Archive for September 8th, 2009

C Programming Study Providers – Thoughts

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

People researching courses for the computer or IT industry will quickly become aware of the variety of courses in existence. In the first instance, look for a training organisation with a team of advisors, so you can be fully informed on the job roles your new knowledge will help you to get. It’s possible you’ll learn about job roles you didn’t know about.

If you’re mulling over advancing your technological abilities, maybe with some office user skills, or even loftier ambitions, you have lots of courses to choose from.

By keeping costs to a minimum, computer training providers can now offer up-to-the-minute courses with excellent training and mentoring for much less than is asked for by old-school colleges.

We’d hazard a guess that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – the ‘hands-on’ personality type. Typically, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but it’s not ideal. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if you’d really rather not use books.

Many studies have proved that we remember much more when all our senses are involved, and we put into practice what we’ve been studying.

Modern training can now be done at home via interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you’ll learn your subject by way of their teaching and demonstrations. Then you test your knowledge by utilising the practice lab’s and modules.

Be sure to get a study material demo’ from any training college. The package should contain instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

You should avoid purely online training. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where offered, so that you have access at all times – you don’t want to be reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

Talk to a practiced consultant and they’ll regale you with many awful tales of salespeople ripping-off unsuspecting students. Make sure you deal with an experienced advisor who asks lots of questions to find out what’s appropriate to you – not for their paycheque! You need to find an ideal starting-point that fits you.

It’s worth remembering, if you’ve got any work-experience or certification, then you may be able to start at a different point than a student who’s starting from scratch.

Starting with a foundation course first is often the best way to get into your computer program, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – locate a good company providing 24×7 full access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely put a damper on the speed you move through things.

Avoid, like the plague, any organisations which use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with the call-back coming in during office hours. This is useless when you’re stuck and need help now.

Top training companies incorporate three or four individual support centres active in different time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, at any time you choose, help is at hand, with no hassle or contact issues.

Always choose an educator that offers this level of study support. As only true live 24×7 support provides the necessary backup.

Accredited exam preparation and simulation materials are a must – and really must be offered by your training provider.

Confirm that your practice exams are not only asking questions in the right areas, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will formulate them. It really messes up students if the questions are phrased in unfamiliar formats.

You should make sure you analyse your depth of understanding by doing tests and mock ups of exams before you take the real deal.

You have to be sure that all your certifications are current and also valid commercially – forget programmes which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque.

Unless the accreditation comes from a major player like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then you may discover it won’t be commercially viable – because no-one will recognise it.

(C) Jason Kendall. Hop over to LearningLolly.com for great information on IT Training Courses and Computer Programming Training Course.

Razor Scooters

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

The Razor A scooter … What does that phrase make you think about? If you have kids, I’m sure that you’ve already heard of the Razor A scooter series, but they weren’t about when we were children. However, the idea was, even though I forget the marques from my youth.

I loved my two-wheeled, kick-powered scooter when I was a kid. Mum and Dad had their car, my older brothers had their bikes and I had my scooter. It didn’t go fast, but then, I didn’t go far either, but it was a vehicle, of sorts and it gave a feeling of freedom. I had my wheels and I was mobile!

Well, the modern equivalent of that scooter is the Razor A scooter series. And they really are modern too! They are a far cry from the simple scooters of yesteryear. The Razor A scooter series was introduced in the year 2000 and is sturdy, strong, collapsible and safe.

The Razor A scooter series is sold in several forms to suit various age groups, requirements and pockets. For example, the Razor A scooter is intended for children of six years and older, while the Razor A2 scooter, the Razor A3 scooter and the Razor Pro scooter are meant for older, weightier, more demanding and more skilful enthusiasts. With prices beginning at around $25 none of them is over-priced.

The Razor A scooter series is made from aircraft-grade light aluminium and weighs in at just six pounds. That’s light enough for any young child to be able to carry, if necessary, without risk of injury. It is also collapsible, which means that it is easy to carry under your arm, in the trunk of your car or on the bus. Storage is a doddle too.

The Razor A scooter range is height-adjustable too in that the handlebars can be elevated as your child grows up or if an older sibling wants a turn. It also has a formidable brake, which is naturally quite important since these scooters will easily reach speeds of five or six mph on the level and much more on an incline. Going down hill, that is.

The Razor A scooter range also has lesser and greater stable mates. The Razor Kiddie Kick is meant for children younger than six and has a third wheel for greater stability, although it is just as robust and durable as the Razor A scooter series. The Razor A scooter series is intended for ‘young-minded’ people from the age of six. I say ‘young-minded’ because it is quite the rage now, to keep one in the car and scooter the last mile or two into work or school. That mile or two every day will save you gas and give you more exercise over a prolonged period of time. After all, it all adds up, doesn’t it?

Furthermore, for those who want a bit more power, there are the Razor E100(S), Razor E200(S) and the Razor E300(S), which are electrically powered scooters. The (S) means that they have a seat fitted.

So, why not introduce your kid to the idea of travel with a Razor A scooter? Give your child the opportunity to look back on his or her youth in 20-30 years time and remember rushing about at three-five mph on a Razor A scooter.

Do you have great memories of your chilhood scooter? The Razor A scooter is the modern equivilent. Come visit our website at http://razorascooter.com and find out more.

Microsoft MCSE Support Courses – Update

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

As you’ve arrived here it’s probable that you’d like to enter the world of computers and you fancy taking your MCSE, or you’re already in a networking related industry and you know that you can’t get any further without the Microsoft qualification.

When researching computer training companies, stay away from those who cut costs by failing to use the most up-to-date Microsoft version. Overall, this will frustrate and cost the student a great deal more because they’ve been studying an out-of-date syllabus which will need updating almost immediately.

Look out for training colleges that are just trying to sell you something. Realise that buying an MCSE course is the same in a way as buying a car. They vary hugely; some will serve you very well, whilst some will be a big disappointment. A valid provider will spend time understanding your needs to check you’ve got the correct course. With those who have confidence in their programs, you’ll be able to see a sample of what you’re getting before you buy.

The way in which your courseware is broken down for you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what order and do you have a say in when you’ll get each part?

Training companies will normally offer a program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you complete each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this:

It’s not unusual for trainees to realise that the company’s ‘standard’ path of training isn’t the easiest way for them. They might find a slightly different order suits them better. And what if you don’t get to the end at the pace they expect?

For the perfect solution, you want ALL the study materials up-front – so you’ll have them all to come back to at any time in the future – whenever it suits you. This allows a variation in the order that you move through the program where a more intuitive path can be found.

‘In-Centre’ days can be portrayed as a great facet by many certification companies. After chatting with the majority of computer industry hopefuls who’ve attended a few, you’ll find they generally end up being seen as a difficulty to be ‘got round’ because of many things:

* Many centre visits – normally 100’s of miles or more.

* Monday to Friday access to events can be usual, and with 2-3 days to book off work, this is usually problematic for many working people.

* Lost holiday days – the majority of students get just four weeks holiday each year. If half or more of that is used up by study classes, you haven’t got a great deal of holiday time remaining for the student.

* Training events fill up quickly and can be very crammed in.

* Tension is sometimes created inside the classroom where the right pace for one student is not the same as another.

* Soaring travel costs – arranging transport backwards and forwards to the training centre together with accommodation for the duration can really add up with each visit. With only 5-10 classes costing around 35 pounds for an over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15.00 for food, that becomes a minimum of four to nine hundred pounds of costs that we weren’t expecting.

* Study privacy is often very important to many attendees. Why throw away potential advancement, pay-rises or success at work because of your studies. If your employer knows you’re putting yourself through accreditation in a different industry, how will they regard you?

* It’s really not that uncommon for trainees to not ask questions they want answered – simply because they’re in front of other people.

* More often than not, days in-centre become simply impossible to attend, if you work away for some of the month.

Doesn’t it make much more sense to study when it’s convenient for you – not the company – and exploit virtual lab environments with videos of your instructors.

If anything comes up, make use of the 24×7 support (that should come with any technical program.) Bear in mind, if you have a laptop, you can study just about anywhere.

You could watch and re-watch the learning modules as often as you feel you need to. There’s absolutely no need to scribble any notes as the teaching is yours forever.

The bottom line: Reduced stress, less cost, and you’ve avoided all travel.

An all too common mistake that we encounter all too often is to concentrate on the course itself, instead of focusing on the end result they want to achieve. Schools are stacked to the hilt with students that chose a program because it looked interesting – instead of what would yield an enjoyable career or job.

You may train for one year and then end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Avoid the mistake of opting for what may seem to be an ‘interesting’ course and then spend decades in something you don’t even enjoy!

It’s a good idea to understand what industry will expect from you. What precise qualifications they will want you to have and in what way you can gain some industry experience. You should also spend a little time considering how far you reckon you’re going to want to progress your career as it may force you to choose a particular set of qualifications.

We’d recommend you always seek guidance and advice from an industry professional before you begin some particular study programme, so you can be sure that the chosen route will give you the skills for the job being sought.

(C) Jason Kendall. Pop over to LearningLolly.com for smart advice on Computer Training Courses and MCSE 2008 Training.