A very small number of men and women in the UK today are happy with
what they do for a living. Inevitably, huge numbers will take no
action. The fact that you're reading this surely suggests that you know
it's time to make a change.
For those thinking of re-training,
it's essential that you first make a list of what you want and don't
want from the career you're looking to get into. Be sure that you would
be more satisfied before you spend time and effort taking a new turn.
We recommend looking at the end goal first, to steer clear of regrets:
* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Would that be with the
same people or with a lot of new people? Maybe working on your own in
isolation may be your preference?
* Which criteria's do you have regarding the industry you hope to work in?
* Is it important that this should be the last time re-training is necessary?
* Do you have niggles about your possibilities of finding new
employment, and being in demand in the employment market all the way
until retirement?
It would be an idea for you to consider the
IT sector - there are increasingly more jobs than workers to do them,
and it's one of the few choices of career where the industry is still
growing. Contrary to what some people believe, IT isn't all techie
people looking at screens all day long (though naturally some jobs are
like that.) The vast majority of roles are filled by ordinary people
who enjoy better than average salaries.
At times individuals
don't comprehend what information technology is doing for all of us.
It's electrifying, revolutionary, and means you're a part of the huge
progress of technology affecting everyones lives in the 21st century.
We're only just starting to get a feel for how technology is going to
shape our lives. Computers and the Internet will profoundly
revolutionise how we regard and interrelate with the entire world over
the coming years.
The regular IT employee over this country as
a whole can demonstrate that they earn a lot more money than equivalent
professionals in much of the rest of the economy. Standard IT wages are
hard to beat nationally. It would appear there's no end in sight for IT
development across Britain. The market continues to grow enormously,
and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it's
most unlikely that there'll be any kind of easing off for quite some
time to come.
'Exam Guarantees' are often bundled with
training offers - inevitably that means paying for the exams before
you've even made a start on the course. But before you get taken in by
the chance of a guarantee, look at the following:
It's become
essential these days that we're a little more 'marketing-savvy' - and
most of us know that for sure it is something we're paying for (it's
not a freebie because they like us so much!) For those who want to pass
in one, then the most successful route is to avoid exam guarantees and
pay when entering exams, prioritise it appropriately and give the task
sufficient application.
Do the examinations at a local
pro-metric testing centre and look for the very best offer you can at
the time. A lot of current training colleges make huge amounts of money
because they're getting in the money for exams at the start of the
course and banking on the fact that many won't be taken. The majority
of organisations will require you to do mock exams and with-hold
subsequent exam entries from you until you've proven conclusively that
you can pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is naive -
when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam
preparation tools is what will really see you through.
The old
fashioned style of teaching, involving piles of reference textbooks, is
often a huge slog for most of us. If this sounds like you, check out
study materials which feature interactive and multimedia modules. We
see a huge improvement in memory retention when we use multiple senses
- experts have been clear on this for decades now.
Modern
training can now be done at home via interactive CD and DVD ROM's.
Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you'll find things
easier to remember by way of the demonstrations and explanations.
Knowledge can then be tested by using practice-lab's. Make sure to
obtain a demonstration of the study materials from the training
company. You'll want to see slide-shows, instructor-led videos and
lab's for you to practice your skills in.
Many companies
provide training that is purely available online; and although this is
okay the majority of the time, consider how you'll deal with it if
internet access is lost or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It is
usually safer to have actual CD or DVD ROMs that removes the issue
entirely.
Finding your first job in the industry is often made
easier if you're supported with a Job Placement Assistance facility.
With the huge shortage of skills in this country at the moment, there's
no need to get too caught up in this feature though. It's not as
difficult as you may be led to believe to secure employment once you're
well trained and qualified.
CV and Interview advice and support
is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for
help). Make sure you bring your CV right up to date straight away -
don't wait until you've finished your exams! Quite often, you will be
offered your initial position while you're still a student (even when
you've just left first base). If your CV doesn't show your latest
training profile (and it's not being looked at by employers) then you
won't even be considered! If you'd like to keep travelling time and
costs to a minimum, then you may well find that a specialist
independent regional recruitment consultant or service may be of more
use than a centralised service, because they are much more inclined to
be familiar with what's available near you.
Essentially, if you
put the same amount of effort into finding a job as into studying, you
won't find it too challenging. Some people bizarrely spend hundreds of
hours on their learning program and do nothing more once they've passed
their exams and seem to expect employers to find them.(C) Jason Kendall. Check out LearningLolly.com for in-depth career
advice on Cisco
CCNA Courses and SQL Server
Training.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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