If you’ve aspirations to be a professional web designer and have the most recognised qualification for the current working environment, you’ll need to study Adobe Dreamweaver.
For applications done commercially you’ll be expected to have a full understanding of the whole Adobe Web Creative Suite. This is including (though it’s not limited to) Action Script and Flash. If you wish to become an Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) or an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) then such knowledge is non-negotiable.
Creating a website is only the beginning of the skill set required though – in order to drive traffic to the site, maintain its content, and work on dynamic sites that are database driven, you’ll need to bolt on more programming skills, for example HTML and PHP, and database engines like MySQL. A good web designer will additionally develop an excellent grasp of Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce.
Finding your first job in the industry sometimes feels easier to handle if you’re supported with a Job Placement Assistance program. Don’t get caught up in this feature – it isn’t unusual for companies marketing departments to make too much of it. The fact of the matter is, the still growing need for IT personnel in Great Britain is the reason you’ll find a job.
Update your CV at the beginning of your training though – look to your training company for advice on how to do this. Don’t put it off for when you’re ready to start work.
It’s not uncommon to find that junior support jobs are offered to people who are still learning and have still to get qualified. At least this will get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.
The most efficient companies to help get you placed are normally specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.
Just be sure that you don’t conscientiously work through your course materials, and then just stop and imagine someone else is miraculously going to secure your first position. Get off your backside and get out there. Channel as much resource into landing your new role as it took to pass the exams.
One crafty way that training providers make more money is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. This sounds impressive, but is it really:
You’re paying for it one way or another. One thing’s for sure – it isn’t free – it’s just been rolled into the price of the whole package.
We all want to pass first time. Progressively working through your exams in order and paying as you go sees you much better placed to get through first time – you take it seriously and are conscious of what you’ve spent.
Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay a training company early for examinations? Go for the best offer at the time, rather than pay marked up fees – and do it locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area.
Considerable numbers of current training providers make huge amounts of money through charging for all the exam fees up-front and cashing in if they’re not all taken.
Many training companies will require you to do mock exams and hold you back from re-takes until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass – making an ‘exam guarantee’ just about worthless.
Exams taken at VUE and Prometric centres are in the region of 112 pounds in Great Britain. Why pay exorbitant ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (most often hidden in the package) – when the best course materials, the right level of support and commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.
Far too many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and completely avoid why you’re doing this – which is a commercial career or job. Always begin with the end goal – don’t make the vehicle more important than the destination.
Don’t let yourself become one of the unfortunate masses that choose a course that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for something they’ll never enjoy.
Be honest with yourself about how much you want to earn and what level of ambition fits you. Sometimes, this affects which particular accreditations will be expected and what you can expect to give industry in return.
Take guidance from an experienced advisor, irrespective of whether you have to pay – it’s usually much cheaper and safer to investigate at the start whether you’ve chosen correctly, rather than find out after several years of study that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and have to start from the beginning again.
Sometimes, people don’t really get what information technology means. It’s stimulating, innovative, and means you’re a part of the huge progress of technology that will affect us all over the next generation.
We’re in the very early stages of beginning to get a feel for how technology will affect our lives in the future. Computers and the web will profoundly alter how we regard and interact with the world around us over the next few years.
Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored either – the typical remuneration across the UK for the usual IT worker is much higher than in the rest of the economy. Odds are you’ll bring in a much greater package than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries.
With the IT marketplace emerging nationally and internationally, the chances are that the requirement for well trained and qualified IT technicians will flourish for quite some time to come.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Look at computer-courses-uk.co.uk or Dreamweaver Courses.