Does an MCSE appeal to you? It's very possible then that you're probably in 1 of 2 situations: You're someone with a certain amount of knowledge and y...
Does an MCSE appeal to you? It's very possible then that you're probably in 1 of 2 situations: You're someone with a certain amount of knowledge and you'd like to consolidate your skill-set with the Microsoft qualification. On the other hand you might be just about to enter commercial IT,
and your research tells you that there's a growing demand for those with appropriate certifications.
Take care to ensure you confirm that the training company you use is actually training you on the most up-to-date Microsoft version. Many students get frustrated when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated version which will require an up-date. Don't rush into buying a course without a proper consultation. Find a training provider who will ensure you are on an appropriate training track for your requirements.
Many companies are all about the certification, and completely avoid what it's all actually about - which is of course employment. You should always begin with the final destination in mind - don't make the vehicle more important than the destination. Don't be one of the unfortunate masses who select a program that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - only to end up with a qualification for something they'll never enjoy.
You also need to know your leanings around earning potential and career progression, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. You should understand what the role will demand of you, which accreditations they want you to have and where you'll pick-up experience from. All students are advised to chat with an experienced industry professional before they make a decision on a particular retraining path. This is required to ensure it has the required elements for the chosen career.
The sometimes daunting task of getting your first job can be relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. At the end of the day it isn't so complicated as you might think to secure the right work - as long as you're correctly trained and certified; because there's still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.
However, avoid waiting until you've finished your training before getting your CV updated. As soon as your training commences, list what you're working on and get it out there! You'll often find that you will be offered your initial job whilst still on the course (sometimes when you've only just got going). If your CV doesn't show your latest training profile (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you're not even going to be known about! If you don't want to travel too far to work, then you may well find that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy can generally work much better for you than some national concern, as they're going to have insider knowledge of the jobs that are going locally.
Various men and women, it seems, invest a great deal of time on their training course (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to finding a good job. Introduce yourself... Make an effort to put yourself out there. Don't expect a job to just fall into your lap.
Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, undoubtedly, starting to replace the traditional academic paths into the IT industry - why then is this happening? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, industry has been required to move to specialist courses only available through the vendors themselves - for example companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time. Typically, only that which is required is learned. It's slightly more broad than that, but the principle objective is to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without going into too much detail in everything else (as academia often does).
Just like the advert used to say: 'It does what it says on the label'. All an employer has to do is know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
How long has it been since you considered how safe your job is? For most of us, this isn't an issue until something goes wrong. Unfortunately, The cold truth is that job security simply doesn't exist anymore, for nearly everyone now. In times of increasing skills deficits mixed with rising demand however, we can reveal a fresh type of market-security; as fuelled by conditions of continuous growth, businesses are struggling to hire the influx of staff needed.
A recent United Kingdom e-Skills analysis showed that over 26 percent of IT jobs cannot be filled because of a huge deficit of well-trained staff. So, out of each 4 positions existing across computing, businesses can only source certified professionals for three of them. This one truth in itself underpins why the UK requires considerably more people to join the industry. Surely, this really is such a perfect time to consider retraining into the computing industry.
