Only one in ten people in this country are happy with what they do for a living. Naturally most won’t do a thing. You’ve reached this paragraph, which at a minimum indicates that change is beckoning.

It’s in your interests that in advance of taking a course of training, you chat with an expert who has knowledge of the industry and can make recommendations. The right person will be able to assess your personal likes and dislikes and assist in finding the right role for you:

* Is it your preference to work in isolation or perhaps being around others is vital for your sanity?

* What criteria are fundamental with regard to the industry you’ll work in?

* Should this be the only time you’ll have to retrain?

* Do you have the assurance that your chosen retraining will offer you employment opportunities, and offer the chance to keep you in work until your pension kicks in?

It would be an idea for you to find out more about the IT industry – there are more jobs than employees, plus it’s a rare career choice where the market sector is still growing. Despite what some people believe, IT is not full of nerdy individuals looking at screens the whole time (if you like the sound of that though, they do exist.) Most positions are filled by people like you and me who want to earn a very good living.

There is a tidal wave of change flooding technology in the near future – and this means greater innovations all the time. Technological changes and connections on the internet will dramatically affect the direction of our lives over future years; remarkably so.

Always remember that typical remuneration in IT across the UK is significantly greater than remuneration packages in other industries, which means you’ll probably gain a lot more with professional IT knowledge, than you would in most typical jobs. It’s evident that we have a considerable national need for certified IT specialists. And as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it looks like there will be for quite some time to come.

Reaching the right job option is hard enough – so which areas should we be checking out and which questions do we need to seek the answer to?

Throw out a salesperson who recommends a training program without a decent chat to assess your abilities and also your level of experience. Always check they have access to a generous product range so they’re actually equipped to give you an appropriate solution. Sometimes, the training start-point for a person with some experience can be vastly dissimilar to someone without. Starting with a basic PC skills course first is often the best way to get into your IT program, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

Many trainers provide a bunch of books and manuals. This can be very boring and not ideal for achieving retention. Years of research and study has constantly confirmed that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Interactive audio-visual materials utilising video demo’s and practice lab’s will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And they’re far more fun. Each company you’re contemplating should willingly take you through some examples of their training materials. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and many interactive sections.

Plump for CD or DVD ROM based materials where possible. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband ‘downtime’ or slow-speeds.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – ensure you track down something that provides 24×7 direct access, as anything less will frustrate you and could hamper your progress. Beware of institutions who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with the call-back coming in during standard office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and want support there and then.

We recommend that you search for training programs that have multiple support offices active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface and 24×7 access, when you need it, without any problems. Never make do with less than this. Direct-access 24×7 support is really your only option with computer-based training. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re at work while the support is live.

So, why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications rather than traditional academic qualifications obtained from the state educational establishments? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has been required to move to the specialised core-skills learning only available through the vendors themselves – that is companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. University courses, for example, often get bogged down in a lot of background study – and much too wide a syllabus. This holds a student back from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

What if you were an employer – and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What is easier: Pore through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, trying to establish what they know and which trade skills they’ve acquired, or choose a specific set of accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and then choose your interviewees based around that. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview – instead of long discussions on technical suitability.

Incorporating examinations with the course fee and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams is popular with a number of training colleges. Consider the facts:

In this day and age, we have to be a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and generally we grasp that we’re actually paying for it (it’s not a freebie because they like us so much!) Those who go in for their examinations when it’s appropriate, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They’re aware of their spending and revise more thoroughly to be ready for the task.

Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay the college in advance for exam fees? Go for the best offer when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium – and do it locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area. What’s the point in paying early for exams when you didn’t need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees – and then hoping that you won’t take them all. In addition to this, ‘Exam Guarantees’ often aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Many training companies won’t pay again for an exam until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time.

Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is short-sighted – when hard work, commitment and the right preparation via exam simulations is what will really see you through.

Getting into your first IT role can feel more straightforward if you’re offered a Job Placement Assistance program. In reality it’s not as hard as some people make out to secure the right work – once you’re trained and certified; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

However, don’t leave it until you’ve completed your exams before getting your CV updated. As soon as your training commences, enter details of your study programme and place it on jobsites! Many junior support roles have been bagged by people who are in the process of training and have still to get qualified. At the very least this will get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile. Actually, an independent and specialised local recruitment consultant or service (who will get paid commission to place you) will perform better than any centralised training company’s service. They should, of course, also be familiar with the local industry and employment needs.

Many people, it would appear, conscientiously work through their course materials (sometimes for years), only to give up at the first hurdle when attempting to secure a job. Sell yourself… Make an effort to put yourself out there. A job isn’t just going to bump into you.