It's really great that you've made it this far! Just ten percent of people say they enjoy their work, but the majority just bitch about it and nothing happens. The fact that you're here means we have a hunch that you're at least considering retraining, so well done to you. What comes next is discover where you want to go and get going.
It's in your interests that prior to beginning a course of training, you discuss your plans with a person who can see the bigger picture and can give you advice. They can look at aspects of your personality and help you sort out a role to fit you:
* Is collaborating with others important to you? Would that be with a small 'tightly-knit' team or with a lot of new people? Maybe working on your own with your own methodology would be more your thing?
* What thoughts are fundamentally important with regard to the industry you'll be employed in?
* Should this be a one off time that you will need more qualifications?
* Would it be useful for your study to be in an industry where you believe you will be able to work up to retirement age?
We would strongly recommend that one of your key sectors is Information Technology - it's well known that it's developing all the time. IT isn't all techie geeks lost in their computer screens every day - naturally those jobs exist, but most jobs are filled with people like you and me who do very well out of it.
An area that's often missed by trainees weighing up a particular programme is that of 'training segmentation'. This is essentially the breakdown of the materials for delivery to you, which completely controls how you end up. Drop-shipping your training elements one piece at a time, according to your own speed is the normal way of receiving your courseware. This sounds sensible, but you should consider these factors: Sometimes the steps or stages offered by the provider doesn't suit. And what if you don't finish all the modules inside their defined time-scales?
In a perfect world, you want everything at the start - enabling you to have them all to come back to in the future - irrespective of any schedule. You can also vary the order in which you attack each section where a more intuitive path can be found.
The sometimes daunting task of finding your first computer related job can be eased by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance service. Because of the growing demand for appropriately skilled people in this country today, there's no need to become overly impressed with this service however. It's not as difficult as you may be led to believe to get your first job as long as you've got the necessary skills and qualifications.
Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV is sometimes offered (if it isn't, consult one of our sites). It's essential that you polish up your CV straight away - don't wait until you've finished your exams! Getting onto the 'maybe' pile of CV's is far better than not even being known about. A surprising amount of junior support roles are given to students who are still at an early stage in their studies. If you'd like to get employment in your home town, then it's quite likely that a specialist locally based employment agency can generally be of more use than a national service, because they're far more likely to be familiar with the jobs that are going locally.
Various trainees, it would appear, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (for years sometimes), and then just stop instead of attempting to secure a job. Introduce yourself... Work hard to put yourself out there. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.
Many companies focus completely on the certification process, and avoid focusing on what it's all actually about - getting yourself a new job or career. You should always begin with the end goal - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle. It's quite usual, in many cases, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training and then find yourself trapped for decades in a career that does nothing for you, as a consequence of not performing the correct level of soul-searching when you should've - at the outset.
Never let your focus stray from what it is you're trying to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that - don't do it back-to-front. Keep your eyes on your goals and ensure that you're training for a career that'll reward you for many long and fruitful years. Long before starting a learning program, it makes sense to discuss individual career requirements with an experienced advisor, to ensure the training programme covers all that is required.
Traditional teaching in classrooms, utilising reference manuals and books, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, find training programs which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Studies have constantly confirmed that connecting physically with our study, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.
Programs are now found in disc format, so everything is learned directly from your own PC. Video streaming means you are able to see your instructors showing you how something is done, with some practice time to follow - in an interactive lab. It makes sense to see some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you sign the purchase order. Always insist on videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.
It is generally unwise to select online only courseware. Due to the variable nature of connection quality from all internet service providers, you should always obtain physical media such as CD or DVD ROM's.
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