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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Networking Retraining - Thoughts

By Jason Kendall

In these days of super efficiency, support workers who are qualified to fix computers and networks, and give daily assistance to users, are essential in all areas of the economy. The need for the above mentioned people is ever increasing, as everywhere we work becomes significantly more dependent upon technology.

Many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and completely miss the reasons for getting there - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always begin with where you want to get to - too many people focus on the journey. It's quite usual, for instance, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a job you hate, entirely because you stumbled into it without the correct research at the beginning.

Spend some time thinking about earning potential and what level of ambition fits you. Often, this changes what precise qualifications will be expected and how much effort you'll have to give in return. Prior to embarking on a particular training course, you'd be well advised to discuss individual job needs with a skilled advisor, to make sure the study course covers everything needed.

How can job security honestly exist anymore? Here in the UK, where business constantly changes its mind on a day-to-day basis, we'd question whether it does. It's possible though to discover security at market-level, by probing for areas of high demand, together with a shortage of skilled staff.

Reviewing the IT business, a key e-Skills investigation brought to light a twenty six percent deficit in trained staff. Therefore, for each 4 job positions available throughout Information Technology (IT), companies can only source trained staff for three of them. This worrying concept shows an urgent requirement for more properly qualified computing professionals throughout the UK. Surely, now really is a critical time to train for IT.

Every program under consideration should always lead to a nationally (or globally) recognised exam as an end-result - and not some unimportant 'in-house' diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting. Only properly recognised accreditation from the major players like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe and Cisco will mean anything to employers.

Being a part of the cutting-edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You're involved with impacting progress around the world. We are really only just beginning to understand how all this will mould and change our lives. The way we interact with the world will be profoundly affected by computers and the web.

And it's worth remembering that the average salary in the world of IT throughout this country is considerably greater than in the rest of the economy, so in general you'll be in a good position to gain a lot more as an IT specialist, than you'd expect to earn elsewhere. The good news is there's a lot more room for IT industry increases across Britain. The sector continues to grow enormously, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it's not showing any signs that it will even slow down for a good while yet.

Adding in the cost of exam fees up-front then giving it 'Exam Guarantee' status is a popular marketing tool with many companies. Consider the facts:

You're paying for it somehow. It's definitely not free - they've just worked it into the package price. It's well known in the industry that if a student pays for their own exams, one at a time, there's a much better chance they'll qualify each time - as they'll be conscious of the cost and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Do the examinations somewhere close to home and go for the best offer you can find when you're ready. Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for examination fees when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? Big margins are made by companies charging upfront for all their exams - and then cashing in when they're not all taken. It's also worth noting that exam guarantees often have very little value. The majority of organisations will not pay for re-takes until you're able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.

Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on an 'Exam Guarantee' is short-sighted - when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is actually the key to your success.

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