Well Done! By landing here we guess you must be considering getting re-qualified for a new job – so you’ve already done more than most. Only one in ten of us are satisfied with our careers, but most complain but just stay there. Why not be one of a small number who make a difference in their lives.
Before we even think about specific training programs, look for an advisor who can help you sort out the right type of training for you. An advisor who will take time to get to know your personality, and find out what types of work suit you:
* Do you like working on your own or do you find company is an important option?
* Are you considering which industry you maybe could work in? (Post credit crunch, it’s essential to choose well.)
* Is this the final time you envisage re-training, and if it is, will this new career offer that choice?
* Are you confident that your chosen retraining can help you find employment, and will offer the chance to allow you to work until retirement?
The largest sector in this country that fulfils the above criteria is Information Technology. There’s a demand for more skilled people in IT, – take a look at any job site and there’ll be a long list. However, it’s not full of techie geeks staring at theirscreens every day – it’s much more diverse than that. Large numbers of employees in the computer industry are just like the rest of us, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
A major candidate for the top potential problem in IT training is often the ‘in-centre’ workshop requirement. Most training schools extol the virtues of the ‘benefits’ of going in to their classes, however, they quickly become a major problem because of:
* Repeated visits to the centre – 100’s of miles in many cases.
* Workshop availability; often weekdays only and two or three days in a row. It’s never convenient to take the required leave of absence.
* Most of us find 4 weeks off each year is not really enough. Spend at least half of this for educational classes and you’ll experience even more problems.
* Classes often end up too big.
* Tension can run high in many classes where different students want to work at different paces.
* You shouldn’t ignore the added financial outlay of travelling or accommodation either. This can run to a lot of money – from hundreds to thousands. Do the maths yourself – you’ll be (unpleasantly) surprised.
* It’s important to maintain privacy. We don’t want to risk losing any advancement that we’re owed while we retrain.
* It’s quite usual for people to not ask questions they want answered – just because they’re amongst other classmates.
* For those who have work away from home, you now have to deal with the fact that days in-centre now become impossible to get to – unfortunately however, they’ve already been paid for.
The best possible solution is watching a filmed workshop – providing direct instruction whenever it’s convenient for you.
Any time you get a problem, get onto the live 24×7 support (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) Bear in mind, if you have a laptop, you could study wherever the mood takes you.
It doesn’t matter how regularly you want to re-do a section, filmed instructors can never get frustrated with you! And remember, because of this, note-taking becomes a thing of the past. Everything’s laid out there for you.
Quite simply: Time and money is saved, you have reduced hassle and you completely avoid polluting our environment.
Have a conversation with any expert advisor and they can normally tell you many terrible tales of students who’ve been sold completely the wrong course for them. Ensure you only ever work with an industry professional that asks some in-depth questions to find out what’s right for you – not for their paycheque! It’s very important to locate the right starting point of study for you.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got any accreditation or direct-experience, then you can sometimes expect to begin at a different level to a trainee with no history to speak of.
Commencing with a user skills course first is often the best way to get into your computer training, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.