by Jason Kendall
Adobe Dreamweaver is the starting point of study for almost all web designers. It is probably the most utilised web-development platform globally. For professional applications you will require a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the complete Adobe Web Creative Suite. This is including (though it's not limited to) Action Script and Flash. If your goal is to become an Adobe Certified Professional or an Adobe Certified Expert then these skills are paramount.
Building a website only scratches the surface of what's needed - in order to drive traffic, update content, and work on dynamic sites that are database driven, you'll need to bolt on additional programming skills, such as HTML, PHP and MySQL. It would also be a good idea to gain a working knowledge of E-Commerce and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Working on the cutting-edge of new technology really is electrifying. You become one of a team of people shaping the next few decades. There are people who believe that the technological revolution we have experienced is slowing down. All indicators point in the opposite direction. Terrific advances are ahead of us, and the internet particularly will be the most effective tool in our lives.
And don't forget salaries either - the income on average throughout Britain for a typical IT worker is considerably more than in the rest of the economy. It's a good bet that you'll receive a much better deal than you'd expect to earn doing other work. Experts agree that there's a significant country-wide demand for professionally qualified IT workers. Also, as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it is likely this pattern will continue for quite some time to come.
How are we supposed to go about making the right decisions then? With so many opportunities, we have to know where we should look - and what to be investigating.
A fatal Faux-Pas that we encounter all too often is to choose a career based on a course, and take their eye off where they want to get to. Training academies are brimming over with students that chose a program because it looked interesting - instead of what would yield their end-goal of a job they enjoyed. It's a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but the majority of trainees commence training that sounds great from the syllabus guide, but which provides the end-result of a job that doesn't fulfil at all. Just ask several university leavers to see what we mean.
Be honest with yourself about how much you want to earn and how ambitious you are. Often, this changes what precise qualifications you'll need to attain and what'll be expected of you in your new role. Look for help from a skilled advisor who understands the sector you wish to join, and is able to give you 'A typical day in the life of' outline of what duties you'll be performing during your working week. It just makes sense to understand whether or not this is right for you long before you start on any retraining programme. There's really no point in starting your training and then realise you've made a huge mistake.
The classroom style of learning we remember from school, using textbooks and whiteboards, is usually pretty hard going. If this describes you, find training programs which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Studies in learning psychology have shown that much more of what we learn in remembered when all our senses are involved, and we get practically involved in what we're studying.
You can now study via self-contained CD or DVD materials. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you'll learn your subject via the demonstrations and explanations. Then it's time to test your knowledge by utilising the practice lab's and modules. It's imperative to see examples of the study materials provided by any company that you may want to train through. It's essential they incorporate video demo's and interactive elements such as practice lab's.
You should avoid purely online training. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where possible, enabling them to be used at your convenience - and not be totally reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24x7 support from dedicated instructors and mentors. Too many companies only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Avoid those companies that use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - where an advisor will call back during standard office hours. This is useless when you're stuck and need an answer now.
Top training companies utilise several support facilities active in different time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, help is at hand, without any problems or delays. Never ever take second best with the quality of your support. Most would-be IT professionals that throw in the towel, are in that situation because of a lack of support.
Many people question why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has had to move to specialist courses that can only come from the vendors - in other words companies like CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. Often this saves time and money for the student. The training is effectively done by concentrating on the skill-sets required (alongside a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) as opposed to going into the heightened depths of background 'padding' that academic courses are prone to get tied up in - to pad out the syllabus.
Just like the advert used to say: 'It does what it says on the label'. The company just needs to know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.
A sneaky way that training providers make extra profits is through up-front charges for exams and offering an exam guarantee. This sounds impressive, but is it really:
Obviously it isn't free - you're still coughing up for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package. If it's important to you to qualify first 'go', you must pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.
Don't pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you take the exam, and keep hold of your own money. In addition, it's then your choice where to take your exam - which means you can stay local. Including money in your training package for examination fees (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is bad financial management. It's not your job to boost the training company's account with your money just to give them a good cash-flow! There are those who hope that you don't even take them all - so they don't need to pay for them. The majority of companies will insist that you take mock exams first and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
Prometric and VUE exams are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in Britain at the time of writing. Why pay exorbitant charges for 'Exam Guarantees' (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) - when the best course materials, the right level of support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.
Several companies offer a Job Placement Assistance facility, to help you into your first commercial role. However sometimes too much is made of this feature, for it's really not that difficult for well qualified and focused men and women to get work in the IT industry - because there's a great need for trained staff.
Having said that, it's important to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; also we would encourage everyone to get their CV updated the day they start training - don't wait until you've graduated or passed any exams. Various junior support roles are offered to people who are still studying and have yet to take their exams. At least this will get you into the 'maybe' pile of CV's - rather than the 'No' pile. The top companies to help you find a job are normally specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. As they will get paid by the employer when they've placed you, they're perhaps more focused on results.
A constant frustration of some training companies is how hard students are prepared to work to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the job they're qualified for. Don't give up when the best is yet to come.