If you’re reading this there’s a good chance that either you want to get into networking and the MCSE has reared its head, or you could already be in IT and you know that you can’t get any further without the MCSE accreditation.
Be sure you see evidence that the training company you use is educating you on the latest Microsoft level. A number of trainees become very demoralised when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated MCSE course which will have to be revised.
Training colleges should be devoted to finding the right path for their students. Mentoring education is as much concerned with helping people to work out which way to go, as much as giving them help to get there.
The perhaps intimidating chore of getting your first role in IT is often eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. At the end of the day it isn’t so complicated as you might think to land employment – once you’re trained and certified; employers in this country need your skills.
One important thing though, don’t wait till you’ve finished your training before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start studying, list what you’re working on and tell people about it!
Various junior support roles have been offered to students who are in the process of training and haven’t even passed a single exam yet. This will at the very least get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile.
Generally, a local IT focused employment agency (who will get paid commission to place you) is going to give you a better service than a recruitment division from a training organisation. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the local industry and employment needs.
A constant grievance for many training providers is how hard men and women are prepared to study to get top marks in their exams, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the role they’ve trained for. Have confidence – the IT industry needs YOU.
Quite often, students have issues with a single training area which doesn’t even occur to them: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being couriered to your address.
The majority of training companies will set up a program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you complete each section or exam. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts:
Maybe the order of study insisted on by the company won’t suit you. What if you find it hard to complete each and every section within their timetable?
In an ideal situation, you’d ask for every single material to be delivered immediately – giving you them all to come back to at any time in the future – at any time you choose. Variations can then be made to the order that you complete each objective if you find another route more intuitive.
Starting from the viewpoint that we have to home-in on the area of most interest first, before we’re able to consider what educational program would meet that requirement, how do we know the right path?
Reading a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is no use whatsoever. The vast majority of us have no concept what the neighbours do for a living – so what chance do we have in understanding the subtleties of a new IT role.
Getting to the right resolution really only appears through a meticulous examination of many different criteria:
* Your hobbies and interests – often these point towards what possibilities will provide a happy working life.
* What sort of time-frame do you want for the training process?
* Does salary have a higher place on your priority-scale than some other areas.
* Looking at the many markets that the IT industry encapsulates, it’s important to be able to take in what’s different.
* You will need to understand what differentiates the myriad of training options.
For most of us, considering all these ideas tends to require the help of a professional who can investigate each area with you. And we don’t just mean the accreditations – but the commercial expectations and needs of industry too.
Have a conversation with any specialised consultant and they’ll entertain you with many horror stories of students who’ve been conned by dodgy salespeople. Make sure you deal with an experienced industry advisor who asks lots of questions to uncover the best thing for you – not for their paycheque! You need to find the very best place to start for you.
It’s worth remembering, if you’ve got any qualifications that are related, then you can sometimes expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone new to the industry.
Opening with a user skills module first is often the best way to get up and running on your IT programme, depending on your skill level at the moment.
(C) 2009 Scott Edwards. Try MCSE2008-4PC.co.uk or CLICK HERE.
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