Lead Gen, Associate, and SEO Guru Adam Torkildson

Network and PC support technicians are increasingly sought after in the UK, as institutions have come to depend upon their knowledge and skills. The nation’s requirement for better commercially qualified individuals is growing, as society becomes ever more dependent on computers in today’s environment.

Have you recently questioned your job security? For the majority of us, this issue only becomes a talking point when something goes wrong. But really, the lesson often learned too late is that our job security simply doesn’t exist anymore, for nearly everyone now. Security only exists now via a quickly escalating market, driven by a shortfall of trained staff. These circumstances create the correct conditions for a secure market – a far better situation.

Investigating the Information Technology (IT) market, a recent e-Skills analysis highlighted a 26 percent shortage in trained professionals. Put directly, we can’t properly place more than 3 out of every 4 jobs in IT. This troubling reality highlights the validity and need for more appropriately qualified computer professionals across the UK. Surely, now really is a fabulous time to consider retraining into the computer industry.

Reaching the most suitable job choice can be very hard – so what research do we need to do and what are the questions we should be raising?

Ignore any salesman who offers any particular course without a decent chat to better understand your current abilities plus your experience level. Make sure they can draw from a wide-enough product range so they’re able to give you an appropriate solution. If you have a strong background, or maybe some real-world experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then obviously the point from which you begin your studies will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever. Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer training, but depends on your skill level.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be full 24×7 support from professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and need help now.

Keep your eyes open for providers that utilise many support facilities across multiple time-zones. Each one should be integrated to offer a simple interface as well as 24 hours-a-day access, when it suits you, with no hassle. Never ever take second best when you’re looking for the right support service. Many trainees that drop-out or fail, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

Many trainers provide a big box of books. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not a very good way of studying effectively. If we’re able to study while utilising as many senses as possible, our results will often be quite spectacular.

Search for a course where you’re provided with an array of CD and DVD ROM’s – you’ll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, and be able to practice your skills in interactive lab’s. You’ll definitely want a demonstration of the study materials from the school that you’re considering. The materials should incorporate instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where offered, so that you have access at all times – you don’t want to be reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

Commercial certification is now, undoubtedly, already replacing the traditional routes into the industry – why then is this the case? With university education costs spiralling out of control, plus the IT sector’s general opinion that accreditation-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there has been a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training programmes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Clearly, a reasonable amount of associated detail has to be learned, but core specialisation in the particular job function gives a commercially trained student a distinct advantage.

The bottom line is: Commercial IT certifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for – everything they need to know is in the title: as an example – I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. So employers can identify exactly what they need and which qualifications are required to perform the job.

Think about the following facts very carefully if you’re inclined to think the sales ploy of a guarantee for your exam looks like a reason to buy:

Everyone knows they’re still paying for it – it’s obviously been inserted into the full cost of the package supplied by the training provider. Certainly, it’s not a freebie (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) The honest truth is that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one after the other, there’s a much better chance they’ll pass every time – as they’re aware of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you’re ready, and hang on to your cash. You also get more choice of where you take your exam – which means you can stay local. A great deal of money is netted by a significant number of organisations that incorporate exam fees into the cost of the course. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don’t get to do their exams but no refunds are given. Amazingly, providers exist that actually rely on students not sitting all the exams – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit. Pay heed to the fact that, with ‘Exam Guarantees’ from most places – you are not in control of when you can do your re-takes. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.

VUE and Prometric examinations are around 112 pounds in this country. Why spend so much more on charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (often hidden in the cost) – when a quality course, support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

You have to be sure that all your certifications are current and also valid commercially – you’re wasting your time with studies which provide certificates that are worthless because they’re ‘in-house’. All the major commercial players such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA have internationally approved proficiency programmes. Huge conglomerates such as these will ensure your employability.

There are a range of options on the market for people hoping to get into working with computers. For assistance in selecting the right one for you, seek out a training provider that will help you to work out which career will match your personal profile, as well as explaining the job responsibilities, to confirm you’re on the right track. If you’re mulling over advancing your technological abilities, maybe by improving your office user skills, or even becoming an IT professional, you can choose from many training options.

By reducing overhead structures, there are now companies offering modern courses with excellent training and mentoring for much lower prices than those charged by old-school colleges.

Wouldn’t it be great to know for sure that our jobs will always be secure and our work prospects are protected, but the likely scenario for most jobs around the UK right now appears to be that security just isn’t there anymore. Of course, a quickly growing market-place, with huge staffing demands (because of a massive shortage of trained workers), provides a market for proper job security.

Using the Information Technology (IT) industry for example, a key e-Skills analysis showed major skills shortages across the UK of around 26 percent. That means for every four jobs that are available throughout computing, we have only 3 certified professionals to fill that need. This single concept alone reveals why the country needs considerably more people to get into the IT sector. With the market evolving at such a rate, there really isn’t any other area of industry worth taking into account for your new career.

It’s irrefutable, the UK Information Technology (IT) industry offers exceptional possibilities. However, to investigate it properly, what sort of questions should we be raising, and what are the sectors we need to investigate?

For the most part, your average person doesn’t know how they should get into Information Technology, or even which area they should be considering getting trained in. As without any previous experience in Information Technology, how should we possibly be expected to understand what a particular job actually consists of? To work through this, a discussion is necessary, covering many unique issues:

* Your personality can play a major role – what things get your juices flowing, and what are the activities that get you down.

* Are you aiming to pull off a key objective – like working for yourself in the near future?

* Have you thought about salary vs job satisfaction?

* Learning what typical job areas and markets are – and what makes them different.

* What effort, commitment and time you’re prepared to put into obtaining your certification.

For the majority of us, considering all these ideas needs a long talk with an advisor that knows what they’re talking about. Not only the accreditations – but also the commercial requirements and expectations of the market as well.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – look for a package providing 24×7 full access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely put a damper on the speed you move through things. Avoid those companies that use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – where you’ll get called back during the next ‘working’ day. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

The most successful trainers use multiple support centres around the globe in several time-zones. By utilising an interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, any time of the day or night, help is just seconds away, without any contact issues or hassle. If you fail to get yourself online 24×7 support, you’ll regret it very quickly. You might not want to use the service in the middle of the night, but consider weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

We’d hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work – a ‘hands-on’ person. If you’re anything like us, the painful task of reading endless manuals is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but you’d hate it. You should use video and multimedia based materials if you’d really rather not use books. Learning psychology studies show that we remember much more when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we get physically involved with the study process.

Programs are now found in disc format, where everything is taught on your PC. Utilising the latest video technology, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to perform the required skill, followed by your chance to practice – in an interactive lab. Any company that you’re considering must be able to demonstrate a few examples of the type of training materials they provide. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and a variety of interactive modules.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where offered, so that you have access at all times – you don’t want to be reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

A question; why might we choose commercial qualifications and not more traditional academic qualifications obtained from the state educational establishments? With university education costs increasing year on year, plus the IT sector’s general opinion that corporate based study often has more relevance in the commercial field, there has been a large rise in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe based training routes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. In essence, only that which is required is learned. It’s slightly more broad than that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) – without trying to cram in every other area (as academia often does).

When an employer is aware what areas they need covered, then they simply need to advertise for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Vendor-based syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and can’t change from one establishment to the next (in the way that degree courses can).

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, when you pay for the rest of your course. But before you get taken in by the chance of a guarantee, be aware of the facts:

You’ll pay for it by some means. It’s definitely not free – it’s just been rolled into the price of the whole package. Students who enter their exams one by one, paying for them just before taking them are much more likely to pass. They are aware of what they’ve paid and revise more thoroughly to be ready for the task.

Don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you at the time, and save having to find the money early. In addition, it’s then your choice where to take your exam – so you can find somewhere local. Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when there’s absolutely nothing that says you have to? A lot of profit is made by companies charging all their exam fees up-front – and then cashing in when they’re not all taken. Additionally, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. Most companies will not pay for re-takes until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won’t fail again.

With average Prometric and VUE exams coming in at around 112 pounds in the UK, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Be careful that the accreditations you’re considering doing will be recognised by employers and are bang up to date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are usually worthless. Unless the accreditation comes from a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then you may discover it won’t be commercially viable – as no-one will have heard of it.

If you’re considering a web design career, find a course in Adobe Dreamweaver. The whole Adobe Web Creative Suite should additionally be understood in its entirety. This will introduce you to Action Script and Flash, (and more), and could lead on to the ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) or an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) certification.

Constructing the website is merely a fraction of what you’ll need – in order to create traffic, maintain its content, and work on dynamic sites that are database driven, you’ll be required to have additional programming skills, namely ones like PHP, HTML, and MySQL. You should also have an excellent grasp of E-Commerce and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

So, which sort of questions should we be raising if we’d like to get the understanding necessary? After all, there seems to be a good many fairly great opportunities for everyone to consider.

Get rid of any salesperson that recommends a training program without performing a ‘fact-find’ to better understand your current abilities plus your level of experience. Make sure they can draw from a wide-enough stable of training programs so they’re able to provide you with what’s right for you. An important point to note is that, if you have some relevant accreditation or direct-experience, then it’s not unreasonable to expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone new to the industry. For those students embarking on IT studies as a new venture, it can be helpful to ease in gradually, starting with user-skills and software training first. This is often offered with most training programs.

One thing you must always insist on is full 24×7 support from dedicated instructors and mentors. Too many companies will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Avoid those companies which use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with the call-back coming in during normal office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and need help now.

The best trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, at any time you choose, help is just seconds away, avoiding all the delays and problems. If you opt for less than 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You may not need it throughout the night, but what about weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’re a practical sort of person – the ‘hands-on’ type. If you’re anything like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides can be just about bared when essential, but it’s not ideal. You should use video and multimedia based materials if learning from books is not your thing. Where we can involve all our senses in the learning process, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Interactive audio-visual materials involving demonstration and virtual lab’s beat books hands-down. And they’re far more fun. Make sure to obtain a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. You should ask for expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

Go for physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s every time. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

If you’re thinking of using a trainer who is still pushing workshops as a benefit of their course, then consider these issues reported by many students:

* The amount of travel required – multiple journeys and often 100′s of miles each time.

* Mon-Fri access for workshops is the norm, and with 2-3 days to book off work, this can represent quite a problem for a lot of trainees who are working.

* And don’t overlook the lost holiday days. Most of us have twenty days annual leave. If half is given up to classes, then it doesn’t leave much for us and our families.

* Workshops can fill up very quickly and can sometimes be too big – so they’re not personal enough.

* Tension can be created in classes where the right pace for one student is not the same as another.

* Soaring travel costs – driving to and from the training centre plus accommodation for the duration can cost a lot each time you attend. If we just assume a basic 5-10 workshops costing 35 pounds for an over-night room, plus 40 pounds for petrol and 15.00 for food, we find an extra four to nine hundred pounds of add-on cost.

* Keeping your training private from your employer can be very important to many attendees. Why give up potential advancement, salary hikes or success at work because you’re getting trained in a different area. If your employer knows you’re taking steps towards training in another sector, what will they think?

* Asking questions in the presence of other class-mates sometimes makes us feel awkward. Surely, at some point, you’ve avoided asking a question just because you honestly thought you might seem thick?

* More often than not, classes frequently become virtually undoable, where you live away for some part of the year.

For a far more flexible approach, utilise pre-filmed lessons at home, in comfort – taking them when it’s convenient to you – not some other person. Do them at home on your desktop PC or if you have laptop, why not get outside if the weather’s nice. If you’ve got questions, then use the provided 24×7 live support (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) Classes and lessons can be repeated whenever you feel you need to – repetition is good for memory. And you’ll never have to write notes again – everything’s done for you already. The result: Less hassle and stress, less cost, and no wasted travelling time.

Discovering job security nowadays is very unusual. Companies will drop us from the workplace at a moment’s notice – whenever it suits. However, a fast growing sector, where staff are in constant demand (through a massive shortage of fully trained professionals), creates the conditions for real job security.

Reviewing the Information Technology (IT) sector, a recent e-Skills investigation showed an over 26 percent skills deficit. It follows then that for every four jobs that exist in computing, companies are only able to find properly accredited workers for 3 of the 4. This one reality alone clearly demonstrates why the United Kingdom desperately needs many more people to enter the Information Technology market. Surely, now really is the very best time to retrain into the IT industry.