The CompTIA A+ course covers 4 different sectors – the requirement is exam passes in 2 specialities to be seen as competent in A+. Because of this, many training establishments restrict their A+ to just two of the 4 sectors. To us, this is selling you short – of course you can gain accreditation, but knowledge of every section will set you apart in industry, where you’ll need a more comprehensive understanding. That’s the reason why you should train in everything.

As well as being taught how to build and fix computers, trainees on A+ courses will be shown how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.

If you aspire to being responsible for networks of computers, add the very comprehensive Network+ to your training package. Taking this course as well will prepare you to command a more senior job role. Other ones that might be interesting to you are the Microsoft networking qualifications (MCP, MCSA and MCSE).

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and completely miss what you actually need – which is a commercial career or job. Always begin with the end goal – don’t make the vehicle more important than the destination.

It’s a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but the majority of trainees kick-off study that often sounds wonderful in the prospectus, but which gets us a career that is of no interest. Try talking to typical university leavers for a real eye-opener.

Make sure you investigate your leanings around earning potential and career progression, and how ambitious you are. You should understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what particular qualifications they want you to have and how to develop your experience.

We recommend that students always seek guidance and advice from a professional advisor before you begin a learning path, so you’re sure from the outset that the content of a learning package provides the skills necessary.

Many people assume that the state educational system is the right way even now. So why then are commercial certificates slowly and steadily replacing it?

Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, proper accreditation from the likes of Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised – saving time and money.

Of course, a reasonable portion of relevant additional detail has to be taught, but focused specifics in the required areas gives a commercially educated student a real head start.

If an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then all it takes is an advert for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and do not vary between trainers (as academic syllabuses often do).

Many training companies will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance program, to help you into your first commercial role. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it’s easy for training companies to overplay it. At the end of the day, the need for well trained IT people in Great Britain is what will make you attractive to employers.

Help with your CV and interview techniques may be available (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). Ensure you update that dusty old CV right away – not after you’ve qualified!

Quite often, you will get your first role whilst you’re still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn’t say what you’re learning (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you don’t stand a chance!

If you’d like to get employment in your home town, then you may well find that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy might serve you better than the trainer’s recruitment division, because they’re far more likely to have insider knowledge of the jobs that are going locally.

Do ensure you don’t conscientiously work through your course materials, only to stop and imagine someone else is miraculously going to secure your first position. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Put as much resource into securing your first job as you did to gain the skills.

It’s abundantly clear: There’s pretty much no personal job security now; there’s really only industry or business security – a company will fire a solitary member of staff if it fits their commercial needs.

However, a marketplace with high growth, where staff are in constant demand (as there is a massive shortage of properly qualified professionals), enables the possibility of real job security.

Recently, a national e-Skills analysis showed that over 26 percent of computing and IT jobs cannot be filled due to a lack of properly qualified workers. This shows that for each 4 job positions in existence around Information Technology (IT), there are only 3 trained people to fill that need.

Achieving in-depth commercial IT qualification is thus a ‘Fast Track’ to achieve a long-lasting as well as gratifying living.

No better time or market conditions is ever likely to exist for getting trained into this quickly expanding and evolving business.

Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Hop over to Training Managers or www.RetrainingCourses.co.uk/vrecourse.html.

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