If you’re thinking about studying a course to qualify for an MCSE, it’s probable that you fall into one of the following categories. You may want to enter the computer sector, and you’ve found the IT industry has a great need for qualified people. On the other hand you may be an IT professional attempting to gain accreditation with the MCSE qualification.
Be sure you check that your provider is definitely teaching with the latest Microsoft level. Many students have come unstuck when they realise they’ve been learning from an out-of-date syllabus which will require an up-date. Watch out for training colleges who’re simply out to sell something. Realise that buying a course for an MCSE is much like purchasing a vehicle. They are not all equal; some are comfortable and reliable, whilst others will constantly let you down. A good company will spend time understanding your needs to make sure a course is right for you. With those who have confidence in their programs, you’ll be able to see a sample of what you’re getting before buying anything.
So if the IT industry provides such an array of extraordinary career prospects for us all – then what kind of questions should we be raising and which areas are most important?
If an advisor doesn’t dig around with lots of question – it’s likely they’re really a salesperson. If they wade straight in with a specific product before getting to know your background and current experience level, then it’s definitely the case. If you’ve got a strong background, or maybe some live experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it’s likely your starting point will vary from a trainee who has no experience. If you’re a new trainee embarking on IT studies anew, it can be useful to start out slowly, kicking off with some basic PC skills training first. This can be built into any study program.
Student support is absolutely essential – locate a good company that includes 24×7 access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely impede your ability to learn. Avoid those companies that use call-centres ‘out-of-hours’ – with your call-back scheduled for standard office hours. This is useless when you’re stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
The most successful trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres active in different time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, irrespective of the time you login, help is at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems. Don’t compromise when it comes to your support. Most would-be IT professionals who can’t get going properly, are in that situation because of a lack of support.
Students who consider this area of study often have a very practical outlook on work, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you identify with this, use multimedia, interactive learning, where you can learn everything on-screen. Many years of research has constantly verified that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.
Interactive full motion video with demonstrations and practice sessions will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. You must ensure that you see the type of training provided by each company you’re contemplating. You’ll want to see that they include full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.
Plump for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media every time. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband ‘downtime’ or slow-speeds.
Quite often, students have issues with a single training area very rarely considered: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being delivered to your home. Training companies will normally offer some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you complete each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: Maybe the order of study offered by the provider doesn’t suit. It may be difficult to get through all the modules inside their defined time-scales?
In a perfect world, you want ALL the study materials up-front – giving you them all to come back to in the future – as and when you want. This allows a variation in the order that you complete each objective where a more intuitive path can be found.
One interesting way that course providers make extra profits is via an ‘exam inclusive’ package and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. It looks like a good deal, but let’s just examine it more closely:
You’re paying for it ultimately. It’s definitely not free – they’ve just worked it into the package price. Qualifying on the first ‘go’ is what everyone wants to do. Entering examinations one by one and funding them one at a time makes it far more likely you’ll pass first time – you put the effort in and are aware of the costs involved.
Shouldn’t you be looking to go for the best offer at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by a training company, and to take it closer to home – rather than possibly hours away from your area? Buying a course that includes payments for examination fees (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is madness. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with additional funds just to give them more interest! A lot bank on the fact that you won’t get round to taking them – so they get to keep the extra funds. It’s worth noting, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ – the company decides when you can re-take the exam. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.
With average Prometric and VUE tests costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, the most cost-effective way to cover the cost is by paying when you need them. Not to fork out thousands extra in up-front costs. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
Finding your first job in the industry sometimes feels easier to handle with the help of a Job Placement Assistance program. Often, people are too impressed with this facility, as it is actually not that hard for well qualified and focused men and women to land work in IT – because companies everywhere are seeking trained staff.
CV and Interview advice and support may be available (if it isn’t, consult one of our sites). It’s essential that you work on your old CV right away – not when you’re ready to start work! You might not even have got to the exam time when you will get your initial junior support position; however this is not possible unless you’ve posted your CV on job sites. If it’s important to you to find work near your home, then you may well find that a specialist locally based employment agency may be of more use than some national concern, for they’re far more likely to be familiar with local employment needs.
Many men and women, apparently, are prepared to study their hearts out (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of looking for their first job. Introduce yourself… Make an effort to let employers know about you. Good jobs don’t just knock on your door.
At times people don’t comprehend what information technology is all about. It is stimulating, innovative, and means you’re a part of the huge progress of technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. Technology, computers and interaction on the internet is going to dramatically shape our lifestyles over future years; remarkably so.
Should lifestyle be way up on your goal sheet, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the average salary for the majority of IT staff is considerably greater than salaries in much of the rest of industry. As the IT industry keeps growing at an unprecedented rate, it’s predictable that the search for certified IT specialists will flourish for decades to come.