Thankfully as adults we can put all that behind us. Adult learning courses are all about effective learning systems that fit around our other commitments. If you’re learning for career reasons, then it’s also vital that the course content fits with what the industry’s looking for.
Firstly there are classroom based colleges, universities and boot camps. These require you putting your life on hold to study. Their method of delivery is tutorial, backed up with technical books. All students are expected to go at the same rate throughout the course which inevitably causes challenges. If you’re unable to attend, you have to catch up.
With a boot camp, don’t even think of missing one session or you’ll never catch up. You’ll romp through a syllabus in 10 to 12 weeks that usually takes two years. Such courses are designed to get you a qualification and no more. Employers are generally not impressed by this type of training, as your ability to do the job based on what you’ve learned will be limited. Experienced IT workers who are upgrading their certifications to the latest level are the only students who should really use such courses. The student planning to enter the world of IT should not entertain them.
The courses tend to be more academic with colleges and universities, and are not always in-tune with current industry requirements. It can be difficult for the student to enter industry without gaining some additional commercial skills.
Secondly there are home based commercial training providers. These offer by far the most convenient way to learn, but some adults worry they’ll need the structure of a classroom. Actually, this isn’t usually the case with the right training; it’s just a strong recollection from adolescent days.
Some commercial training providers are very good, but there are also some very bad ones. Always look at the standard of their training materials; if they won’t show you any, don’t buy. The easiest way to study today is via interactive on-screen training. It’s so much more user-friendly and more engaging than books. It also enhances your ability to recall what you’ve learned because it utilises multi-sensory input.
The best training providers will give you direct access to instructors in the evening and at weekends, at the time you probably intend to study. Check by asking specific questions – some companies ’24×7 Support’ can be a message system out of office hours. In addition, they need to supply an authorised exam preparation system (from Microsoft, CompTIA or Cisco for example) – be wary of being taught in a specific style, only to find the exam uses different phraseology and terms.
A few final tips: Don’t pay for exams fees up-front – it will cost you more. A good quality course shouldn’t need to be backed up by classroom visits (a huge additional expense). Old style training is much more expensive than modern interactive training and produces fewer successful students.
Selecting the right IT training provider is really a matter of research. Don’t be frightened to ask questions – remember, it’s your future.
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