 24×7 support delivers what is required.
One interesting way that training providers make more money is via an ‘exam inclusive’ package and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. It looks like a good deal, but is it really:
We all know that we’re still footing the bill for it – obviously it has already in the gross price invoiced by the college. It’s definitely not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations when it’s appropriate and paying as you go has a marked effect on pass-rates – you revise thoroughly and are aware of the costs involved.
Shouldn’t you be looking to go for the best offer at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the college, and to do it in a local testing office – instead of the remote centre that’s convenient only to the trainer? Buying a course that includes payments for examination fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is bad financial management. Don’t line companies bank accounts with your hard-earned cash simply to help their cash-flow! A lot bank on the fact that you won’t get to do them all – then they’ll keep the extra money. Also, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. Many training companies will not pay for you to re-take until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.
On average, exams cost 112 pounds or thereabouts twelve months or so ago via VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So don’t be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more for ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when any student knows that the responsible approach is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
Don’t accept anything less than the latest Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) authorised exam preparation packages. Because a lot of IT examining boards are American, you’ll need to be used to the correct phraseology. It’s no use simply going through the right questions – it’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format. For many reasons, it’s very crucial to ensure that you are completely prepared for your commercial exam prior to going for it. Practicing mock-up exams will help to boost your attitude and saves you time and money on thwarted exam entries.