Just ten percent of adults in this country are claiming to be happy in their job. The vast majority of course will take no action. The fact that you’ve got this far at least means that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.
We recommend you seek advice first – find someone who knows the industry; an advisor who can discover your ideal job, and then show you the courses you may be suited to:
* Do you hope for interaction with others? If the answer’s yes, would you enjoy being part of a team or are you hoping to meet new people? Maybe you’d rather be left alone to get on with things?
* Do you have a preference which market sector you could be employed in? (In this economy, it’s vital to choose carefully.)
* Do you want this to be the only time you’ll have to retrain?
* Would it be useful for the course you’re re-training in to be in an area where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high up to retirement age?
We would advise you to consider the IT industry – there are greater numbers of jobs than staff to fill them, because it’s a rare career choice where the sector is expanding. Contrary to the opinions of certain people, IT isn’t all techie people lost in their PC’s the whole day (though those jobs exist.) The majority of jobs are taken by people like you and me who like receiving larger than average salaries.
Starting with the idea that it’s good to home-in on the market that sounds most inviting first and foremost, before we’re even able to contemplate which method of training ticks the right boxes, how can we choose the way that suits us?
Scanning lists of IT career possibilities is no use whatsoever. The majority of us don’t really appreciate what our next-door neighbours do at work each day – so we have no hope of understanding the subtleties of a specific IT job.
To get to the bottom of this, we need to discuss a number of definitive areas:
* Your personality can play an important part – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the activities that really turn you off.
* Are you hoping to get certified because of a particular motive – for example, do you aim to work at home (self-employment possibly?)?
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance – is an increase your main motivator, or is day-to-day enjoyment further up on your list of priorities?
* Often, trainees don’t consider the amount of work required to get fully certified.
* Taking a proper look at the level of commitment, time and effort you can give.
The best way to avoid all the jargon and confusion, and reveal what’ll really work for you, have an in-depth discussion with an experienced professional; a person who can impart the commercial reality and of course the accreditations.
Have a conversation with any specialised advisor and we’d be amazed if they couldn’t provide you with many awful tales of how students have been duped by salespeople. Only deal with an industry professional that asks some in-depth questions to find out what’s appropriate to you – not for their paycheque! Dig until you find the very best place to start for you.
If you’ve got any work-based experience or some accreditation, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is not the same as someone new to the industry.
Commencing with a basic PC skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer studies, depending on your skill level at the moment.
Students often end up having issues because of a single courseware aspect very rarely considered: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being delivered to your home.
Delivery by courier of each element stage by stage, as you pass each exam is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds sensible, but you might like to consider this:
Many students find that their training company’s standard order of study isn’t as suitable as another. It’s often the case that a slightly different order suits them better. Could it cause problems if you don’t get everything done in the allotted time?
For future safety and flexibility, it’s not unusual for students to request that all their modules (now paid for) are couriered out in one package, all at the beginning. That means it’s down to you at what speed and in which order you’d like to work.
A useful feature that many training companies provide is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is designed to steer you into your first IT role. Ultimately it isn’t a complex operation to get a job – as long as you’re correctly trained and certified; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.
Nevertheless, don’t wait till you have completed your exams before getting your CV updated. Right at the beginning of your training, list what you’re working on and get promoting!
You’ll often find that you will get your first job whilst still on the course (even in the early stages). If your course details aren’t on your CV (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) 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 an independent and specialised local employment service can generally serve you better than the trainer’s recruitment division, for they’re far more likely to be familiar with the local job scene.
A regular grievance of many course providers is how hard people are focused on studying to become certified, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the position they’re acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle – you might find it’s fun.
Author: Scott Edwards. Browse around HERE or it-training-com.co.uk.
