| Good for you! As you're looking at this you've | | | | Just ask several university graduates for a real |
| doubtless been pondering on retraining for a new | | | | eye-opener. |
| career - so you've already done more than most. Less | | | | You also need to know your feelings on career |
| of us than you'd think are happy and fulfilled in our | | | | development, earning potential, and if you're ambitious |
| work, but no action is ever taken. You could be a | | | | or not. You need to know what the role will demand of |
| member of the few who make a difference in their | | | | you, what accreditations are required and where you'll |
| lives. | | | | pick-up experience from. Seek help from an |
| Before we even think about any career courses, look | | | | experienced industry professional that appreciates the |
| for an advisor who can talk you through which area | | | | market you're interested in, and who can give you 'A |
| will be right for you. A person who will get a feel for | | | | typical day in the life of' understanding of what duties |
| your personality, and find out what types of work suit | | | | you'll be performing with each working day. It'd be |
| you: | | | | sensible to understand whether or not this is right for |
| * Do you like to work collaborating with people? Would | | | | you long before the training program is started. After |
| you prefer to work with a small team or with many | | | | all, what is the reason in starting your training only to |
| new people? It could be working by yourself in isolation | | | | discover you're on the wrong course. |
| would give you pleasure? | | | | Get rid of any salesperson that recommends a training |
| * The building trade and the banking industry are facing | | | | program without a decent chat to assess your abilities |
| difficulties today, so it's important to look very carefully | | | | as well as level of experience. Always check they |
| at what sector will answer your needs? | | | | have access to a large choice of training products so |
| * Once your training has been completed, would you | | | | they're able to provide you with what's right for you. |
| like your new abilities to see you to retirement age? | | | | Of course, if you've had any relevant work-experience |
| * Do you think being qualified will give you the | | | | or certification, then you will often be able to |
| opportunity to find the work you're looking for, and | | | | commence studying further along than a trainee with |
| remain in employment until you choose to stop? | | | | no history to speak of. If you're a student commencing |
| We would advise that you consider IT - it's no secret | | | | IT study as a new venture, it can be helpful to ease in |
| that it's getting bigger. IT isn't all techie geeks gazing at | | | | gradually, starting with user-skills and software training |
| their PC's all day - naturally some IT jobs demand that, | | | | first. This can be built into most accreditation programs. |
| but most jobs are carried out by ordinary men and | | | | Often, students don't think to check on a painfully |
| women who earn considerably more than most. | | | | important area - the way the company actually breaks |
| Be watchful that any qualifications you're considering | | | | down and delivers the training materials, and into how |
| doing will be recognised by employers and are current. | | | | many separate packages. Training companies will |
| 'In-house' exams and the certificates they come with | | | | normally offer a 2 or 3 year study programme, and |
| are usually worthless. Only fully recognised | | | | deliver each piece one-by-one as you pass each |
| examinations from the top companies like Microsoft, | | | | exam. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts: |
| Adobe, CompTIA and Cisco will open the doors to | | | | With thought, many trainees understand that their |
| employers. | | | | providers typical path to completion isn't ideal for them. |
| Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often | | | | It's often the case that varying the order of study will |
| be the case, on the accreditation program. You're not | | | | be far more suitable. Perhaps you don't make it at the |
| training for the sake of training; this is about | | | | pace they expect? |
| employment. Stay focused on what it is you want to | | | | Put simply, the best option is to have their ideal 'order' |
| achieve. It's a testament to the marketing skills of the | | | | of training laid out, but make sure you have all of your |
| big companies, but the majority of trainees kick-off | | | | learning modules right from the beginning. You then |
| study that often sounds amazing from the prospectus, | | | | have everything in case you don't finish inside of their |
| but which provides a job that is of no interest at all. | | | | required time-scales. |