Choosing CompTIA Network Plus Training 2009
Computer and network support technicians are more and more sought after in the UK, as institutions rely heavily upon their knowledge and capacity to solve problems. The nation's requirement for larger numbers of qualified personnel grows, as society becomes vastly more reliant on PC's in the twenty first century.
How are we supposed to go about making an informed choice then? With such prospects, it's imperative to understand where to search - and what it is we should be digging for.
A skilled and professional advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current level of ability and experience. This is vital for understanding your study start-point. An important point to note is that, if you've had any relevant previous certification, then it's not unreasonable to expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone new to the industry. Opening with a basic PC skills module first is often the best way to get into your IT studies, but depends on your skill level.
One of the most important things to insist on has to be 24x7 round-the-clock support via dedicated instructors and mentors. It's an all too common story to find providers that will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Never accept study programmes that only provide support to trainees with a call-centre messaging system outside of normal office hours. Trainers will defend this with all kinds of excuses. The simple fact of the matter is - support is required when it's required - not when it's convenient for them.
As long as you look hard, you will find professional companies which offer direct-access support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. You can't afford to accept anything less. Online 24x7 support is the only way to go for computer-based training. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we're working while the support is live.
Students who consider this area of study often have a very practical outlook on work, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where you can learn everything on-screen. Memory is vastly improved when all our senses are brought into the mix - experts have been clear on this for many years.
Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab's will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And they're a lot more fun to do. Don't take any chances and look at some of the typical study materials provided before you hand over your cheque. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.
Many companies provide online training only; and although this is okay the majority of the time, think what will happen if internet access is lost or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It's preferable to have actual CD or DVD ROMs that don't suffer from these broadband issues.
One area often overlooked by new students considering a training program is 'training segmentation'. Essentially, this is the way the course is divided up for delivery to you, which can make a dramatic difference to how you end up. Individual deliveries for each training module piece by piece, according to your exam schedule is the normal way of receiving your courseware. While seeming sensible, you should take these factors into account: How would they react if you didn't complete every module within the time limits imposed? And maybe you'll find their order of completion doesn't work as well as another different route may.
The very best situation would see you getting every piece of your study pack packed off to your address right at the beginning; the entire package! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect the reaching of your goals.
A subtle way that training providers make a lot more is by charging for exams up-front and then including an 'Exam Guarantee'. This looks like a great idea for the student, but is it really:
You'll pay for it one way or another. You can be assured it's not a freebie - they've simply charged more for the whole training package. People who go in for their examinations when it's appropriate, paying for them just before taking them are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're thoughtful of the cost and take the necessary steps to make sure they're ready.
Doesn't it make more sense to not pay up-front, but when you're ready, not to pay any mark-up to a training company, and to do it locally - rather than in some remote centre? Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examinations when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? Huge profits are made by companies charging upfront for all their exams - and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Also, 'Exam Guarantees' often aren't worth the paper they're written on. Most companies won't be prepared to pay again for an exam until you've completely satisfied them that you're ready this time.
Due to typical VUE and Prometric examinations in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it's common sense to fund them one by one. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
The perhaps intimidating chore of finding your first job is often eased by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. With the growing skills shortage in the United Kingdom today, there isn't a great need to become overly impressed with this service however. It isn't so complicated as you might think to secure a job once you're well trained and qualified.
Nevertheless, don't leave it until you have qualified before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start a course, enter details of your study programme and get it out there! It's possible that you won't have even qualified when you will be offered your first junior support role; yet this isn't going to happen if your CV isn't in front of employers. The best services to help you find a job are usually local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they'll work that much harder to get a result.
In a nutshell, as long as you focus the same level of energy into getting your first job as into studying, you won't have any problems. Some people bizarrely put hundreds of hours into their course materials and then call a halt once certified and seem to expect employers to find them.
There is a tidal wave of change coming via technology over the next few decades - and this means greater innovations all the time. We've barely started to see just how technology will affect our lives in the future. Technology and the web will significantly revolutionise how we regard and interact with the world as a whole over the coming decades.
Incomes in IT are not a problem moreover - the usual income in Great Britain for the usual person working in IT is a lot better than remuneration packages in other sectors. Chances are that you'll receive quite a bit more than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries. It's no secret that there is a substantial UK-wide demand for professionally qualified IT workers. In addition, with the constant growth in the marketplace, it is likely this pattern will continue for the significant future.
How are we supposed to go about making an informed choice then? With such prospects, it's imperative to understand where to search - and what it is we should be digging for.
A skilled and professional advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current level of ability and experience. This is vital for understanding your study start-point. An important point to note is that, if you've had any relevant previous certification, then it's not unreasonable to expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone new to the industry. Opening with a basic PC skills module first is often the best way to get into your IT studies, but depends on your skill level.
One of the most important things to insist on has to be 24x7 round-the-clock support via dedicated instructors and mentors. It's an all too common story to find providers that will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Never accept study programmes that only provide support to trainees with a call-centre messaging system outside of normal office hours. Trainers will defend this with all kinds of excuses. The simple fact of the matter is - support is required when it's required - not when it's convenient for them.
As long as you look hard, you will find professional companies which offer direct-access support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. You can't afford to accept anything less. Online 24x7 support is the only way to go for computer-based training. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we're working while the support is live.
Students who consider this area of study often have a very practical outlook on work, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where you can learn everything on-screen. Memory is vastly improved when all our senses are brought into the mix - experts have been clear on this for many years.
Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab's will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And they're a lot more fun to do. Don't take any chances and look at some of the typical study materials provided before you hand over your cheque. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.
Many companies provide online training only; and although this is okay the majority of the time, think what will happen if internet access is lost or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It's preferable to have actual CD or DVD ROMs that don't suffer from these broadband issues.
One area often overlooked by new students considering a training program is 'training segmentation'. Essentially, this is the way the course is divided up for delivery to you, which can make a dramatic difference to how you end up. Individual deliveries for each training module piece by piece, according to your exam schedule is the normal way of receiving your courseware. While seeming sensible, you should take these factors into account: How would they react if you didn't complete every module within the time limits imposed? And maybe you'll find their order of completion doesn't work as well as another different route may.
The very best situation would see you getting every piece of your study pack packed off to your address right at the beginning; the entire package! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect the reaching of your goals.
A subtle way that training providers make a lot more is by charging for exams up-front and then including an 'Exam Guarantee'. This looks like a great idea for the student, but is it really:
You'll pay for it one way or another. You can be assured it's not a freebie - they've simply charged more for the whole training package. People who go in for their examinations when it's appropriate, paying for them just before taking them are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're thoughtful of the cost and take the necessary steps to make sure they're ready.
Doesn't it make more sense to not pay up-front, but when you're ready, not to pay any mark-up to a training company, and to do it locally - rather than in some remote centre? Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examinations when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? Huge profits are made by companies charging upfront for all their exams - and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Also, 'Exam Guarantees' often aren't worth the paper they're written on. Most companies won't be prepared to pay again for an exam until you've completely satisfied them that you're ready this time.
Due to typical VUE and Prometric examinations in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it's common sense to fund them one by one. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
The perhaps intimidating chore of finding your first job is often eased by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. With the growing skills shortage in the United Kingdom today, there isn't a great need to become overly impressed with this service however. It isn't so complicated as you might think to secure a job once you're well trained and qualified.
Nevertheless, don't leave it until you have qualified before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start a course, enter details of your study programme and get it out there! It's possible that you won't have even qualified when you will be offered your first junior support role; yet this isn't going to happen if your CV isn't in front of employers. The best services to help you find a job are usually local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they'll work that much harder to get a result.
In a nutshell, as long as you focus the same level of energy into getting your first job as into studying, you won't have any problems. Some people bizarrely put hundreds of hours into their course materials and then call a halt once certified and seem to expect employers to find them.
There is a tidal wave of change coming via technology over the next few decades - and this means greater innovations all the time. We've barely started to see just how technology will affect our lives in the future. Technology and the web will significantly revolutionise how we regard and interact with the world as a whole over the coming decades.
Incomes in IT are not a problem moreover - the usual income in Great Britain for the usual person working in IT is a lot better than remuneration packages in other sectors. Chances are that you'll receive quite a bit more than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries. It's no secret that there is a substantial UK-wide demand for professionally qualified IT workers. In addition, with the constant growth in the marketplace, it is likely this pattern will continue for the significant future.
About the Author:
After 20 yrs in IT, Jason Kendall has focused himself on computer training consultancy in the UK. If you're interested in Network+ Certification, visit LearningLolly Comptia Network+.
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