It’s really great that you’ve already got this far! A fraction of the population enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers just go off on one from time to time and do nothing. Because you’ve done research it’s likely that you’ve a personal interest in re-training, so even now you’re ahead of the game. Take your time now to find out more and then take action.
Prior to considering individual training courses, find an expert who can talk you through the right type of training for you. A person who will get to know your personality, and discover what job role you’ll be most comfortable with:
* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Would you prefer to work with a small team or with a lot of new people? Maybe working on your own in a task-based situation may be your preference?
* What do you require from the market sector you work in? (If it’s stability you’re after, you might think twice about banks or the building industry right now.)
* Is this the final time you imagine you’ll re-train, and if it is, do you suppose your new career will service that need?
* Do you expect your new knowledge base to give you the chance to find the work you’re looking for, and stay employable until your retirement plans kick in?
We would strongly recommend that your number one choice is the IT sector – everyone knows that it’s on the grow. It’s not all nerdy people looking at computer screens constantly – of course some IT jobs demand that, but the majority of roles are done by ordinary people who get on very well.
Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where learning is video-based.
Years of research and study has always demonstrated that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.
Courses are now available in disc format, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you are able to see your instructors showing you how something is done, and then practice yourself – via the interactive virtual lab’s.
It would be silly not to view examples of the courseware provided before you hand over your cheque. What you want are instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.
It’s folly to opt for on-line only training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across your average broadband company, ensure that you have access to disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).
Students will sometimes miss checking on a vitally important element – how their training provider divides up the courseware sections, and into what particular chunks.
Drop-shipping your training elements one stage at a time, according to your exam schedule is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds logical, but you should consider these factors:
What would their reaction be if you find it difficult to do each element at the proposed pace? Sometimes their preference of study order doesn’t come as naturally as some other structure would for you.
For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s not unusual for students to insist that all study materials are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. It’s then up to you how fast or slow and in what order you want to go.
Trainees eager to start an Information Technology career often have no idea of which route to consider, or which area to get qualified in.
Since having no commercial skills in the IT industry, in what way could we be expected to understand what any job actually involves?
Reflection on these different areas is vital if you want to discover the right answers:
* Your personality type and what you’re interested in – the sort of working tasks you enjoy or dislike.
* Why it seems right getting involved with computing – is it to achieve a life-long goal like working from home maybe.
* Have you thought about job satisfaction vs salary?
* With everything that the IT industry encapsulates, it’s important to be able to understand what is different.
* The level of commitment and effort you’ll have available to set aside for getting qualified.
For the average person, considering all these ideas requires a good chat with a professional that has direct industry experience. And we don’t just mean the certifications – but the commercial requirements and expectations of the market as well.
Beware of putting too much emphasis, as many people do, on the accreditation program. Your training isn’t about getting a plaque on your wall; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.
It’s quite usual, in many cases, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study only to end up putting 20 long years into something completely unrewarding, as a consequence of not performing the correct level of soul-searching at the beginning.
Make sure you investigate how you feel about earning potential, career development, and how ambitious you are. It’s vital to know what industry expects from you, what particular qualifications they want you to have and where you’ll pick-up experience from.
Seek advice from an experienced industry advisor, even if you have to pay a small fee – it’s considerably cheaper and safer to find out at the beginning if your choices are appropriate, rather than find out following two years of study that you’re doing entirely the wrong thing and have to start from the beginning again.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Browse around Ecommerce Web Site Design or www.AdultCareerChange.co.uk/ACCK.html.