Just ten percent of adults in this country are claiming to be happy in their job. The vast majority of course will take no action. The fact that you’ve got this far at least means that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.
We’d politely request that in advance of taking a course of training, you run through some things with a mentor who can see the bigger picture and can make recommendations. Such a person will go through personality profiling with you and assist in finding the right role for you:
* Is working with other people your thing? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Maybe you like to deal with tasks that you deal with by yourself?
* What ideas are fundamental with regard to the sector of industry you hope to work in?
* Is this the final time you envisage re-training, and if so, do you believe this career choice will allow you to do that?
* Would it be useful for the course you’re re-training in to be in an area where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high up to retirement age?
A predominant industry in the UK that can satisfy a trainee’s demands is the IT sector. There’s a need for more skilled people in this sector, simply have a look at a local job site and you’ll discover what we mean. But don’t think it’s all nerdy people sitting in front ofscreens all day long – there’s a lot more to it than that. The majority of employees in the industry are just like the rest of us, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.
With all the options available, it’s not really surprising that the majority of trainees have no idea which career they will follow.
Scanning lists of IT career possibilities is no use whatsoever. The majority of us don’t really appreciate what our next-door neighbours do at work each day – so we have no hope of understanding the subtleties of a specific IT job.
To get to the bottom of this, we need to discuss a number of definitive areas:
* Your personality can play an important part – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the activities that really turn you off.
* Are you hoping to get certified because of a particular motive – for example, do you aim to work at home (self-employment possibly?)?
* The income requirements you may have?
* Often, trainees don’t consider the amount of work required to get fully certified.
* How much time you’re prepared to spend on the training program.
The best way to avoid all the jargon and confusion, and reveal what’ll really work for you, have an in-depth discussion with an experienced professional; a person who can impart the commercial reality and of course the accreditations.
An advisor that doesn’t ask many questions – it’s likely they’re just a salesperson. If they’re pushing towards a particular product before learning about your history and current experience level, then it’s definitely the case.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got any qualifications that are related, then you will often be able to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone who is new to the field.
For those students embarking on IT studies for the first time, it’s often a good idea to start out slowly, kicking off with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with most training programs.
How the program is actually delivered to you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many stages do they break the program into? What is the order and at what speed is it delivered?
You may think that it makes sense (with most training taking 1-3 years to gain full certified status,) that a training provider will issue the courseware in stages, as you complete each part. Although:
What would happen if you didn’t finish each element within the time limits imposed? Often the prescribed exam order won’t be as easy as some other structure would for you.
The ideal circumstances are to get all the training materials sent to your address right at the beginning; the entire thing! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect your progress.
Finding your first job in the industry can be a little easier if you’re offered a Job Placement Assistance facility. With the massive demand for appropriately skilled people in the UK right now, it’s not too important to make too much of this option though. It isn’t so complicated as you might think to find the right work once you’re trained and certified.
You would ideally have help with your CV and interview techniques though; additionally, we would recommend any student to update their CV as soon as they start a course – don’t delay until you’ve qualified.
It’s possible that you won’t have even qualified when you will get your initial junior support role; yet this isn’t going to happen if interviewers don’t get sight of your CV.
Normally you’ll get quicker results from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you’ll get from a training course provider’s centralised service, as they’ll know the area better.
Just be sure that you don’t spend hundreds of hours on your training and studies, only to stop and imagine someone else is miraculously going to secure your first position. Take responsibility for yourself and make your own enquiries. Put as much energy and enthusiasm into securing the right position as you did to gain the skills.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Check out HERE or www.it-training–uk.co.uk.
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