by Jason Kendall
Congratulations! As you’re looking at this it’s likely you’re thinking about retraining for a new career - so you’ve already done more than most. Only one in ten of us are content with our jobs, but most complain but just stay there. So, why not be one of the few who actually do something about it.
We recommend you seek advice first - talk to someone who’s familiar with your chosen field; a guide who can really get to know you and find the best job role for you, and analyse the learning programs which will get you there:
* Is having company at work important to you? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you can complete alone?
* What thoughts do you have with regard to the industry you’ll work in?
* Is this the last time you imagine you’ll re-train, and if so, do you suppose your new career will allow you to do that?
* Are you concerned with regard to the chance of getting new work, and keeping a job until you plan to retire?
Prioritise Information Technology, that’s our best advice - unusually, it’s one of the growing market sectors in this country and overseas. Salaries are also more generous than most.
The perhaps intimidating chore of securing your first job is often made easier by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. Often, too much is made of this feature, as it’s relatively easy for well qualified and focused men and women to get a job in this industry - because there’s a great need for skilled employees.
CV and Interview advice and support is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). Ensure you update that dusty old CV immediately - not after you’ve qualified!
It’s not unusual to find that you’ll secure your first job whilst you’re still studying (occasionally right at the beginning). If your CV doesn’t show your latest training profile (and it’s not being looked at by employers) then you don’t stand a chance!
If you don’t want to travel too far to work, then you’ll often find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy may serve you better than the trainer’s recruitment division, for they’re going to be familiar with local employment needs.
A big frustration for a number of training providers is how much people are focused on studying to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the role they’ve acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it’s fun.
Don’t get hung-up, as many people do, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.
It’s common, in some situations, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training and then spend 20 miserable years in a job you hate, as a consequence of not performing the correct research when you should’ve - at the outset.
You must also consider your feelings on earning potential, career development, plus your level of ambition. It makes sense to understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what exams are required and where you’ll pick-up experience from.
Talk to an experienced industry advisor who understands the work you’re contemplating, and who can give you a detailed run-down of what you actually do in that role. Getting all these things right well before beginning a training course makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Starting with the idea that we have to locate the market that sounds most inviting first and foremost, before we’re able to chew over what method of training would meet that requirement, how do we decide on the right path?
As having no previous experience in the IT industry, in what way could we understand what someone in a particular job does?
Consideration of the following issues is most definitely required when you want to reveal the right answers:
* What hobbies you have and enjoy - these can point towards what areas will give you the most reward.
* Why you’re looking at starting in Information Technology - it could be you’re looking to overcome a particular goal such as working for yourself maybe.
* Does salary have a higher place on your priority-scale than some other areas.
* Learning what the main work types and markets are - plus how they’re different to each other.
* You need to appreciate the differences between each area of training.
The bottom line is, your only chance of investigating all this is from an in-depth discussion with an advisor or professional that has enough background to lead you to the correct decision.
You have to be sure that all your exams are current and what employers are looking for - you’re wasting your time with programmes which provide certificates that are worthless because they’re ‘in-house’.
All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA have nationally acknowledged proficiency courses. Huge conglomerates such as these can make sure you stand out at interview.
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