Training in Computer Support - Update

Last Updated (Wednesday, 31 December 1969 15:59) Written by Jason Kendall Monday, 30 November 2009 16:49

Congratulate yourself that you're on the right track! A fraction of the population enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers simply moan about it and take no action. Because you've done research we have a hunch that you're at least considering retraining, so you've already stood out from the crowd. Take your time now to research and follow-through.

Congratulate yourself that you're on the right track! A fraction of the population enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers simply moan about it and take no action. Because you've done research we have a hunch that you're at least considering retraining, so you've already stood out from the crowd. Take your time now to research and follow-through.

When considering retraining, it's vital to first define your requirements from the position you'd like to train for. You need to know that things would be a lot better before much time and effort is spent re-directing your life. It's good sense to regard the big picture first, to make an informed decision:

* Is having company at work important to you? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you can complete alone?

* Do you have a preference which market sector you would be suited to? (In this economy, it's essential to choose well.)

* Is this the last time you imagine you'll re-train, and if so, do you suppose your new career will allow you to do that?

* Would you like your study to be in an industry where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high until retirement?

We would advise you to consider the computer industry - there are a larger number of roles than staff to fill them, plus it's one of the few choices of career where the market sector is still growing. In contrast to the opinions of certain people, it isn't just geeks looking at screens every day (some jobs are like that of course.) The vast majority of roles are occupied by ordinary men and women who enjoy better than average salaries.

The perhaps intimidating chore of securing your first job is often made easier by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. Often, too much is made of this feature, as it's relatively easy for well qualified and focused men and women to get a job in this industry - because there's a great need for skilled employees.

Having said that, it's important to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; also we would encourage any student to get their CV updated right at the beginning of their training - don't put it off till you've finished your exams.

Getting your CV considered is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior positions are bagged by trainees (sometimes when they've only just got going.)

If you don't want to travel too far to work, then you'll often find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy may serve you better than the trainer's recruitment division, for they're going to be familiar with local employment needs.

A big frustration for a number of training providers is how much people are focused on studying to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the role they've acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.

Don't get hung-up, as many people do, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

Students often train for a single year but end up performing the job-role for decades. Don't make the mistake of choosing what sounds like an 'interesting' training program only to spend 20 years doing a job you hate!

You must also consider your feelings on earning potential, career development, plus your level of ambition. It makes sense to understand what (if any) sacrifices you'll need to make for a particular role, what exams are required and where you'll pick-up experience from.

Take guidance from an experienced professional, even if you have to pay - it's usually much cheaper and safer to find out at the start if you've chosen correctly, instead of discovering following two years of study that you aren't going to enjoy the job you've chosen and now need to go back to square one.

Looking at the myriad of choice out there, does it really shock us that the majority of trainees get stuck choosing the job they could be successful with.

Perusing long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Surely, most of us have no idea what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the ins and outs of any specific IT role.

Getting to the right answer really only appears through a thorough investigation of many unique criteria:

* What hobbies you have and enjoy - these can point towards what areas will give you the most reward.

* Are you aiming to achieve a closely held dream - like working for yourself someday?

* How highly do you rate salary - is it of prime importance, or do you place job satisfaction a little higher on the scale of your priorities?

* Often, trainees don't consider the work involved to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* You need to appreciate the differences between each area of training.

In all honesty, it's obvious that the only real way to research these issues will be via a meeting with someone that understands Information Technology (as well as it's commercial needs and requirements.)

You have to be sure that all your exams are current and what employers are looking for - you're wasting your time with programmes which provide certificates that are worthless because they're 'in-house'.

Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe, then it's likely it will be commercially useless - because it won't give an employer any directly-useable skills.