What might someone looking for training tracks certified by Microsoft expect to discover? Clearly, training providers ought to have a variety of course choices that cover the portfolio of Microsoft certified training paths. Try to review all your options with someone who understands the commercial needs of the market, and will help you select the most appropriate area to suit your abilities and character. Ensure your course is matched to your ability level and skills. Select a company that will always guarantee that your training program is designed for the career you want to get into.
A sneaky way that training providers make a big mark-up is through up-front charges for exams and offering an exam guarantee. It looks impressive, but is it really:
Of course it's not free - you're still being charged for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. If it's important to you to qualify first 'go', you must pay for each exam as you go, prioritise it appropriately and give the task sufficient application.
Shouldn't you be looking to find the best exam deal or offer at the time, instead of paying a premium to the training course provider, and to do it in a local testing office - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Buying a course that includes payments for examination fees (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is insane. Why fill a company's coffers with your money simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won't get round to taking them - so they get to keep the extra funds. Pay heed to the fact that, in the majority of cases of 'exam guarantees' - they control when and how often you can do your re-takes. You will have to demonstrate an excellent pass-rate before they'll approve a re-take.
Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is short-sighted - when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be full 24x7 support via expert mentors and instructors. So many companies we come across will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Always avoid study programmes that only provide support to students via an out-sourced call-centre message system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Training schools will give you every excuse in the book why you don't need this. Essentially - support is needed when it's needed - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.
Top training companies utilise several support facilities across multiple time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, no matter what time you login, help is just a click away, without any contact issues or hassle. Don't accept second best when it comes to your support. Many would-be IT professionals who can't get going properly, are in that situation because of a lack of support.
Students who consider this area of study are often very practical, and don't always take well to classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where learning is video-based. Years of research and study has consistently shown that an 'involved' approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.
Interactive audio-visual materials with demonstrations and practice sessions will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And they're a lot more fun to do. Be sure to get a study material demo' from the training company. You should ask for demo's from instructors, slideshows and lab's for you to practice your skills in.
Opt for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media in all circumstances. You're then protected from the variability of broadband quality and service.
We're often asked why traditional degrees are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications? Industry now recognises that for an understanding of the relevant skills, proper accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance - saving time and money. Many degrees, for example, can often get caught up in a lot of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. This holds a student back from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.
When an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then they simply need to advertise for someone with a specific qualification. The syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and aren't allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).
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