You should feel pleased that you’ve already got this far! Just ten percent of people say they enjoy their work, but vast numbers just go off on one from time to time and that’s it. The fact that you’re here means we can guess that you’re finding out about training, so even now you’re ahead of the game. The next step is to research and follow-through.
For those thinking of re-training, it’s crucial that you first make a list of what you want and don’t want from the job you’re looking to get into. Ensure that the grass actually is greener before you spend time and effort altering your life’s plans. Prudence suggests looking at the whole story first, to avoid disappointment:
* Is it your preference to work in isolation or perhaps being around others is an essential criteria for you?
* What thoughts are fundamentally important when considering the market sector you’re looking to get into?
* Would you like this to be the only time you’ll need to re-qualify?
* Are you confident that your chosen retraining can help you find employment, and will make it possible to be employed up to retirement age?
A predominant industry in the United Kingdom to meet the above criteria is the IT sector. There’s a demand for more qualified staff in this market, just search any jobs website and there’ll be a long list. However, it’s not all techie people looking at their computerscreens all day long - it’s much more diverse than that. Most of employees in this sector are ordinary people, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.
Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where you can learn everything on-screen. If we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we normally see dramatically better results.
Fully interactive motion videos with demonstrations and practice sessions will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And they’re a lot more fun to do. Be sure to get a training material demonstration from the training company. The package should contain expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.
You’ll find that many companies will only provide training that is purely available online; sometimes you can get away with this - but, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It’s preferable to have DVD or CD discs which will not have these problems.
Most people don’t even think to ask about a vitally important element - the way their training provider breaks up the courseware, and into what particular chunks. The majority of training companies will set up a 2 or 3 year study programme, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you pass each exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following: Often, the staged breakdown prescribed by the provider doesn’t suit you. You may find it a stretch to finalise all the modules inside their defined time-scales?
An ideal situation would be to have every piece of your study pack sent to you immediately; every single thing! Then, nothing can hinder your capability of finishing.
Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often be the case, on the accreditation program. Your training isn’t about getting a plaque on your wall; you’re training to become commercially employable. Begin and continue with the end in mind. Students often train for a single year but end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Avoid the mistake of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ training program only to spend 20 years doing a job you hate!
It’s a good idea to understand what industry will expect from you. Which particular exams they will want you to have and how you’ll build your experience level. It’s also worth spending time thinking about how far you’d like to get as it will present a very specific set of qualifications. It’s worth seeking guidance from an advisor who can best explain the market you’re considering, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ type of explanation for that career-path. All of these things are very important because you need to know whether or not you’ve chosen correctly.
Be careful that the exams you’re working towards will be recognised by employers and are the most recent versions. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless. The top IT companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe all have nationally acknowledged skills programmes. These heavyweights will ensure your employability.
Ignore any salesman who offers any particular course without performing a ‘fact-find’ to better understand your current abilities as well as experience level. Always check they have access to a wide-enough stable of training programs so they can give you an appropriate solution. An important point to note is that, if you have some relevant previous certification, then you will often be able to commence studying further along than someone who is new to the field. It’s usual to start with some basic user skills first. Starting there can make the learning curve a less steep.