Well Done! As you’re looking at this we guess you must be considering getting re-qualified for a new job – so you’ve already done more than most. A small minority of us are pleased to go to work each day, but it’s rare anyone does more than moan. You could join a select group who make a difference in their lives.
When looking at training, it’s essential to first define your requirements from the job you’re hoping to qualify for. It’s important to discover if things would be a lot better before you put a lot of energy into re-directing your life. We recommend looking at the whole story first, to avoid disappointment:
* Do you like to be around others at work? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you deal with by yourself?
* What thoughts do you have regarding the industry you hope to work in?
* Is it important that this should be the last time you’ll have to retrain?
* Do you think being qualified will give you the opportunity to discover new employment possibilities, and remain in employment until you choose to stop?
We would advise you to really explore the IT sector – there are a larger number of roles than employees, plus it’s a rare career choice where the sector is expanding. In contrast to what some people believe, IT isn’t all techie people looking at screens the whole day (though naturally some jobs are like that.) Most positions are taken by people like you and me who enjoy better than average salaries.
Often, students don’t think to check on something of absolutely vital importance – how their company divides up the physical training materials, and into how many bits.
Normally, you will purchase a course taking 1-3 years and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. It seems to make sense on one level, but consider these issues:
Many students find that the company’s usual training route isn’t ideal for them. They might find a different order of study is more expedient. And what if you don’t get to the end inside of the expected timescales?
To be straight, the very best answer is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. Everything is then in your possession in the event you don’t complete everything at their required pace.
Looking at the myriad of choice out there, is it any wonder that the majority of newcomers to the industry have no idea which career they will follow.
How can most of us possibly understand the many facets of a particular career if we’ve never been there? We normally have never met anyone who does that actual job anyway.
To attack this, there should be a discussion of a number of unique issues:
* The type of personality you have and what you’re interested in – which working tasks you love or hate.
* Are you hoping to re-train due to a precise reason – i.e. do you aim to work at home (being your own boss?)?
* Does salary have a higher place on your priority-scale than some other areas.
* Considering all that computing covers, it’s a requirement that you can absorb what is different.
* Having a serious look at the level of commitment, time and effort you’ll make available.
For most of us, sifting through these areas requires a good chat with an advisor who can explain things properly. Not only the qualifications – but the commercial expectations and needs also.
A typical blunder that many potential students make is to look for the actual course to take, and take their eye off where they want to get to. Training academies are stacked to the hilt with unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – rather than what would get them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed.
You may train for one year and then end up performing the job-role for decades. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ course and then spend decades in a job you hate!
Make sure you investigate how you feel about career progression and earning potential, plus your level of ambition. It makes sense to understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what particular accreditations will be required and how to develop your experience.
All students are advised to talk with an experienced industry professional before they embark on a retraining programme. This is essential to ensure it contains the commercially required skills for the career path that has been chosen.
A useful feature offered by some training providers is a Job Placement Assistance program. The service is put in place to steer you into your first IT role. Ultimately it’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to secure your first job – as long as you’ve got the necessary skills and qualifications; employers in this country need your skills.
You would ideally have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; and we’d encourage everyone to bring their CV up to date as soon as they start a course – don’t delay till you’ve finished your exams.
Getting your CV considered is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior positions are given to students (sometimes when they’ve only just got going.)
The top companies to get you a new position are most often independent and specialised local recruitment services. Because they get paid commission to place you, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.
A common aggravation of some training companies is how hard students are prepared to study to become certified, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the role they have acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle – you might find it’s fun.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Check out NewCareersInformation.co.uk or How To Choose A Career.