A very small number of men and women in the UK today are enjoying job satisfaction. Of course, most won’t do a thing. The fact that you’re reading this at a minimum suggests that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.
When considering retraining, it’s crucial to first define what you DO want and DON’T want from the career you’d like to train for. You need to know that the grass actually is greener before you put a lot of energy into taking a new turn. So much better to look at the big picture first, to avoid disappointment:
* Do you see yourself dealing with people? Would you prefer to work with a small team or with many new people? Possibly operating on your own in a task-based situation would give you pleasure?
* Have you given much thought to which area you choose to work in? (With the economic downturn, it’s even more crucial to be selective.)
* Is this the final time you imagine you’ll re-train, and if it is, will your chosen career path service that need?
* Are you confident that retraining in your chosen sector is commercially viable, and will offer the chance to allow you to work until retirement?
The most significant market sector in the UK that fulfils the above criteria is the IT sector. There’s a demand for more qualified people in the industry, – take a look at any jobsite and there’ll be a long list. Don’t misunderstand and think it’s only geeky nerds gazing towards theirscreens the whole time – it’s much more diverse than that. Most of workers in IT are people of average intelligence, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always proper direct-access 24×7 support with 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.
Avoid those companies who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – where you’ll get called back during office hours. This is useless when you’re stuck and need help now.
The best training colleges offer an internet-based 24×7 system pulling in several support offices from around the world. You will be provided with an environment which seamlessly selects the best facility available any time of the day or night: Support when it’s needed.
You can’t afford to accept less than this. Online 24×7 support is the only kind that ever makes the grade for technical learning. It’s possible you don’t intend to study late evenings; but for the majority of us however, we’re at work when traditional support if offered.
Don’t forget: the actual training program or an accreditation is not the ultimate goal; the job or career that you want to end up in is. A lot of colleges seem to completely prioritise the qualification itself.
You could be training for only a year and end up performing the job-role for decades. Avoid the mistake of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ training program and then spend decades in something you don’t even enjoy!
Stay focused on where you want to get to, and formulate your training based on that – don’t do it back-to-front. Stay on target – making sure you’re training for a career you’ll still be enjoying many years from now.
Seek help from an experienced industry professional who understands the sector you wish to join, and is able to give you ‘A typical day in the life of’ outline of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking with each working day. It just makes sense to know if this change is right for you well before you embark on your training program. There’s really no reason in kicking off your training and then find you’ve gone the wrong way entirely.
Have you recently questioned the security of your job? Normally, we only think of this after we get some bad news. But really, The cold truth is that true job security has gone the way of the dodo, for the vast majority of people.
Whereas a sector experiencing fast growth, with huge staffing demands (because of a massive shortfall of fully trained people), creates the conditions for proper job security.
Taking the computing sector as an example, a recent e-Skills study demonstrated a skills deficit in the UK of around 26 percent. Showing that for each four job positions that are available in IT, there are barely three qualified workers to fulfil that role.
This basic fact clearly demonstrates the requirement for more technically qualified computer professionals around the country.
We can’t imagine if a better time or market conditions is ever likely to exist for getting trained into this swiftly emerging and blossoming market.
Including exams with the course fee then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status is common for many training course providers. But let’s examine why they really do it:
You’re paying for it one way or another. It’s definitely not free – it’s just been rolled into the price of the whole package.
The fact is that when students fund their own exams, one at a time, the chances are they’re going to pass first time – as they are conscious of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.
Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay a training company early for exam fees? Find the best exam deal or offer when you’re ready, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance – and do it locally – rather than in some remote place.
Big margins are secured by a number of companies who get money for exam fees in advance. For various reasons, many students don’t take their exams but the company keeps the money. Amazingly, there are training companies who rely on that fact – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit.
It’s worth noting, with the majority of Exam Guarantees – you are not in control of when you can re-take the exam. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.
Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is naive – when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will get you through.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Hop over to HERE or www.DatabaseCourseInfo.co.uk.
Tags: advice, career, computer, education, hardware, hobbies, home, Job, Online Degree, self improvement, software, technology, training, web, work