Network and PC support staff are ever more sought after in the United Kingdom, as businesses become progressively more dependent upon their knowledge and ability to fix and repair. Whilst we’re all becoming massively more dependent on computers and networks, we simultaneously emerge as increasingly more reliant upon the skilled and qualified IT professionals, who keep the systems going.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support via professional mentors and instructors. Too many companies only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.

Don’t accept study programmes that only provide support to students with a message system after office-staff have gone home. Companies will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. The simple fact of the matter is – you want to be supported when you need the help – not when it’s convenient for them.

If you look properly, you’ll find professional companies which give students direct-access online support around the clock – even in the middle of the night.

Don’t accept second best where support is concerned. Many would-be IT professionals who drop-out or fail, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.

Don’t listen to the typical salesperson that just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities as well as level of experience. Always check they have access to a generous stable of training programs so they’re actually equipped to provide you with what’s right for you.

Occasionally, the training inception point for a trainee with experience will be hugely dissimilar to someone without.

Working through a basic PC skills program first may be the ideal way to get into your IT programme, depending on your skill level at the moment.

Those that are drawn to this type of work can be very practical by nature, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If this is putting you off studying, go for more modern interactive training, with on-screen demonstrations and labs.

Research has time and time again verified that connecting physically with our study, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.

Programs are now found via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Through video streaming, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how something is done, and then have a go at it yourself – via the interactive virtual lab’s.

Don’t take any chances and look at some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you purchase a course. The minimum you should expect would be videoed instructor demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Plump for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media whenever you can. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.

Considering the amount of options that are available, is it any wonder that the majority of trainees don’t really understand the best career path they will enjoy.

Since with no previous experience in the IT industry, how should we possibly know what a particular job actually consists of?

To attack this, there should be a discussion of a number of unique issues:

* Which type of person you think yourself to be – what kind of jobs you enjoy, and don’t forget – what makes you unhappy.

* What is the time-frame for retraining?

* Is the money you make further up on your wish list than other requirements.

* Getting to grips with what typical IT areas and markets are – including what sets them apart.

* You need to understand the differences across all the training areas.

The bottom line is, the best way of investigating all this is by means of a meeting with someone that understands the market well enough to provide solid advice.

Copyright Scott Edwards. Check out www.Retraining4Adults.co.uk or Career Change Training.

Tags: Personal Development

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