Well Done! As you’re looking at this you’re probably toying with the idea of getting re-qualified for a new job – that puts you way ahead of the crowd. 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 decide to make the change.
We recommend you seek advice first – find someone who knows the industry; an advisor who can discover your ideal job, and analyse the courses you may be suited to:
* Do you see yourself dealing with people? Would that be with a small ‘tightly-knit’ team or with a lot of new people? Maybe working on your own on specific tasks may be your preference?
* Do you have a preference which area you could be employed in? (In this economy, it’s vital to get it right.)
* Is this the last time you want to study, and if it is, do you believe this career choice will service that need?
* Do you want your retraining to be in an industry where as far as you can see you will be able to work until your pension kicks in?
The most significant market sector in Great Britain to tick all of the above boxes is the IT industry. There’s a need for more skilled people in this market, – take a look at any jobs website and you’ll discover what we mean. Don’t let people tell you it’s all techie people looking at their computerscreens all day long – it’s much more diverse than that. Most of the people in the industry are just like you and me, with well paid and stimulating jobs.
If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you probably enjoy fairly practical work – a ‘hands-on’ type. If you’re anything like us, the painful task of reading endless manuals would be considered as a last resort, but you’d hate it. Consider interactive, multimedia study if book-based learning really isn’t your style. Studies in learning psychology have shown that much more of what we learn in remembered when we involve as many senses as possible, and we take action to use what we’ve learned.
Start a study-program in which you’ll receive a selection of CD or DVD ROM’s – you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, with the facility to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. It’s wise to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign on the dotted line. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.
Opt for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media where possible. You’re then protected from internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.
The area most overlooked by trainees considering a training program is that of ‘training segmentation’. Essentially, this is the method used to break up the program for delivery to you, which makes a huge difference to how you end up. The majority of training companies will set up a program typically taking 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you finish each section. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: Many students find that the company’s ‘standard’ path of training isn’t ideal for them. They might find varying the order of study will be far more suitable. And what if you don’t get to the end at the pace they expect?
In all honesty, the best solution is to get an idea of what they recommend as an ideal study order, but get all the study materials at the start. Everything is then in your possession should you not complete it as fast as they’d like.
One fatal mistake that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, rather than starting with the desired end-result. Colleges have thousands of unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – in place of something that could gain them the career they desired. It’s quite usual, in many cases, to obtain tremendous satisfaction from a year of studying but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a career that does nothing for you, as a consequence of not performing some quality research at the beginning.
Make sure you investigate how you feel about career development, earning potential, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. You need to know what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what qualifications are needed and in what way you can develop commercial experience. You’d also need help from an advisor that can explain the market you’re considering, and who can give you ‘A typical day in the life of’ outline of the job being considered. These things are absolutely essential as you’ll need to know if you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Huge changes are coming via technology over the next generation – and it only gets more exciting every day. Computing technology and interaction through the internet is going to dramatically affect the direction of our lives over future years; to a vast degree.
Let’s not forget that the average salary in the IT sector in Great Britain is noticeably more than average salaries nationally, therefore you will most likely receive significantly more once qualified in IT, than you’d get in most other industries. Because the IT market sector is still emerging at an unprecedented rate, the chances are that the requirement for professionally qualified and skilled IT workers will continue actively for quite some time to come.
It can be a nerve-racking task, but finding your first IT job is often relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. Because of the great shortage of skills in Great Britain today, it’s not necessary to place too much emphasis on this feature however. It’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to land employment once you’re properly qualified.
Get your CV updated straight-away though – you should get plenty of help from your training provider on this. Don’t delay until you’ve graduated or passed any exams. It’s not uncommon to find that junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who are still learning and have yet to take their exams. At least this will get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile. You’ll normally experience better results from a local IT focused recruitment consultant or service than you’ll experience from any course provider’s national service, because they will understand the local industry and employment needs.
A regular grievance for many training providers is how much students are prepared to work to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the position they have acquired skills for. Don’t falter at the last fence.
