It's quite some achievement that you've already got this far! A small number of workers enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but the majority complain to each other and nothing happens. The fact that you're here means it's probable that you're at least considering retraining, so well done to you. Now you just need to get busy to find your direction.
Before embarking on a course, look for some advice - find an industry expert; someone who'll give you career advice based on what works best for you, and then show you the courses that will suit you:
* Do you enjoy a busy working environment? Perhaps you like being a team player? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you deal with by yourself?
* Are you thinking carefully about which area you would be suited to? (In this economy, it's vital to get it right.)
* Having completed your retraining, would you like this skill to get you jobs for the rest of your working life?
* Do you believe that the training program you've chosen will offer you employment opportunities, and make it possible to work right up to the time you want to stop?
The biggest industry in the UK that fulfils the above criteria is the IT industry. There's a need for more skilled staff in this sector, just check out any jobs website and there'll be a long list. Don't misunderstand and think it's full of techie geeks staring at theirscreens all day long - there are loads more jobs than that. The majority of the people in IT are people of average intelligence, with well paid and stimulating jobs.
Your training program should always include the latest Microsoft (or any other key organisation's) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages.
Be sure that your practice exams are not just posing the correct questions on the correct subjects, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will structure them. This can really throw some trainees if the phraseology and format is completely different.
Practice exams can be very useful as a resource to you - so much so, that at your actual exams, you don't get uptight.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be 24x7 round-the-clock support with expert mentors and instructors. So many companies we come across only seem to want to help while they're in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.
Locate training schools where you can receive help at all hours of the day and night (irrespective of whether it's the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it's always 24x7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you're consistently being held in a queue for a call-back at a convenient time for them.
We recommend looking for training programs that incorporate three or four individual support centres from around the world. All of them should be combined to give a single entry point and also round-the-clock access, when you need it, with no hassle.
Look for a training provider that goes the extra mile. Because only round-the-clock 24x7 support gives you the confidence to make it.
A number of people think that the school and FE college route is still the most effective. So why then are commercially accredited qualifications becoming more popular with employers?
The IT sector is of the opinion that for an understanding of the relevant skills, the right accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised - and a fraction of the cost and time.
Essentially, only that which is required is learned. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) - without going into too much detail in everything else - in the way that academic establishments often do.
Just like the advert used to say: 'It does what it says on the label'. Companies need only to know what areas need to be serviced, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
The market provides an excess of employment in IT. Arriving at the correct choice in this uncertainty can be very difficult.
Flicking through long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Most of us don't really appreciate what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the ins and outs of a specific IT job.
To attack this, there should be a discussion of a variety of core topics:
* Your personal interests and hobbies - often these show the areas will satisfy you.
* What length of time can you allocate for your training?
* What priority do you place on salary vs the travel required?
* Getting to grips with what the main job roles and sectors are - including what sets them apart.
* Our advice is to think deeply about any sacrifices you'll need to make, as well as what commitment and time that you will set aside for your education.
To bypass the confusing industry jargon, and discover what'll really work for you, have an informal meeting with an industry expert and advisor; a person that can impart the commercial reality whilst covering each certification. - 33376
Before embarking on a course, look for some advice - find an industry expert; someone who'll give you career advice based on what works best for you, and then show you the courses that will suit you:
* Do you enjoy a busy working environment? Perhaps you like being a team player? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you deal with by yourself?
* Are you thinking carefully about which area you would be suited to? (In this economy, it's vital to get it right.)
* Having completed your retraining, would you like this skill to get you jobs for the rest of your working life?
* Do you believe that the training program you've chosen will offer you employment opportunities, and make it possible to work right up to the time you want to stop?
The biggest industry in the UK that fulfils the above criteria is the IT industry. There's a need for more skilled staff in this sector, just check out any jobs website and there'll be a long list. Don't misunderstand and think it's full of techie geeks staring at theirscreens all day long - there are loads more jobs than that. The majority of the people in IT are people of average intelligence, with well paid and stimulating jobs.
Your training program should always include the latest Microsoft (or any other key organisation's) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages.
Be sure that your practice exams are not just posing the correct questions on the correct subjects, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will structure them. This can really throw some trainees if the phraseology and format is completely different.
Practice exams can be very useful as a resource to you - so much so, that at your actual exams, you don't get uptight.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be 24x7 round-the-clock support with expert mentors and instructors. So many companies we come across only seem to want to help while they're in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.
Locate training schools where you can receive help at all hours of the day and night (irrespective of whether it's the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it's always 24x7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you're consistently being held in a queue for a call-back at a convenient time for them.
We recommend looking for training programs that incorporate three or four individual support centres from around the world. All of them should be combined to give a single entry point and also round-the-clock access, when you need it, with no hassle.
Look for a training provider that goes the extra mile. Because only round-the-clock 24x7 support gives you the confidence to make it.
A number of people think that the school and FE college route is still the most effective. So why then are commercially accredited qualifications becoming more popular with employers?
The IT sector is of the opinion that for an understanding of the relevant skills, the right accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised - and a fraction of the cost and time.
Essentially, only that which is required is learned. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) - without going into too much detail in everything else - in the way that academic establishments often do.
Just like the advert used to say: 'It does what it says on the label'. Companies need only to know what areas need to be serviced, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
The market provides an excess of employment in IT. Arriving at the correct choice in this uncertainty can be very difficult.
Flicking through long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Most of us don't really appreciate what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the ins and outs of a specific IT job.
To attack this, there should be a discussion of a variety of core topics:
* Your personal interests and hobbies - often these show the areas will satisfy you.
* What length of time can you allocate for your training?
* What priority do you place on salary vs the travel required?
* Getting to grips with what the main job roles and sectors are - including what sets them apart.
* Our advice is to think deeply about any sacrifices you'll need to make, as well as what commitment and time that you will set aside for your education.
To bypass the confusing industry jargon, and discover what'll really work for you, have an informal meeting with an industry expert and advisor; a person that can impart the commercial reality whilst covering each certification. - 33376
