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.
Should you fancy yourself as the person who is involved with a big team – supporting, fixing and maintaining networks, you’ll need to add CompTIA Network+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft as you’ll need a deeper understanding of how networks function.
Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often be the case, on the accreditation program. Training is not an end in itself; this is about gaining commercial employment. Focus on the end-goal.
It’s a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but the majority of trainees kick-off study that often sounds wonderful in the prospectus, but which gets us a career that is of no interest. Try talking to typical university leavers for a real eye-opener.
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.
Commercially accredited qualifications are now, without a doubt, starting to replace the older academic routes into the IT sector – why then should this be?
Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, proper accreditation from the likes of Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised – saving time and money.
Of course, a reasonable portion of relevant additional detail has to be taught, but focused specifics in the required areas gives a commercially educated student a real head start.
Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. The company just needs to know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
Many training companies will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance program, to help you into your first commercial role. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it’s easy for training companies to overplay it. At the end of the day, the need for well trained IT people in Great Britain is what will make you attractive to employers.
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.
Getting your CV considered is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior jobs are bagged by trainees who are still at an early stage in their studies.
The top companies to help you land that job are normally specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they have more incentive to get on with it.
In a nutshell, as long as you focus the same level of energy into securing your first IT position as into training, you won’t find it too challenging. A number of men and women bizarrely spend hundreds of hours on their course materials and then just stop once certified and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.
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.
Taking a look at the IT sector, a recent e-Skills investigation demonstrated a 26 percent shortfall of skilled workers. To explain it in a different way, this shows that the UK can only find 3 certified professionals for each 4 job positions that exist at the moment.
Achieving in-depth commercial IT qualification is thus a ‘Fast Track’ to achieve a long-lasting as well as gratifying living.
No better time or market conditions is ever likely to exist for getting trained into this quickly expanding and evolving business.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Go to Training Managers or www.RetrainingCourses.co.uk/vrecourse.html.
The information on this blog is beneficial.