by Jason Kendall
In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and sections to study, but your only requirement is to get certified in 2 to be thought of as qualified. Because of this, most training colleges only offer 2 paths. However, training you in all four will provide you with a far greater perspective of it all, something you'll discover is vital in industry.
When you embark on the A+ training course you'll become familiar with how to build, fix, repair and work in antistatic conditions. You'll also cover fault-finding and diagnostic techniques, both remotely and via direct access. Should you decide to add Network+ to your CompTIA A+ training course, you'll additionally be equipped to take care of networks, allowing you to apply for more senior positions.
So, what kind of questions should we be posing to arrive at the understanding we need? As it looks like there are many quite unparalleled prospects for us all to chew over.
Usually, a normal IT hopeful really has no clue in what direction to head in the IT industry, or which area is worth considering for retraining. What is our likelihood of grasping the many facets of a particular career when we haven't done that before? Often we haven't met someone who is in that area at all. Deliberation over these different factors is most definitely required when you want to dig down the right answer for you:
* What hobbies you're involved with in your spare-time - as they can highlight what things will give you the most reward.
* Why you're looking at moving into Information Technology - maybe you want to overcome a life-long goal like firing your boss and working for yourself for instance.
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is an increase your main motivator, or is enjoying your job a little higher on your list of priorities?
* With many, many markets to choose from in the IT industry - it's wise to get a basic understanding of what makes them different.
* You have to appreciate the differences between the myriad of training options.
The best way to avoid the confusing industry jargon, and discover the best path to success, have an informal chat with an experienced professional; a person who appreciates and can explain the commercial realities whilst covering each certification.
There is no way of over emphasising this: Always get full 24x7 instructor support. Later, you'll kick yourself if you don't adhere to this. Be wary of any training providers who use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - where an advisor will call back during standard office hours. It's not a lot of help when you've got study issues and need help now.
It's possible to find the top providers which provide their students online support 24x7 - at any time of day or night. Don't accept second best with the quality of your support. Many trainees that fall by the wayside, are in that situation because they didn't get the support necessary for them.
It's likely that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - a 'hands-on' type. If you're anything like us, the painful task of reading endless manuals is something you'll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but you really wouldn't enjoy it. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if learning from books is not your thing. We see a huge improvement in memory retention with an involvement of all our senses - educational experts have expounded on this for many years.
Search for a course where you'll get a host of CD and DVD based materials - you'll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, with the facility to hone your abilities through virtual lab's. Don't take any chances and look at some of the typical study materials provided before you purchase a course. The minimum you should expect would be videoed instructor demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.
It's unwise to choose training that is only available online. With highly variable reliability and quality from the ISP (internet service provider) market, you should always obtain CD or DVD ROM based materials.
A major candidate for the biggest single let-down in the IT training sector is a requirement to attend multiple workshop days. Many trainers harp on about the 'benefits' of going in to their classes, however, they quickly become a major problem because of:
* Many centre visits - often hundreds of miles at a time.
* Asking for frequent time off work - many trainers will only provide availability during weekdays and link several days together. This isn't ideal for most people who work, especially if you include the travel time on top.
* Lost annual leave - many working people only have 20 days holiday. If over half of it is swallowed up by study events, that doesn't leave much holiday time left for the student.
* Training workshops usually become quickly full, giving us the only option of the '2nd best' solution.
* The pace of the workshop - workshops normally have trainees of different abilities, so tension develops between the quicker-learners and those with less experience.
* Let's not ignore the added expense of travelling or over-night accommodation either. This may well run to many hundreds of pounds more - sometimes thousands. Work it out - it'll shock and surprise you.
* Training privacy is often very important to quite a lot of trainees. You don't want to give up any job advancement, pay-rises or accomplishment at work while you're training. If your boss finds out that you're undertaking qualification in another sector, how will they regard you?
* How many of us have avoided posing that question we were dying to ask, just because we wanted to fit in?
* It should be remembered that days in-centre are basically impossible to attend, if you work away for part of the week.
Why not watch on-screen and gain knowledge from industry specialists one-on-one via videoed modules, studying them when it suits you - not somebody else. Ponder this... If you've got a laptop you're able to study in any location you choose. And 24 hr-a-day support is just a web-browser away when challenges strike you. You have the ability to re-watch and re-cover the modules as often as you want or need. There's absolutely no need to make notes as you have the lesson indefinitely. Even though this doesn't take away all study problems, it definitely removes stress and makes things simpler. You've also got less hassle, travel and costs.
Can job security honestly exist anymore? In the UK for example, with industry changing its mind whenever it suits, we'd question whether it does. Whereas a fast growing sector, where staff are in constant demand (due to a massive shortage of trained professionals), opens the possibility of proper job security.
A rather worrying UK e-Skills investigation demonstrated that twenty six percent of all available IT positions remain unfilled as an upshot of a lack of appropriately certified professionals. Quite simply, we only have the national capacity to fill just 3 out of every four jobs in the computing industry. This troubling truth shows the urgent need for more technically qualified IT professionals across Great Britain. Unquestionably, this really is the very best time for retraining into the computing industry.