The Microsoft MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) course is a great basis for anybody thinking of getting into supporting networks. So if you’re just about to join the IT industry or already have experience but need to formalise your skills with a recognised qualification, it’s possible to achieve your goals with the right training.
Each of these options will need a different type of course, so pay attention to check you’re being offered the best one prior to making a start. Identify a training company that takes the time to understand what you’re trying to achieve, and will work with you to sort out how it will all work, long before they start talking about courses.
OK, why ought we to be looking at qualifications from the commercial sector instead of more traditional academic qualifications gained through schools and Further Education colleges?
With fees and living expenses for university students climbing ever higher, plus the industry’s increasing awareness that accreditation-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there’s been a dramatic increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA based training paths that provide key skills to an employee at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.
This is done through focusing on the skill-sets required (together with a proportionate degree of background knowledge,) instead of covering masses of the background ‘extras’ that degree courses can get bogged down in – to fill a three or four year course.
When an employer knows what areas they need covered, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. The syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and aren’t allowed to deviate (as academic syllabuses often do).
Frequently, the everyday IT hopeful doesn’t have a clue in what direction to head in a computing career, or even what sector they should look at getting trained in.
As in the absence of any previous experience in IT, in what way could we be expected to understand what a particular job actually consists of?
To come through this, we need to discuss a variety of definitive areas:
* Your personality can play a major role – what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the things that get you down.
* Why you want to consider moving into the IT industry – it could be you’re looking to overcome a long-held goal like working for yourself for instance.
* What are your thoughts on salary vs job satisfaction?
* Some students don’t fully understand the amount of work required to get fully certified.
* Our advice is to think deeply about what kind of effort and commitment that you will set aside for gaining your certifications.
When all is said and done, your only chance of covering these is through an in-depth discussion with an advisor who knows the industry well enough to lead you to the correct decision.
Some training providers will only provide office hours or extended office hours support; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly.
Look for training where you can receive help at any time of day or night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You’ll need direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – consistently being held in a queue for a call-back at a convenient time for them.
Keep your eyes open for providers that utilise many support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. All of them should be combined to enable simple one-stop access together with round-the-clock access, when it’s convenient for you, with no fuss.
Find a training company that cares. As only true live 24×7 round-the-clock support delivers what is required.
It’s essential to have an accredited exam preparation programme included in your course.
Confirm that the mock exams are not only asking questions from the right areas, but also asking them in the way the real exams will structure them. This throws students if the questions are phrased in unfamiliar formats.
Always ask for testing modules so you’ll be able to test your comprehension whenever you need to. Practice exams help to build your confidence – so the actual exam is much easier.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Hop over to CLICK HERE or InDesign Courses.
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