Marketing Systems

If it’s Cisco training you’re after, but you’re new to working with routers, the chances are your first course should be the Cisco CCNA qualification. This educates you in the knowledge you need to understand routers. The internet is constructed from huge numbers of routers, and large companies with multiple departments and sites also rely on them to allow their networks of computers to communicate.

You might end up joining an internet service provider or a large commercial venture that’s on many locations but still needs contact. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

The CCNA qualification is the right level to aim for; don’t let some salesperson talk you into starting with the CCNP. With experience, you’ll find out if this level is required. Should that be the case, you’ll have the knowledge you need for the CCNP - which is quite a hard qualification to acquire - and mustn’t be entered into casually.

A major candidate for the biggest issue to be got round for IT students is usually having to turn up to ‘In Centre’ days or workshops. Many training schools extol the virtues of the ‘benefits’ of going in to their classes, however, they quickly become a major problem because of:

* Many round journeys - usually 100’s of miles.

* Workshop availability; typically weekdays only and sometimes two to three days together. It’s not easy to get the days away from work.

* Lost annual leave - the majority of working people get just four weeks holiday each year. If you use up half of that with educational days, you haven’t got a great deal of holiday time remaining for students and their families.

* ‘In-Centre’ workshop days often get fully subscribed quite quickly, giving us the only option of a slot that doesn’t really suit.

* You may prefer to move at a somewhat more suitable pace - rather than be dictated to by the rest of the class. Often this can bring about classic classroom tension.

* A lot of trainees report that the (not inconsiderable) costs of travelling back and forth to the training venue and paying for food and accommodation gets very expensive.

* Don’t risk the chance of letting yourself be overlooked for a lift up the ladder or pay-rises just because you’re retraining.

* Asking questions in front of other class-mates often makes us feel uncomfortable. Surely, at some point, you’ve avoided asking a question just because you didn’t want to look foolish?

* You should remember, events are simply impossible to attend, if you live away for part of your week or month.

For a far more flexible approach, utilise ready-made, videoed classes in the comfort of your own home - and do it when it’s convenient to you - not some other person. Whenever you get stuck, use the provided 24×7 live support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Bear in mind, if you own a laptop, you could study in breaks at work. Just come back to any of the study units whenever you need to. And of course, you don’t have to make notes as you’ll have direct access to the instruction whenever you want to go back to it. Basically: You save time, hassle, money and avoid polluting the skies.

Frequently, your average person doesn’t have a clue where to start with a computing career, let alone what market to focus their retraining program on. Consequently, if you’ve got no understanding of IT in the workplace, how are you equipped to know what someone in a particular field fills their day with? Let alone decide on which training route provides the best chances for a successful result. Contemplation on many factors is required if you need to get to a solution that suits you:

* Your hobbies and interests - these can highlight what possibilities will satisfy you.

* Are you aiming to realise a specific aim - like working from home as quickly as possible?

* What salary and timescale requirements that are important to you?

* With so many ways to train in Information Technology - you’ll need to achieve some background information on what sets them apart.

* Taking a good look at how much time and effort you can give.

To be honest, it’s obvious that the only real way to seek advice on these matters is via a conversation with an experienced advisor that understands computing (and specifically it’s commercial needs and requirements.)

Many people question why traditional degrees are less in demand than the more commercial certifications? The IT sector now recognises that for an understanding of the relevant skills, the right accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is closer to the mark commercially - for much less time and money. The training is effectively done through honing in on the skills that are really needed (alongside an appropriate level of associated knowledge,) rather than covering masses of the background ‘padding’ that degrees in computing are prone to get tied up in - to pad out the syllabus.

Imagine if you were an employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. Which is the most straightforward: Go through loads of academic qualifications from several applicants, struggling to grasp what they’ve learned and what workplace skills have been attained, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that precisely match your needs, and then select who you want to interview from that. The interview is then more about the person and how they’ll fit in - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

People researching courses for the computer or IT industry will soon realise that there are a variety of courses available to them. In the first instance, look for a training provider with a team of advisors, so you can be fully informed on the job roles your training will prepare you for. Maybe you’ll find job roles you hadn’t previously thought of. Should you be thinking of improving your computer skills, maybe with some office user skills, or possibly becoming professionally qualified, you can choose from many training options.

Because there are such a lot of low cost, simple to follow training programs and help, you’re sure to find something that will get you to your destination.

Sometimes, people don’t really get what IT means. It’s ground-breaking, exciting, and means you’re doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We’ve barely started to see just how technology is going to shape our lives. Technology and the web will massively revolutionise the way we view and interrelate with the world around us over the next few years.

If money is high on your list of priorities, you’ll welcome the news that the regular income of IT employees in general is noticeably more than with most other jobs or industries. Demand for properly certified IT professionals is guaranteed for a good while yet, because of the ongoing increase in this sector and the huge skills gap that remains.

The age-old way of teaching, with books and manuals, is usually pretty hard going. If this sounds like you, look for learning programmes which feature interactive and multimedia modules. If we can involve all our senses in the learning process, our results will often be quite spectacular.

Programs are now found on CD and DVD discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you can watch instructors demonstrating how something is done, and then have a go at it yourself - with interactive lab sessions. It’s very important to see some example materials from any company that you may want to train through. You’ll want to see that they include video, demonstrations and various interactive elements.

Opt for physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s if possible. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as many people do, on the training course itself. Training is not an end in itself; you’re training to become commercially employable. Stay focused on what it is you want to achieve. It’s common, for example, to obtain tremendous satisfaction from a year of studying and then spend 20 miserable years in a tiresome job role, simply because you did it without the correct research when it was needed - at the start.

It’s a good idea to understand the expectations of your industry. Which precise certifications you’ll need and how you’ll build your experience level. Spend some time considering how far you wish to progress your career as it may present a very specific set of qualifications. Before setting out on a particular learning course, you’d be well advised to chat over specific career needs with an experienced advisor, so as to be sure the study programme covers all that is required.

Consider the points below in detail if you’re inclined to think that old marketing ploy of examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

Obviously it isn’t free - you’re still coughing up for it - it’s just been included in your package price. It’s well known in the industry that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one after the other, they will be much more likely to pass first time - since they’re aware of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Don’t you think it’s more sensible to not pay up-front, but when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium to the training college, and to take it closer to home - instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call? Huge profits are secured 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 and so the company is quids-in. Surprising as it sounds, there are training companies who rely on that fact - and that’s how they increase their profits. Most companies will require you to sit pre-tests and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass - which makes an ‘Exam Guarantee’ frankly useless.

Prometric and VUE exams are approximately 112 pounds in the UK. What’s the point of paying huge ‘Exam Guarantee’ fees (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

A skilled and professional consultant (in contrast with a salesperson) will ask questions and seek to comprehend your current situation. This is vital for working out the starting point for your education. If you have a strong background, or maybe some real-world experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it’s more than likely the point from which you begin your studies will be different from someone with no background whatsoever. If this is your initial crack at studying to take an IT exam then you may want to cut your teeth on user-skills and software training first.