Good for you! As you’re looking at this you’ve doubtless been pondering on retraining for a new career – so you’ve already done more than most. Less of us than you’d think are happy and fulfilled in our work, but no action is ever taken. You could be a member of the few who make a difference in their lives.
Before we even think about any career courses, look for an advisor who can talk you through which area will be right for you. A person who will get a feel for your personality, and find out what types of work suit you:
* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Would you prefer to work with a small team or with many new people? It could be working by yourself in isolation would give you pleasure?
* The building trade and the banking industry are facing difficulties today, so it’s important to look very carefully at what sector will answer your needs?
* Once your training has been completed, would you like your new abilities to see you to retirement age?
* Do you think being qualified will give you the opportunity to find the work you’re looking for, and remain in employment until you choose to stop?
We would advise that you consider IT – it’s no secret that it’s getting bigger. IT isn’t all techie geeks gazing at their PC’s all day – naturally some IT jobs demand that, but most jobs are carried out by ordinary men and women who earn considerably more than most.
Be watchful that any qualifications you’re considering doing will be recognised by employers and are current. ‘In-house’ exams and the certificates they come with are usually worthless. Only fully recognised examinations from the top companies like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA and Cisco will open the doors to employers.
Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often be the case, on the accreditation program. You’re not training for the sake of training; this is about employment. Stay focused on what it is you want to achieve. It’s a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but the majority of trainees kick-off study that often sounds amazing from the prospectus, but which provides a job that is of no interest at all. Just ask several university graduates for a real eye-opener.
You also need to know your feelings on career development, earning potential, and if you’re ambitious or not. You need to know what the role will demand of you, what accreditations are required and where you’ll pick-up experience from. Seek help from an experienced industry professional that appreciates the market you’re interested in, and who can give you ‘A typical day in the life of’ understanding of what duties you’ll be performing with each working day. It’d be sensible to understand whether or not this is right for you long before the training program is started. After all, what is the reason in starting your training only to discover you’re on the wrong course.
Get rid of any salesperson that recommends a training program without a decent chat to assess your abilities as well as level of experience. Always check they have access to a large choice of training products so they’re able to provide you with what’s right for you. Of course, if you’ve had any relevant work-experience or certification, then you will often be able to commence studying further along than a trainee with no history to speak of. If you’re a student commencing IT study as a new venture, it can be helpful to ease in gradually, starting with user-skills and software training first. This can be built into most accreditation programs.
Often, students don’t think to check on a painfully important area – the way the company actually breaks down and delivers the training materials, and into how many separate packages. Training companies will normally offer a 2 or 3 year study programme, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you pass each exam. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts: With thought, many trainees understand that their providers typical path to completion isn’t ideal for them. It’s often the case that varying the order of study will be far more suitable. Perhaps you don’t make it at the pace they expect?
Put simply, the best option is to have their ideal ‘order’ of training laid out, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. You then have everything in case you don’t finish inside of their required time-scales.
