CompTIA Retraining In The UK – Options
There are four A+ exams and sections to study, but you only have to get your exams in 2 of them to qualify for your A+. Because of this, many educational establishments restrict their course to just 2 areas. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will equip you with a much wider knowledge and understanding of the subject, which you’ll come to realise is essential in the working environment.
Qualifying in CompTIA A+ on its own will set you up to fix and maintain stand-alone PC’s and MAC’s; ones that are most often not part of a network – essentially the domestic or small business sector.
If you aspire to being responsible for networks of computers, add the very comprehensive Network+ to your training package. Taking this course as well will prepare you to command a more senior job role. Other ones that might be interesting to you are the Microsoft networking qualifications (MCP, MCSA and MCSE).
Remember: the actual training program or a qualification isn’t what this is about; a job you’re training for is. Far too many training organisations place too much importance on the piece of paper.
Students often train for a single year but end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Don’t make the mistake of choosing what sounds like a program of interest to you only to waste your life away with a job you hate!
Make sure you investigate your leanings around earning potential and career progression, and how ambitious you are. You should understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what particular qualifications they want you to have and how to develop your experience.
All students are advised to speak to an industry professional before they embark on a training program. This is required to ensure it has the required elements for the career that is sought.
We’re often asked why academic qualifications are being replaced by more commercially accredited qualifications?
With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, the IT sector has moved to specific, honed-in training only available through the vendors themselves – in other words companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise.
Vendor training works through concentrating on the skills that are really needed (together with an appropriate level of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background ‘extras’ that computer Science Degrees often do (because the syllabus is so wide).
The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for – the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Windows XP Administration and Configuration’. So employers can identify exactly what they need and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.
Finding your first job in the industry can be a little easier if you’re supported with a Job Placement Assistance program. With the great skills shortage in the UK at the moment, it’s not too important to get too caught up in this feature though. It really won’t be that difficult to land employment as long as you’ve got the necessary skills and qualifications.
Ideally you should have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we’d encourage everyone to work on polishing up their CV right at the beginning of their training – don’t procrastinate and leave it until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.
It’s not uncommon to find that junior support roles have been offered to students who are still learning and haven’t got any qualifications yet. This will at least get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile.
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.
Can job security really exist anymore? In the UK for example, with businesses changing their mind on a whim, there doesn’t seem much chance.
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.
Achieving in-depth commercial IT qualification is thus a ‘Fast Track’ to achieve a long-lasting as well as gratifying living.
Quite simply, acquiring professional IT skills over the coming years is almost definitely the safest choice of careers you could make.
Author: Scott Edwards. Go to Training Managers or RetrainingCourses.co.uk/vrecourse.html.