CompTIA Network Plus Training - Making The Right Choice (150509)

If we didn't have a constant influx of qualified network and computer support workers, commerce in the United Kingdom (as elsewhere) would inevitably be brought to its knees. There is an ever growing requirement for technicians to support both users and the systems they work with. The nation's requirement for better skilled and qualified individuals grows, as human beings become consistently more dependent upon computers in these modern times.

Making the most fitting career development choice is hard enough - so which sectors are important to investigate and which questions should we pose?

Make sure you don't get caught-up, like so many people do, on the training course itself. Training for training's sake is generally pointless; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. Begin and continue with the end in mind. It's a terrible situation, but a large percentage of students kick-off study that often sounds wonderful in the marketing materials, but which provides a job that doesn't fulfil at all. Speak to a selection of university students for examples.

You also need to know how you feel about earning potential and career progression, and if you're ambitious or not. You should understand what the role will demand of you, which exams they want you to have and how to develop your experience. All students are advised to talk with an experienced industry professional before following a particular study programme. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the commercially required skills for the career path that has been chosen.

You have to be sure that all your exams are what employers want - don't bother with programmes which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. From an employer's perspective, only the major heavyweights like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco (as an example) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

Many trainers provide a bunch of books and manuals. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and isn't the best way to go about achieving retention. Where possible, if we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Locate a program where you'll get a host of CD and DVD based materials - you'll start with videos of instructor demonstrations, followed by the chance to use virtual lab's to practice your new skills. It's imperative to see examples of the study materials provided by the company you're considering. You'll want to see that they include instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab's.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where available, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - it's not wise to be held hostage to your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

Student support is absolutely essential - locate a good company that includes 24x7 access, as anything less will not satisfy and will also impede your ability to learn. Always avoid certification programs which can only support students with a message system when it's outside of usual working hours. Colleges will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. The simple fact of the matter is - you want to be supported when you need the help - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.

We recommend that you search for providers that use several support centres around the globe in several time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to provide a single interface and also access round-the-clock, when it suits you, with the minimum of hassle. Don't accept second best where support is concerned. The majority of IT hopefuls who fall by the wayside, would have had a different experience if they'd got the right support package in the first place.

One crafty way that course providers make extra profits is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and then including an 'Exam Guarantee'. It looks impressive, until you think it through:

Everybody's aware that they're still footing the bill for it - obviously it has been inserted into the gross price invoiced by the training company. Certainly, it's not a freebie (it's just marketing companies think we'll fall for anything they say!) It's well known in the industry that if a student pays for each examination, at the time of taking them, there's a much better chance they'll pass first time - because they'll think of their investment in themselves and their application will be greater.

Don't pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you're ready, and hang on to your cash. In addition, it's then your choice where to sit the exam - so you can choose somewhere closer to home. Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when you don't need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and then cashing in when they're not all taken. The majority of organisations will require you to sit pre-tests and not allow you to re-take an exam until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - so an 'Exam Guarantee' comes with many clauses in reality.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on 'Exam Guarantees' is short-sighted - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will get you through.

Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, very visibly, beginning to replace the traditional academic paths into the industry - so why is this? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, industry has had to move to specific, honed-in training only available through the vendors themselves - that is companies like Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Academic courses, for example, often get bogged down in a lot of background study - with much too broad a syllabus. This prevents a student from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

If an employer is aware what work they need doing, then they simply need to advertise for the particular skill-set required. Commercial syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and aren't allowed to deviate (in the way that degree courses can).

At times individuals don't catch on to what information technology is doing for all of us. It is electrifying, revolutionary, and means you're working on technology that will affect us all over the next generation. We are really only just starting to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be profoundly affected by technology and the internet.

If making decent money is up there on your wish list, then you will welcome the news that the usual remuneration for IT employees in general is significantly greater than salaries in the rest of the economy. Experts agree that there's a significant UK-wide need for trained and qualified IT technicians. In addition, as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it appears this pattern will continue for the significant future.

About the Author

With 20 yrs experience, author Jason Kendall, campaigns for low-cost, quality interactive UK education. If you're interested in Network+ Certification, visit LearningLolly Comptia Network+.

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