Considering an MCSE? If so, it's probable that it's likely you'll come into one of two categories: You're someone with a certain amount of knowledge a...
Considering an MCSE? If so,
it's probable that it's likely you'll come into one of two categories: You're someone with a certain amount of knowledge and you'd like to gain accreditation with the MCSE qualification. In contrast you could be completely new to the IT environment, but it's apparent to you that there are many opportunities for men and women who are commercially qualified.
When researching training companies, stay away from those who reduce their out-goings by failing to up-grade to the current Microsoft version. Over time, this will end up costing the student a lot more due to the fact that they've been educated in an out-of-date syllabus which will require an up-date almost immediately. A company's mission statement should primarily be on the very best they can for their clients, and they should be passionate about students needs. Studying isn't just about passing exams - the procedure must also be geared towards assisting you in working on the most valid way forward for you.
A knowledgeable and professional advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will want to thoroughly discuss your current situation. This is useful for calculating your study start-point. Occasionally, the training inception point for a person experienced in some areas can be substantially different to the student with none. If you're a student commencing IT study as a new venture, it can be helpful to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, starting with some basic user skills first. Usually this is packaged with any educational course.
Consider the following points very carefully if you're inclined to think that over-used sales technique about an 'Exam Guarantee' sounds great value:
You'll pay for it one way or another. It's definitely not free - they've just worked it into the package price. Should you seriously need to qualify first 'go', evidence suggests you must fund each exam as you take it, give it the priority it deserves and give the task sufficient application.
Isn't it outrageous to have to pay a training college up-front for examination fees? Find the best deal you can at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance - and do it locally - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call. A lot of extra profit is netted by many training colleges that get money upfront for exam fees. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don't get to do their exams but no refunds are given. Surprising as it sounds, there are training companies that actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that's very profitable for them. The majority of organisations will require you to sit pre-tests and hold you back from re-takes until you've completely proven that you're likely to pass - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.
With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE exams costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, the most cost-effective way to cover the cost is by paying when you need them. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
The perhaps intimidating chore of getting your first job is often eased by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance programme. It can happen though that too much is made of this feature, because it is genuinely quite straightforward for any focused and well taught person to secure work in the IT industry - as employers are keen to find appropriately skilled employees.
CV and Interview advice and support is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It's essential that you work on your old CV immediately - not after you've qualified! It's not uncommon to find that junior support roles have been offered to trainees who are still learning and haven't got any qualifications yet. This will at the very least get you into the 'maybe' pile of CV's - rather than the 'No' pile. The best services to get you a new position are usually specialist locally based employment services. Because they make their money when they've found you a job, they have more incentive to get on with it.
In a nutshell, as long as you put the same commitment into finding your first IT position as into training, you're not going to hit many challenges. A number of trainees inexplicably spend hundreds of hours on their learning program and do nothing more once they've passed their exams and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.
A number of men and women are under the impression that the state educational track is still the best way into IT. Why then are qualifications from the commercial sector slowly and steadily replacing it? With university education costs becoming a tall order for many, plus the industry's recognition that accreditation-based training is closer to the mark commercially, we have seen a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training routes that provide key skills to an employee at a fraction of the cost and time involved. Higher education courses, for instance, can often get caught up in a great deal of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. Students are then prevented from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.
Think about if you were the employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. Which is the most straightforward: Go through a mass of different academic qualifications from hopeful applicants, struggling to grasp what they've learned and which commercial skills they've mastered, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. Your interviews are then about personal suitability - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.
