How To? Learn anything step by step!

There are four specialised areas of training in the overall A+ programme, but you’re just required to achieve pass marks in 2 for your A+ qualification. Be aware though that limiting yourself to 2 out of the 4 subjects available could expose flaws in your knowledge when applying for a job. At least learn about all four – for greater confidence in the world of work.

When you embark on the A+ training course you will learn how to work in antistatic conditions and build and fix computers. Diagnostic techniques and fault finding are also on the syllabus, as is remote access.

It could be a good idea to think about doing Network+ as it will give you the knowledge to become a networking engineer, which means greater employment benefits.

Sometimes men and women presume that the traditional school, college or university track is the right way even now. Why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it?

With the costs of academic degree’s becoming a tall order for many, and the IT sector’s recognition that accreditation-based training is often far more commercially relevant, we have seen a large rise in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA authorised training programmes that create knowledgeable employees at a fraction of the cost and time involved.

In essence, only required knowledge is taught. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but principally the objective has to be to focus on the exact skills required (alongside some required background) – without attempting to cover a bit about every other area – in the way that academic establishments often do.

What if you were an employer – and your company needed a person with some very particular skills. What is easier: Go through a mass of different academic qualifications from hopeful applicants, struggling to grasp what they’ve learned and which commercial skills have been attained, or choose a specific set of accreditations that precisely match your needs, and then choose your interviewees based around that. Your interviews are then about personal suitability – rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

It only makes sense to consider study programs that’ll move onto industry recognised exams. There are loads of small colleges suggesting unknown ‘in-house’ certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search.

To an employer, only the big-boys like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco (to give some examples) provide enough commercial weight. Anything less just doesn’t cut the mustard.

Don’t forget: the training program or a certification isn’t the end-goal; a job that you’re getting the training for is. A lot of colleges seem to put too much weight in the certificate itself.

It’s not unheard of, in many cases, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a tiresome job role, as a consequence of not performing the correct research when it was needed – at the start.

You’ll want to understand the expectations of your industry. Which accreditations you’ll need and in what way you can gain some industry experience. You should also spend a little time considering how far you reckon you’re going to want to build your skill-set as it will force you to choose a particular set of certifications.

We’d recommend you take guidance from an experienced industry professional before settling on a learning course, so you’re sure from the outset that the specific package will give the skills necessary.

Several companies will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance service, to assist your search for your first position. In reality it’s not as hard as some people make out to find employment – once you’re trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don’t delay till the exams have actually been passed.

It’s not unusual to find that you’ll land your first position whilst still on the course (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn’t show your latest training profile (and it isn’t in the hands of someone with jobs to offer) then you won’t even be considered!

The most efficient companies to help get you placed are normally specialist locally based employment services. As they will get paid by the employer when they’ve placed you, they have more incentive to get on with it.

Essentially, if you put the same amount of effort into securing your first job as into training, you won’t find it too challenging. Some trainees inexplicably spend hundreds of hours on their learning program and then call a halt once they’ve got certified and seem to expect employers to find them.

(C) Scott Edwards 2010. Navigate to Comptia Certification or www.WebDesignCourse4UK.co.uk.