Well Done! By landing here we guess you must be considering getting re-qualified for a new job – so you’ve already done more than most. Only one in ten of us are satisfied with our careers, but most complain but just stay there. Why not be one of a small number who make a difference in their lives.
Before we even think about specific training programs, look for an advisor who can help you sort out the right type of training for you. An advisor who will take time to get to know your personality, and find out what types of work suit you:
* Do you want to interact with other people? If so, do you like working with the same people or are you hoping to meet new people? Or are you better working in isolation?
* What elements are you looking for from the market sector you work in? (Building and banking – not so stable as they once were.)
* Is this the final time you envisage re-training, and if it is, will this new career offer that choice?
* Is it important for the course you’re re-training in to be in an area where as far as you can see your chances of gainful employment are high up to retirement age?
Think about the IT sector, that will be time well spent – it’s one of the few market sectors still on the grow in this country and overseas. Salaries are also more generous than most.
Many trainers are still using the rather old-fashioned idea of in-centre classes. Very often portrayed as a huge benefit, following a chat with most students who’ve had to attend a couple, you’ll find them listing some or all of the following problems:
* All the travelling required – multiple journeys and usually 100′s of miles each time.
* If, like many of us, you work, then weekday only events represent a difficulty in getting time off. You’re usually looking at at least 2, if not 3 days in a row.
* And let’s not forget lost vacation time. Usually we’re lucky to have four weeks vacation allowance. If half of that is used up on workshops, then it doesn’t leave much for us and our families.
* ‘In-Centre’ workshop days can ‘sell out’ fast and often end up larger than is ideal.
* The pace of the class – centre-days usually have trainees of varied aptitude, so tension can be created between those that want to go quickly as opposed to those who prefer a more relaxed pace.
* The growing costs associated with travel – driving or taking public transport to the training facility plus several days bed and breakfast can mount up each time you attend. With only 5-10 centre-days costing 35 pounds for a single over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15.00 for food, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of costs that we weren’t expecting.
* Do you really want the chance of letting yourself be side-stepped for a lift up the ladder or income boosts just because you’re retraining.
* Most of us find that, at times, it’s uncomfortable to raise questions in a class full of other trainees – who wants to look like they’re the only one who doesn’t get it?
* It should be remembered that days in-centre become basically unreachable, if you work elsewhere in the country for days at a time.
Many students discover a more flexible approach is to utilise videoed workshops wherever you want to take them – studying at your own pace, when it suits you – not anyone else.
Any time you get a problem, get onto the live 24×7 support (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) Bear in mind, if you have a laptop, you could study wherever the mood takes you.
It doesn’t matter how regularly you want to re-do a section, filmed instructors can never get frustrated with you! And remember, because of this, note-taking becomes a thing of the past. Everything’s laid out there for you.
Could it be more straightforward: No travelling, wasted time or money; and you get a much more peaceful study setting.
Don’t listen to a salesman that just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities and also your level of experience. Ensure that they have a generous range of products so they’re actually equipped to solve your training issues.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got any accreditation or direct-experience, then you can sometimes expect to begin at a different level to a trainee with no history to speak of.
Commencing with a user skills course first is often the best way to get into your computer training, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.