IT Study In Your Own Home - Thoughts

Reference and Education

Written by JasonKendall

Monday, 03 August 2009

by JasonKendall

There are four specialised areas of training in the A+ syllabus, of which 2 passes are needed to be considered A+ qualified. We would advise however that limiting yourself to 2 of the specialised areas could expose flaws in your knowledge when applying for a job. Try to cover all four - you'll be glad you did when it comes to interview time.

A+ certification in isolation will mean that you're able to repair and fix laptops, Macs and PC's; ones that are most often not part of a network - which means the home or small business market. If you aspire to maintaining networks, you'll need to add Network+ to your training package. Taking this course as well will prepare you to command a more senior job role. Alternatively, you may prefer the networking qualifications from Microsoft, i.e. MCP, MCSA MCSE.

Many trainers provide piles of reference manuals and workbooks. This isn't very interesting and not a very good way of taking things in. Studies have constantly demonstrated that getting into our studies physically, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.

Start a study-program in which you'll get a host of DVD-ROM's - you'll be learning from instructor videos and demo's, and be able to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions. Any company that you're considering must be able to demonstrate a few examples of the type of training materials they provide. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and interactive areas to practice in.

Often, companies will only use just online versions of their training packages; and although this is okay the majority of the time, consider how you'll deal with it if you lose your internet access or you get a slow connection speed. It's much safer to rely on DVD or CD discs which will solve that problem.

We can't make a big enough deal out of this point: You have to get round-the-clock 24x7 support from professional instructors. Later, you'll kick yourself if you don't follow this rule rigidly. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - with your call-back scheduled for standard office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and want support there and then.

Be on the lookout for study programmes that utilise many support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. All of them should be combined to give a single entry point as well as round-the-clock access, when you need it, with no hassle. Find a trainer that is worth purchasing from. As only true live 24x7 support truly delivers for technical programs.

A valuable training course package will undoubtedly also offer fully authorised exam preparation packages. Don't fall foul of relying on unofficial exam papers and questions. The type of questions asked is often somewhat different - and this leads to huge confusion in the actual examination. Obviously, it is vital to know that you've thoroughly prepared for your commercial exam prior to going for it. Revising simulated exams adds to your knowledge bank and saves you time and money on failed exams.

The sometimes daunting task of finding your first role in IT can be made easier by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance service. The fact of the matter is it's not as difficult as you may be led to believe to find your first job - as long as you're correctly trained and certified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

Whatever you do, avoid waiting until you have finished your training before bringing your CV up to date. As soon as you start a course, enter details of your study programme and get it out there! A good number of junior support roles are offered to trainees who are still learning and haven't got any qualifications yet. At the very least this will get you on your way. Normally you'll get quicker results from a specialised and independent local recruitment service than you'll get from a course provider's employment division, as they'll know the local area and commercial needs better.

A big grievance of many training course providers is how much students are prepared to work to become certified, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the position they have acquired skills for. Have confidence - the IT industry needs YOU.

What is the reason why traditional degrees are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, industry has moved to specific, honed-in training that the vendors themselves supply - that is companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. Often this saves time and money for the student. Many degrees, as a example, clog up the training with vast amounts of loosely associated study - and a syllabus that's too generalised. This prevents a student from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the label'. Companies need only to know where they have gaps, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. That way they can be sure they're interviewing applicants who can do the job.

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