What can a student looking for training tracks certified by Microsoft expect to come across? Undoubtedly, training organisations ought to have a selection of course choices that meet the requirements of training tracks certified by Microsoft. You’ll want to consider all the options with a person who understands the commercial demands for IT staff, and can influence your choice of the most fruitful career to suit your abilities and character. Once you’ve decided on the area you want to get into, your next search is for a suitable training program customised to your needs. Your course material should be second to none.
Getting your first commercial position sometimes feels easier to handle if you’re supported with a Job Placement Assistance program. Having said that, occasionally this feature is bigged up too much, because it is actually not that hard for a well trained and motivated person to secure a job in the IT environment – because companies everywhere are seeking skilled employees.
Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews should be offered (if not, see one of our sites for help). Make sure you update that dusty old CV immediately – not after you’ve qualified! Various junior support roles have been bagged by trainees who’re still on their course and have still to get qualified. This will at the very least get you on your way. Generally, a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service (who will get paid commission to place you) will perform better than any sector of a centralised training facility. It also stands to reason that they’ll be familiar with local industry and the area better.
To bottom line it, as long as you focus the same level of energy into finding your first IT position as into studying, you’re not going to hit many challenges. A number of people inexplicably put hundreds of hours into their training course and do nothing more once certified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.
Ensure all your exams are current and commercially required – you’re wasting your time with programs which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then chances are it won’t be commercially viable – because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.
A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and avoid focusing on why you’re doing this – which is a commercial career or job. You should always begin with where you want to get to – don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. Avoid becoming one of those unfortunate students who choose a training program that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – and end up with a certification for something they’ll never enjoy.
It’s well worth a long chat to see what expectations industry may have of you. What particular exams they’ll want you to gain and how to gain experience. Spend some time considering how far you think you’ll want to progress your career as it will present a very specific set of accreditations. All students are advised to chat with experienced industry personnel before following a particular retraining course. This helps to ensure it has the required elements for that career path.
An effective training program will undoubtedly also offer accredited simulation materials and exam preparation packages. Ensure that the practice exams are not just posing the correct questions on the correct subjects, but also asking them in the exact format that the real exams will pose them. It throws students if the phraseology and format is completely different. For many reasons, it’s essential to be confident that you are completely prepared for your actual certification exam before taking it. Practicing simulated tests will help to boost your attitude and will avoid you getting frustrated with thwarted exam entries.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support with dedicated instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Look for training with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (even if it’s early hours on Sunday morning!) You want access directly to professional tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back when it’s convenient for them.
The best trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, at any time you choose, help is at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. If you accept anything less than online 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You might not want to use the service throughout the night, but what about weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.