Good for you! Finding this article proves you must be wondering about where you're going, and if it's new career training you're deliberating over that means you've taken it further than most others. It's a frightening thought that just one in ten of us consider ourselves fulfilled and satisfied with our jobs - yet the vast majority of us will just put up with it. We implore you to stand out from the crowd and take action - those who do hardly ever regret it.
Prior to considering specific training programs, discuss your thoughts with an industry expert who can help you sort out what to look for. Someone who has the ability to ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and discover what job role you'll be most comfortable with:
* Do you like working on your own or perhaps being around others is an essential criteria for you?
* What elements are you looking for from the area of industry you choose? (Building and banking - not so stable as they once were.)
* And how many years do you want to get out of your retraining, and will the market sector offer you that opportunity?
* Are you confident that your industry training course will make you employable, and make it possible to work right up to retirement age?
The largest sector in the United Kingdom that fulfills the above criteria is Information Technology. There's a demand for more skilled workers in this market, just check out any job site and you will find them yourself. However, it's not full of techie geeks staring at their screens the whole time - there's a lot more to it than that. Large numbers of staff in IT are ordinary people, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
You should only consider training programmes which will progress to industry accepted qualifications. There are loads of minor schools pushing their own 'in-house' certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (as an example) give enough bang for your buck. Nothing else hits the mark.
A fatal Faux-Pas that many potential students make is to choose a career based on a course, rather than starting with the desired end-result. Schools are full of direction-less students who took a course because it seemed fun - rather than what would get them an enjoyable career or job. Students often train for a single year but end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don't make the error of taking what may be a very 'interesting' program only to waste your life away with an unrewarding career!
It's a good idea to understand what industry will expect from you. Which certifications you'll be required to have and how you'll go about getting some commercial experience. It's definitely worth spending time setting guidelines as to how far you'd like to build your skill-set as it will often affect your choice of accreditations. We advise all students to talk with an experienced industry advisor before following a particular study course. This is required to ensure it features what is required for the career that is sought.
A key training course package will also offer wholly authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages. Students regularly can get confused by practicing questions for their exams that aren't from authorised sources. Sometimes, the way questions are phrased is startlingly different and it's vital that you know this. Always have some simulated exam questions in order to test your understanding along the way. Simulations of exams add to your knowledge bank - so you're much more at ease with the real thing.
The sometimes daunting task of landing your first job is often eased because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. The fact of the matter is it's not as hard as some people make out to get your first job - once you're trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.
You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we'd recommend any student to update their CV right at the beginning of their training - don't put it off till you've finished your exams. It's not uncommon to find that junior support roles have been bagged by trainees who are still learning and have still to get qualified. This will at the very least get you into the 'maybe' pile of CV's - rather than the 'No' pile. Actually, a specialist locally based recruitment consultant or service - who make their money when they've found you a job - should get better results than any sector of a centralised training facility. They should, of course, also be familiar with local industry and the area better.
A good number of men and women, so it seems, are prepared to study their hearts out (sometimes for years), only to do nothing special when looking for a job. Introduce yourself... Do everything you can to put yourself out there. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.
Prior to considering specific training programs, discuss your thoughts with an industry expert who can help you sort out what to look for. Someone who has the ability to ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and discover what job role you'll be most comfortable with:
* Do you like working on your own or perhaps being around others is an essential criteria for you?
* What elements are you looking for from the area of industry you choose? (Building and banking - not so stable as they once were.)
* And how many years do you want to get out of your retraining, and will the market sector offer you that opportunity?
* Are you confident that your industry training course will make you employable, and make it possible to work right up to retirement age?
The largest sector in the United Kingdom that fulfills the above criteria is Information Technology. There's a demand for more skilled workers in this market, just check out any job site and you will find them yourself. However, it's not full of techie geeks staring at their screens the whole time - there's a lot more to it than that. Large numbers of staff in IT are ordinary people, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
You should only consider training programmes which will progress to industry accepted qualifications. There are loads of minor schools pushing their own 'in-house' certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (as an example) give enough bang for your buck. Nothing else hits the mark.
A fatal Faux-Pas that many potential students make is to choose a career based on a course, rather than starting with the desired end-result. Schools are full of direction-less students who took a course because it seemed fun - rather than what would get them an enjoyable career or job. Students often train for a single year but end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don't make the error of taking what may be a very 'interesting' program only to waste your life away with an unrewarding career!
It's a good idea to understand what industry will expect from you. Which certifications you'll be required to have and how you'll go about getting some commercial experience. It's definitely worth spending time setting guidelines as to how far you'd like to build your skill-set as it will often affect your choice of accreditations. We advise all students to talk with an experienced industry advisor before following a particular study course. This is required to ensure it features what is required for the career that is sought.
A key training course package will also offer wholly authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages. Students regularly can get confused by practicing questions for their exams that aren't from authorised sources. Sometimes, the way questions are phrased is startlingly different and it's vital that you know this. Always have some simulated exam questions in order to test your understanding along the way. Simulations of exams add to your knowledge bank - so you're much more at ease with the real thing.
The sometimes daunting task of landing your first job is often eased because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. The fact of the matter is it's not as hard as some people make out to get your first job - once you're trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.
You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we'd recommend any student to update their CV right at the beginning of their training - don't put it off till you've finished your exams. It's not uncommon to find that junior support roles have been bagged by trainees who are still learning and have still to get qualified. This will at the very least get you into the 'maybe' pile of CV's - rather than the 'No' pile. Actually, a specialist locally based recruitment consultant or service - who make their money when they've found you a job - should get better results than any sector of a centralised training facility. They should, of course, also be familiar with local industry and the area better.
A good number of men and women, so it seems, are prepared to study their hearts out (sometimes for years), only to do nothing special when looking for a job. Introduce yourself... Do everything you can to put yourself out there. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.