Currently in the UK, industry would be severely hampered were it not for support workers solving problems with networks and computers, while giving advice to users on a regular basis each week. Because of the multifaceted levels of technology, many more IT professionals are required to run the various different areas we’ve come to rely on.
Searching for your first position in IT can be a little easier with the help of a Job Placement Assistance facility. With the growing skills shortage in the UK today, it’s not necessary to make too much of this option though. It isn’t so complicated as you might think to get your first job once you’re trained and certified.
Help with your CV and interview techniques is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). Be sure to you work on your old CV straight away – don’t leave it till you pass the exams!
It’s not unusual to find that you will be offered your first job whilst you’re still studying (occasionally right at the beginning). If your CV doesn’t show your latest training profile – or it’s not getting in front of interviewers, then you aren’t even in the running!
Generally, you’ll receive better performance from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you’ll experience from any training course provider’s recruitment division, because they’ll know the local area and commercial needs better.
A slight aggravation for various training companies is how much students are prepared to work to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared that student is to get the role they’ve acquired skills for. Have confidence – the IT industry needs YOU.
Beginning from the idea that we need to find the market that sounds most inviting first, before we’re even able to contemplate what career development program ticks the right boxes, how can we choose the correct route?
Working through lists of IT career possibilities is next to useless. Surely, most of us have no concept what our own family members do for a living – let alone understand the subtleties of a specific IT job.
To get to the bottom of this, a discussion is necessary, covering many unique issues:
* What hobbies you have and enjoy – these often reveal the possibilities will satisfy you.
* Why you’re looking at stepping into Information Technology – it could be you’re looking to overcome some personal goal like firing your boss and working for yourself for example.
* How highly do you rate salary – is an increase your main motivator, or does job satisfaction rate a little higher on the scale of your priorities?
* There are many areas to train for in IT – you’ll need to get a basic understanding of what separates them.
* The level of commitment and effort you’ll have available to commit getting qualified.
When all is said and done, the most intelligent way of checking this all out is from a good talk with someone that understands the market well enough to lead you to the correct decision.
Always expect the very latest Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages.
Don’t fall foul of relying on non-official exam preparation questions. The type of questions asked is often somewhat different – and sometimes this can be a real headache when it comes to taking the real exam.
Mock exams can be enormously valuable for confidence building – so that when you come to take your actual exams, you don’t get uptight.
Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – this always means you have to pay for the exams at the start of your training. But before you get taken in by the chance of a guarantee, be aware of the facts:
Clearly it’s not free – you are paying for it – the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package.
People who take exams one at a time, paying as they go are far more likely to pass first time. They are conscious of what they’ve paid and take the necessary steps to be up to the task.
Shouldn’t you be looking to not pay up-front, but at the appropriate time, instead of paying a premium to the college, and also to sit exams more locally – instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call?
Huge profits are secured by many training colleges that get money for exam fees in advance. Many students don’t take them for one reason or another but the company keeps the money. Astoundingly enough, there are training companies who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams – as that’s very profitable for them.
Re-takes of any failed exams via training course providers who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ inevitably are heavily regulated. They’ll insist that you take mock exams first until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.
Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is naive – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
Written by Scott Edwards. Browse around MCSATraining4PC.co.uk or CLICK HERE.
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