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.
Qualifying in CompTIA A+ on its own will set you up to fix and maintain stand-alone PC\’s and MAC\’s; ones that are most often not part of a network – essentially the domestic or small business sector.
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.
Remember: the actual training program or a qualification isn\’t what this is about; a job you\’re training for is. Far too many training organisations place too much importance on the piece of paper.
Students often train for a single year but end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Don\’t make the mistake of choosing what sounds like a program of interest to you only to waste your life away with a job you hate!
Make sure you investigate your leanings around earning potential and career progression, and how ambitious you are. You should understand what (if any) sacrifices you\’ll need to make for a particular role, what particular qualifications they want you to have and how to develop your experience.
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.
Many people assume that the state educational system is the right way even now. So why then are commercial certificates slowly and steadily replacing it?
With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, the IT sector has moved to specific, honed-in training only available through the vendors themselves – in other words companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise.
In a nutshell, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It\’s slightly more broad than that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) – without trying to cram in everything else – in the way that academic establishments often do.
The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they\’re looking for – the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a \’Microsoft Certified Professional\’ in \’Windows XP Administration and Configuration\’. So employers can identify exactly what they need and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.
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.
Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don\’t wait until you\’ve graduated or passed any exams.
Quite often, you will get your first role whilst you\’re still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn\’t say what you\’re learning (and it hasn\’t been posted on jobsites) then you don\’t stand a chance!
Generally, you\’ll receive better performance from a local IT focused recruitment consultant or service than you will through a training provider\’s national service, as they\’ll know the local area and commercial needs better.
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.
When was the last time you considered how safe your job is? Typically, this issue only becomes a talking point when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, the painful truth is that our job security is a thing of the past, for the vast majority of people.
However, a marketplace with high growth, where staff are in constant demand (as there is a massive shortage of properly qualified professionals), enables the possibility of real job security.
Recently, a national e-Skills analysis showed that over 26 percent of computing and IT jobs cannot be filled due to a lack of properly qualified workers. This shows that for each 4 job positions in existence around Information Technology (IT), there are only 3 trained people to fill that need.
This single truth on its own shows why the country urgently requires so many more new trainees to join the industry.
Because the IT sector is expanding at such a speed, there really isn\’t any other market worth considering for a new career.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Look at Access 2003 Training or NewCareersTraining.co.uk/wnct.html.
