by Jason Kendall
What do you expect the most superior Microsoft accredited suppliers to offer a client in this country currently? Undoubtedly, the finest Microsoft authorised training routes, supplying a range of courses to take you towards various areas of industry.
Maybe you'd choose to find advisors with experience of the IT industry, who can give you some ideas on which area of the industry would suit you most, and the kind of responsibilities that are appropriate for a person with your personality.
Training courses should be designed to match your current skills and aptitude. Therefore, having got to grips with the most appropriate area of work for you, you'll then need to look at what is the relevant route to see you into your career.
Those that are drawn to this type of work can be very practical by nature, and don't always take well to classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If this is putting you off studying, go for more modern interactive training, where everything is presented via full motion video.
Learning psychology studies show that much more of what we learn in remembered when we involve as many senses as possible, and we put into practice what we've been studying.
The latest audio-visual interactive programs featuring instructor demo's and practice lab's will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you'll actually enjoy doing them.
All companies should willingly take you through a few examples of the materials provided for study. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and many interactive sections.
Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where possible, as you need to be able to use them whenever it's convenient for you - you don't want to be reliant on your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.
Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, most definitely, starting to replace the traditional routes into the IT industry - but why is this?
Corporate based study (in industry terminology) is far more specialised and product-specific. Industry has realised that specialisation is what's needed to service the demands of a technologically complex world. Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA are the key players in this arena.
In a nutshell, only that which is required is learned. It's not quite as straightforward as that, but the most important function is always to cover the precise skills needed (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without trying to cram in everything else - in the way that academic establishments often do.
Imagine if you were an employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Wade your way through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from various applicants, having to ask what each has covered and what commercial skills they have, or choose a specific set of accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.
A fatal Faux-Pas that we encounter all too often is to focus entirely on getting a qualification, and not focus on the end result they want to achieve. Schools are brimming over with students that chose a program because it looked interesting - rather than what would get them the job they want.
Don't let yourself become part of that group that choose a course that sounds really 'interesting' and 'fun' - only to end up with a qualification for an unrewarding career path.
Spend some time thinking about earning potential and the level of your ambition. Sometimes, this affects what precise exams you'll need to attain and what you can expect to give industry in return.
Seek advice from an experienced industry professional, even if you have to pay a small fee - it's much safer and cheaper to investigate at the start if you've chosen correctly, instead of discovering after 2 years that the job you've chosen is not for you and have to return to the start of another program.
Several companies supply a practical Job Placement Assistance program, to help you get your first job. Sometimes, people are too impressed with this facility, as it's relatively easy for a well trained and motivated person to find work in the IT environment - as employers are keen to find appropriately well trained people.
CV and Interview advice and support may be available (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). Ensure you bring your CV right up to date right away - don't leave it till you pass the exams!
It's not unusual to find that you will get your initial position whilst still on the course (even when you've just left first base). If your CV doesn't show your latest training profile (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you're not even going to be known about!
Normally you'll get quicker service from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you'll get from a training course provider's centralised service, because they'll know local industry and the area better.
Do ensure you don't put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, then call a halt and leave it in the hands of the gods to secure your first position. Stop procrastinating and get on with the job. Put as much energy and enthusiasm into securing a good job as you did to get trained.