by Jason Kendall
If your dream is to become a great web designer with relevant qualifications for the job market today, your must-have certification is Adobe Dreamweaver. For applications in the commercial world it’s important to have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the whole Adobe Web Creative Suite. This is including (though it’s not limited to) Flash and Action Script. Should you desire to become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) or Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) you’ll find these skills are vital.
The construction of the website is merely a fraction of what you’ll need - in order to drive traffic, update content, and work on dynamic sites that are database driven, you will need further programming skills, for example HTML, PHP and MySQL. In addition, you should have a practical knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce.
Discovering job security nowadays is very unusual. Companies will remove us out of the workplace with very little notice - whenever it suits. In actuality, security now only emerges in a rapidly escalating market, fuelled by a shortfall of trained staff. It’s this alone that creates the correct setting for a secure market - a far better situation.
The computer industry skills shortage in the United Kingdom currently stands at approx 26 percent, as noted by the most recent e-Skills investigation. That means for each 4 job positions available in Information Technology (IT), there are barely three qualified workers to fill that need. Achieving in-depth commercial IT qualification is consequently a ‘Fast Track’ to realise a continuing as well as satisfying line of work. Actually, retraining in Information Technology over the next year or two is very likely the safest career choice you could ever make.
Reaching a sensible career development option is fraught with stress - so which sectors are important to investigate and what questions do we need to be seeking the answers to?
A capable and practiced consultant (as opposed to a salesman) will want to thoroughly discuss your current situation. This is paramount to understanding your study start-point. Remember, if you’ve had any relevant work-experience or certification, then you may be able to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone new to the industry. Starting with a foundation program first will sometimes be the most effective way to commence your computer studies, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.
Some training providers will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Beware of institutions that use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems - where you’ll get called back during normal office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and need help now.
The very best programs offer an internet-based 24 hours-a-day service utilising a variety of support centres over many time-zones. You’ll have a simple environment that accesses the most appropriate office any time of the day or night: Support available as-and-when you want it. Always choose a training company that cares. As only live 24×7 round-the-clock support truly delivers for technical programs.
It’s likely that you’ve always enjoyed practical work - the ‘hands-on’ personality type. Usually, the trial of reading reference books and manuals is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it’s not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if book-based learning really isn’t your style. If we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, our results will often be quite spectacular.
Study programs now come in the form of CD and DVD ROM’s, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Through video streaming, you can watch instructors demonstrating how to do something, with some practice time to follow - via the interactive virtual lab’s. Any company that you’re considering must be able to demonstrate a few samples of the type of training materials they provide. You should hope for instructor-led videos and interactive areas to practice in.
Seek out CD or DVD ROM based materials wherever available. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.
Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, very visibly, starting to replace the traditional routes into IT - why then is this happening? With the costs of academic degree’s climbing ever higher, plus the industry’s increasing awareness that key company training often has more relevance in the commercial field, we have seen a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA authorised training courses that provide key skills to an employee at a fraction of the cost and time involved. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle objective is to master the precisely demanded skill-sets (including a degree of required background) - without overdoing the detail in everything else - in the way that academic establishments often do.
It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they’re assured that a potential employee can do exactly what’s required.
It’s essential to have the current Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) authorised exam preparation and simulation materials. Because the majority of examination boards in IT tend to be American, you need to become familiar with their phraseology. It’s no use merely answering any old technical questions - they need to be in the proper exam format. Clearly, it’s very crucial to be confident that you’re completely ready for the real exam before embarking on it. Revising mock-up tests will help to boost your attitude and helps to avoid thwarted exam entries.
One feature that many training companies provide is a programme of Job Placement assistance. The service is put in place to steer you into your first IT role. But don’t place too much emphasis on it - it isn’t unusual for their marketing department to overplay it. The fact of the matter is, the huge shortage of staff in Great Britain is what will enable you to get a job.
Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV should be offered (if it isn’t, consult one of our sites). It’s essential that you work on your old CV today - don’t wait until you’ve finished your exams! You may not have got to the stage where you’ve qualified when you will get your initial junior support role; but this isn’t going to happen if your CV isn’t in front of employers. If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you’ll often find that an independent and specialised local employment service might be more appropriate than a centralised service, as they’re far more likely to be familiar with local employment needs.
A big frustration of many training course providers is how much trainees are focused on studying to pass exams, but how un-prepared that student is to get the role they have qualified for. Have confidence - the IT industry needs YOU.
