Computer and network support workers are more and more sought after in the United Kingdom, as businesses are becoming more reliant upon their knowledge and skills. The world’s hunger for the above mentioned people is growing at an impressive rate, as everything becomes more and more computer dependent.
Many people question why qualifications from colleges and universities are being overtaken by more commercially accredited qualifications?
With fees and living expenses for university students spiralling out of control, and the industry’s growing opinion that key company training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there’s been a great increase in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe certified training programmes that educate students for considerably less.
In a nutshell, only that which is required is learned. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle remains that students need to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) – without trying to cram in everything else (as universities often do).
In simple terms: Recognised IT certifications provide exactly what an employer needs – it says what you do in the title: as an example – I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Windows XP Administration and Configuration’. So an employer can look at their needs and what certifications are required to perform the job.
One useful service that several companies offer is a Job Placement Assistance program. This is designed to steer you into your first IT role. The fact of the matter is it isn’t a complex operation to find employment – as long as you’ve got the necessary skills and qualifications; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.
However, what is relevant is to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; also we would encourage all students to bring their CV up to date right at the beginning of their training – don’t procrastinate and leave it until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.
A good number of junior support jobs have been bagged by people who are still learning and have yet to take their exams. This will at least get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.
The most reliable organisations to help you find a job are usually independent and specialised local recruitment services. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.
Essentially, if you put as much hard work into getting a position as into training, you’re not likely to experience problems. A number of trainees strangely invest a great deal of time on their learning program and just give up once they’ve got certified and seem to expect employers to find them.
You should only consider retraining paths that grow into commercially approved accreditations. There are way too many minor schools promoting unknown ‘in-house’ certificates which are worthless when it comes to finding a job.
Only nationally recognised examinations from the major players like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco and CompTIA will be useful to a future employer.
Always expect the current Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages.
Some students can get thrown by going through practice questions that aren’t from authorised sources. Sometimes, the phraseology can be completely unlike un-authorised versions and it’s vital that you know this.
Ensure that you verify whether you’re learning enough through tests and mock ups of exams prior to taking the actual exam.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Browse around or .