All of us are short of time, and usually should we have cause to advance our future prospects, getting educated in addition to a 40 hour week is what we're faced with. Certified training from Microsoft could offer a solution. Maybe you'd choose to have a chat about jobs with an advisor - and if you're uncertain, then get help to sort out what kind of IT job would be best, dependent on your abilities and personality. When you've settled on the area you want to get into, a suitable training program must be chosen that's suits your ability level and skill set. This can be personally tailored for your needs.
Review the facts below and pay great regard to them if you think the marketing blurb about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:
Obviously it isn't free - you're still being charged for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package. Qualifying on the first 'go' is what everyone wants to do. Taking your exams progressively one by one and funding them as you go puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you prepare appropriately and are mindful of the investment you've made.
Sit the exam as locally as possible and find the best deal for you at the time. Huge profits are made by a significant number of organisations that get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don't take them for one reason or another and so the company is quids-in. Astoundingly enough, there are training companies who rely on that fact - as that's very profitable for them. Most companies will insist on pre-tests and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
On average, exams cost approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months when taken at VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So what's the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra for 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that what's really needed is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.
It can be a nerve-racking task, but getting your first role in IT is often eased by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though - it's easy for their marketing department to overstate it's need. The fact of the matter is, the huge shortage of staff in this country is the reason you'll find a job.
Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however - you should get plenty of help from your training provider on this. Don't wait until you've qualified. Getting onto the 'maybe' pile of CV's is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior jobs are offered to people in the early stages of their course. Generally, an independent and specialised local employment agency (who will get paid by the employer when they've placed you) is going to give you a better service than a division of a training company. They should, of course, also know the local area and commercial needs.
Various men and women, it seems, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to attempting to secure a good job. Sell yourself... Make an effort to put yourself out there. Don't expect a job to just fall into your lap.
Student support is absolutely essential - find a program offering 24x7 direct access to instructors, as anything less will not satisfy and will also impede your ability to learn. Avoid those companies which use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - where you'll get called back during office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and need an answer now.
As long as you look hard, you will find the very best companies which offer online support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. Always pick a training school that is worth purchasing from. Only proper live 24x7 support truly delivers for technical programs.
Now, why should we consider commercial qualifications as opposed to traditional academic qualifications taught at schools, colleges or universities? Industry now recognises that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, official accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is closer to the mark commercially - saving time and money. The training is effectively done through honing in on the skill-sets required (together with a proportionate degree of background knowledge,) rather than covering masses of the background 'padding' that degree courses can get bogged down in - to pad out the syllabus.
Just as the old advertisement said: 'It does what it says on the label'. Companies need only to know what they're looking for, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. That way they can be sure they're interviewing applicants who can do the job.
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