If Cisco training is your aspiration, but you’ve not yet worked with routers or network switches, you should first attempt the Cisco CCNA qualification. This teaches you the knowledge you need to understand routers. The world wide web is built up of many routers, and big organisations with many locations also rely on them to allow their networks of computers to communicate.
As routers are connected to networks, seek out training that features the basics on networks (such as CompTIA Network+ and A+) and then do a CCNA course. It’s vital that you’ve got this background understanding on networks prior to starting your Cisco training or you’ll probably struggle. When you’ve qualified and are on the job market, you’ll benefit from having a good knowledge of networks to complement your CCNA.
The CCNA qualification is the right level to aim for; don’t let some salesperson talk you into starting with the CCNP. With experience, you’ll find out if this level is required. Should that be the case, you’ll have the knowledge you need for the CCNP – which is quite a hard qualification to acquire – and mustn’t be entered into casually.
Some training companies are still using a now out-dated method of training – classroom days. Usually touted as a major benefit, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, you’ll find them listing some or all of these:
* Constant travelling to and from the centre – often very long trips.
* If you’re working, then Monday to Friday workshops cause problems at work. Typically you are facing 2-3 days at a time as well.
* Let’s not disregard lost holiday time. Often, we get 4 weeks annual leave. If half is given up to classes, then we aren’t going to be doing much vacationing.
* Classes usually become quickly full, leaving us with the ’2nd best’ solution.
* You may prefer to move at a somewhat more suitable pace – rather than be dictated to by the rest of the class. Sometimes this causes a lot of tension amongst the class.
* The growing costs associated with travel – driving or taking public transport to the training centre plus several days bed and breakfast can cost a lot each time you attend. With only an average of 5 to 10 workshops costing around 35 pounds for one over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15.00 for food, that becomes a minimum of four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs that we now have to fund.
* Most students want their training to remain private thus avoiding all come-back in their work.
* Who amongst us hasn’t avoided putting our hand’s up, because we wanted to look smarter?
* Don’t forget, workshops are pretty much impossible to attend, where you work or live away for days at a time.
Why don’t you simply watch and study with industry specialists one-on-one through videoed modules, working on them at a time that’s convenient for you and you alone. You can study from home on your desktop PC or why not in the garden on a laptop. Any questions that pop up, just utilise the 24×7 Support (that should come with any technical program.) You don’t have to worry about any note-taking – all the lessons and background info are laid out on a plate. If you need to cover something again, just go for it. While this won’t take away every little difficulty, it unquestionably reduces stress and eases things. You also have reduced travel, hassle and costs.
Frequently, your average person doesn’t have a clue where to start with a computing career, let alone what market to focus their retraining program on. Consequently, if you’ve got no understanding of IT in the workplace, how are you equipped to know what someone in a particular field fills their day with? Let alone decide on which training route provides the best chances for a successful result. Contemplation on many factors is required if you need to get to a solution that suits you:
* What hobbies you have and enjoy – these often define what things will give you the most reward.
* Are you aiming to realise a specific aim – like working from home as quickly as possible?
* What salary and timescale requirements that are important to you?
* With so many ways to train in Information Technology – you’ll need to achieve some background information on what sets them apart.
* Taking a good look at how much time and effort you can give.
The best way to avoid the barrage of jargon, and uncover the best path to success, have an in-depth discussion with an industry expert and advisor; an individual that will cover the commercial realities and truth and of course all the qualifications.
Many students assume that the school and FE college track is the way they should go. Why then are commercially accredited qualifications beginning to overtake it? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, industry has had to move to specialist courses that can only be obtained from the actual vendors – that is companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. Often this saves time and money for the student. Clearly, a reasonable amount of associated detail must be learned, but precise specialisation in the areas needed gives a vendor trained person a huge edge.
Imagine if you were an employer – and you required somebody who had very specific skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from several applicants, trying to establish what they know and what commercial skills have been attained, or choose a specific set of accreditations that specifically match what you’re looking for, 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 – instead of long discussions on technical suitability.
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