CompTIA Training Providers – Thoughts
There are actually 4 different sectors in the full CompTIA A+ syllabus, of which 2 passes are needed for your A+ qualification. However only learning about 2 of the specialised areas might well not equip you for a job. Try to cover all four – for greater confidence in the world of work.
In addition to learning how to build and fix computers, students on A+ courses will have instruction on how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.
You may also want to think about adding the CompTIA Network+ training as it will enable you to take care of computer networks, which is where the bigger salaries are.
How the program is actually delivered to you isn\’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what sequence and what control do you have at what pace it arrives?
Many think it logical (with a typical time scale of 1-3 years for a full commercial certification,) for many training providers to send out the courseware in stages, as you pass each element. However:
How would they react if you didn\’t complete each section within the time limits imposed? And maybe you\’ll find their order of completion doesn\’t work as well as some other structure would for you.
To be in the best situation you would have all the training materials packed off to you immediately; the whole caboodle! This prevents any future issues from rising that will affect the reaching of your goals.
We\’re often asked why qualifications from colleges and universities are being replaced by more qualifications from the commercial sector?
Vendor-based training (in industry terminology) is most often much more specialised. Industry is aware that this level of specialised understanding is vital to meet the requirements of an increasingly more technical workplace. Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA dominate in this arena.
Many degrees, for instance, often get bogged down in too much background study – with a syllabus that\’s far too wide. Students are then held back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.
Put yourself in the employer\’s position – and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Go through a mass of different academic qualifications from hopeful applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which vocational skills they\’ve mastered, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that precisely match your needs, and then select who you want to interview from that. You\’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview – rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.
A service offered by some training providers is a Job Placement Assistance program. It\’s intention is to help you find your first job in the industry. However sometimes there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, for it is genuinely quite straightforward for any focused and well taught person to get a job in the IT industry – because there\’s a great need for qualified personnel.
One important thing though, don\’t wait till you have passed your final exams before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start a course, list what you\’re working on and get promoting!
A good number of junior support jobs have been offered to students who are still studying and haven\’t got any qualifications yet. This will at least get you into the \’maybe\’ pile of CV\’s – rather than the \’No\’ pile.
If you\’d like to get employment in your home town, then you may well find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy can generally serve you better than the trainer\’s recruitment division, due to the fact that they\’re far more likely to know the jobs that are going locally.
Please be sure that you don\’t conscientiously work through your course materials, and then just stop and leave it up to everyone else to find you a job. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Put as much energy and enthusiasm into landing your new role as you did to get trained.
Trainees looking at this market can be very practical by nature, and don\’t really enjoy classrooms, and poring through books and manuals. If you\’re thinking this sounds like you, use multimedia, interactive learning, where everything is presented via full motion video.
Studies have time and time again verified that connecting physically with our study, is much more conducive to long-term memory.
Start a study-program in which you\’re provided with an array of CD and DVD based materials – you\’ll start with videos of instructor demonstrations, with the facility to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions.
It would be silly not to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign on the dotted line. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive modules with audio-visual elements.
It doesn\’t make sense to opt for on-line only training. Because of the variable quality and reliability of most broadband providers, you should always obtain CD or DVD ROM based materials.
(C) Jason Kendall. Look at LearningLolly.com for smart career advice. Computer Training Course or Comptia Training Courses.