The CompTIA A+ course covers 4 different sectors – the requirement is exam passes in 2 specialities to be seen as competent in A+. Because of this, many training establishments restrict their A+ to just two of the 4 sectors. To us, this is selling you short – of course you can gain accreditation, but knowledge of every section will set you apart in industry, where you\’ll need a more comprehensive understanding. That\’s the reason why you should train in everything.
As well as being taught how to build and fix computers, trainees on A+ courses will be shown how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.
It could be a good idea to consider supplementing the A+ with Network + as it will enable you to take care of computer networks, which is where the bigger salaries are.
A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and completely miss what you actually need – which is a commercial career or job. Always begin with the end goal – don\’t make the vehicle more important than the destination.
Never let yourself become part of that group who select a program that seems \’fun\’ or \’interesting\’ – and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for a job they hate.
Get to grips with what you want to earn and what level of ambition fits you. This can often control what precise qualifications you\’ll need to attain and what industry will expect from you in return.
Before you embark on a study programme, it\’s good advice to talk through the specific market requirements with a skilled advisor, to ensure the training path covers all that is required.
Many people assume that the state educational system is the right way even now. So why then are commercial certificates slowly and steadily replacing it?
With university education costs spiralling out of control, along with the industry\’s general opinion that corporate based study is closer to the mark commercially, we\’ve seen a dramatic increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA accredited training routes that supply key solutions to a student at a fraction of the cost and time involved.
In a nutshell, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It\’s slightly more broad than that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) – without trying to cram in everything else – in the way that academic establishments often do.
If an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then all it takes is an advert for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and do not vary between trainers (as academic syllabuses often do).
A service offered by some training providers is a programme of Job Placement assistance. The service is put in place to help you get your first commercial position. The fact of the matter is it isn\’t so complicated as you might think to land your first job – once you\’re trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.
Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don\’t wait until you\’ve graduated or passed any exams.
Quite often, you will get your first role whilst you\’re still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn\’t say what you\’re learning (and it hasn\’t been posted on jobsites) then you don\’t stand a chance!
If you\’d like to get employment in your home town, then you may well find that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy might serve you better than the trainer\’s recruitment division, because they\’re far more likely to have insider knowledge of the jobs that are going locally.
Do ensure you don\’t conscientiously work through your course materials, only to stop and imagine someone else is miraculously going to secure your first position. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Put as much resource into securing your first job as you did to gain the skills.
It\’s abundantly clear: There\’s pretty much no personal job security now; there\’s really only industry or business security – a company will fire a solitary member of staff if it fits their commercial needs.
Now, we only experience security via a fast escalating market, pushed forward by a lack of trained workers. These circumstances create the appropriate environment for a higher level of market-security – a much more desirable situation.
Recently, a national e-Skills analysis showed that over 26 percent of computing and IT jobs cannot be filled due to a lack of properly qualified workers. This shows that for each 4 job positions in existence around Information Technology (IT), there are only 3 trained people to fill that need.
Appropriately trained and commercially grounded new employees are accordingly at a complete premium, and it seems it will continue to be so for a long time to come.
No better time or market conditions is ever likely to exist for getting trained into this quickly expanding and evolving business.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Pop over to RetrainingCourses.co.uk/vrecourse.html or Training Managers.
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