by Jason Kendall
Are you toying with the idea of doing an MCSE? It’s very possible then that you’ll fall into one of two camps: You could already be in IT and you should formalise your skills with an MCSE. Or this might be your initial foray into the IT environment, and you’ve discovered there is a great need for qualified people.
Be sure you confirm that the training company you use is actually training you on the most up-to-date Microsoft version. Many trainees are left in a mess when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated MCSE course which now needs updating.
Don’t rush into buying a course for MCSE before you feel comfortable. Set your sights on finding a computer training company that will put effort into advising you on the most suitable training path for you.
When was the last time you considered your job security? For most of us, this only rears its head when something goes wrong. However, the painful truth is that true job security has gone the way of the dodo, for all but the most lucky of us.
It’s possible though to find security at market-level, by digging for areas of high demand, together with a lack of qualified workers.
Taking the computing sector as an example, the last e-Skills analysis demonstrated a national skills shortage across the UK of around 26 percent. To explain it in a different way, this highlights that Great Britain can only find three qualified staff for every 4 jobs that are available at the moment.
This fundamental idea clearly demonstrates the validity and need for more appropriately accredited IT professionals around Great Britain.
Because the IT sector is increasing at such a quick pace, there really isn’t any other sector worth taking into account for your new career.
If an advisor doesn’t dig around with lots of question – it’s more than likely they’re actually nothing more than a salesman. If they’re pushing towards a particular product before getting to know your background and experience, then you know you’re being sold to.
With a strong background, or maybe some live experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then obviously the level you’ll need to start at will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever.
Always consider starting with a user-skills course first. It will usually make the learning curve a bit more manageable.
With all the options available, there’s no surprise that nearly all students have no idea which career they should even pursue.
Perusing a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is just a waste of time. The vast majority of us have no idea what the neighbours do for a living – so we’re in the dark as to the intricacies of a new IT role.
Usually, the way to come at this predicament properly stems from an in-depth talk over several areas:
* Your hobbies and interests – these can reveal the possibilities will give you the most reward.
* Is your focus to obtain training because of a particular reason – for example, is it your goal to work based from home (working for yourself?)?
* What are your thoughts on salary vs job satisfaction?
* Often, trainees don’t consider the time required to gain all the necessary accreditation.
* You’ll also need to think hard about the amount of time and effort that you will set aside for your education.
The best way to avoid the confusing industry jargon, and uncover the best route for you, have a good talk with an industry-experienced advisor; someone who understands the commercial reality whilst covering all the qualifications.
Many people are under the impression that the state educational track is the way they should go. Why then are qualifications from the commercial sector becoming more popular with employers?
The IT sector is of the opinion that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, the right accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field – saving time and money.
Clearly, a necessary degree of associated information has to be learned, but precise specifics in the required areas gives a commercially trained student a distinct advantage.
The crux of the matter is this: Authorised IT qualifications provide exactly what an employer needs – the title says it all: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure’. Therefore companies can identify exactly what they need and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.
You have to make sure that all your accreditations are commercially valid and current – don’t bother with studies which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you’d printed it yourself).
All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA each have nationally recognised proficiency programmes. These heavyweights will ensure your employability.