Dot on i

A very small number of men and women in the UK today are enjoying job satisfaction. Of course, most will do nothing about it. The fact that you’ve got this far surely tells us that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.

On the subject of training, it’s important to first define what you DO want and DON’T want from the job you’d like to train for. You need to know that the grass actually is greener before your energies are focused on changing the direction of your life. Prudence suggests looking at the destination you’re hoping for, to avoid disappointment:

* Do you hope for interaction with others? If you say yes, are you a team player or is meeting new people important to you? Maybe you’d rather be left alone to get on with things?

* What criteria are fundamental with regard to the industry you’ll work in?

* When you’ve done all your re-training, would you like your new abilities to get you jobs for the rest of your working life?

* Do you feel uncomfortable about the chance of finding new employment, and being in demand in the employment market to the end of your working life?

The most significant market sector in the United Kingdom that can satisfy a trainee’s demands is the computer industry, particularly IT. There is a requirement for greater numbers of qualified workers in this sector, just check out any job site and there’ll be a long list. But don’t think it’s full of techie geeks looking at their computerscreens all day long – it’s much more diverse than that. Most of the people in the industry are just like you and me, and they have very interesting and well paid jobs.

Let’s admit it: There really is no such thing as personal job security now; there’s only industry and business security – as any company can drop any single member of staff if it meets the business’ trade needs.

Security only exists now in a rapidly rising market, driven by a shortage of trained workers. These circumstances create just the right environment for a secure marketplace – a more attractive situation all round.

The 2006 British e-Skills study brought to light that over 26 percent of all IT positions available are unfilled mainly due to an appallingly low number of well-trained staff. Or, to put it differently, this clearly demonstrates that the UK only has 3 certified professionals for each 4 job positions in existence today.

Attaining proper commercial IT certification is accordingly a quick route to realise a life-long as well as enjoyable career.

It would be hard to imagine if a better time or market state of affairs could exist for getting trained into this rapidly emerging and budding industry.

The age-old way of teaching, using textbooks and whiteboards, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, look for learning programmes that are multimedia based.

Many years of research has consistently demonstrated that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

The latest audio-visual interactive programs featuring instructor demo’s and practice lab’s will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you’ll actually enjoy doing them.

All companies should be able to show you a few examples of the materials provided for study. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and many interactive sections.

Some companies only have access to just online versions of their training packages; and although this is okay the majority of the time, consider how you’ll deal with it when you don’t have access to the internet or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. A safer solution is the provision of CD and DVD ROM materials that don’t suffer from these broadband issues.

The world of information technology is amongst the most thrilling and changing industries that you can get into right now. To be working on the cutting-edge of technology is to be a part of the massive changes that will affect us all over the next generation.

There are people who believe that the revolution in technology we’ve been going through is slowing down. Nothing could be further from the truth. Terrific advances are ahead of us, and the internet in particular is going to dominate how we conduct our lives.

Should lifestyle be up there on your goal sheet, then you’ll welcome the news that the usual remuneration for IT employees in general is considerably higher than with most other jobs or industries.

The good news is there’s no easing up for IT jobs development across Britain. The market sector continues to grow hugely, and with the skills shortage of over 26 percent that we’re experiencing, it’s most unlikely that there’ll be any kind of easing off for years to come.

Make sure you don’t get caught-up, like so many people do, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; this is about employment. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

Avoid becoming one of the unfortunate masses who choose a training program that seems ‘fun’ or ‘interesting’ – only to end up with a qualification for an unrewarding career path.

Get to grips with the income level you aspire to and what level of ambition fits you. This will influence which accreditations will be expected and how much effort you’ll have to give in return.

You’d also need help from someone that can explain the market you’ve chosen, and will be able to provide ‘A typical day in the life of’ synopsis for that career-path. These things are incredibly important because you obviously have to know if this change is right for you.

(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Go to computertraining-online.co.uk or HERE.