Train for a Microsoft IT CertificationIf you've always had an interest in computers and see yourself as a bit of a 'techie', then a career in IT could be right up your street. Becoming commercially IT trained and certified is a great career move - as the world is becoming ever more dependent on technology today. Survival would now be impossible for most businesses without the input of skilled and qualified IT personnel.
It's probably worthwhile at this point to define the difference between developer skills and office computer skills. If it's enhancing user skills that appeals to you, the type of training to look for will focus on getting the most out of the various different office programs.
The most useful applications for commerce are probably Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Publisher. The European Computer Driving Licence (or ECDL for short) teaches various computer literacy skills and is a good place to start.
It's not always easy today to know what career will be best, but it's worth remembering that IT was one of the last areas to suffer as the economy slowed down. By the same token it is classed as one of the primary movers in the build back up to growth again. Also we can confidently state that the computer industry is just about the most innovative and intriguing industry you could be involved in. Due to the progress being made in IT there are going to be enormous advances taking place globally. Computers and IT really are setting the pace - and it's all very exciting!
So Many Choices...There are a great many training program options in IT due to the large number of skills within the market. Some roles will be quite stationary with work predominantly at a PC, whereas others involve a lot more movement. Some ask for practical skills and others ask for a more cerebral mentality. There are jobs where you'll work with an internal team, and jobs where you'll work helping clients to fix their problems.
If you're a newcomer to working in the computer industry, be sure to get some good advice from an experienced advisor.
They will understand about the different job specs, and the sort of people who get on well in each of them. Learn what it would be like on a day to day basis to do the jobs that sound appealing. Treat this research as your first 'student' assignment - and talk to a number of trainers.
Getting into Networking and Support work is a sensible move as industry becomes ever more reliant on computers. Many people start their IT career doing Helpdesk work. Support work covers a multitude of different jobs, or there's work in Communications, Security, Server Admin and Networking. In addition, Systems Planning and Design work could be a good match for you.
This type of work ranges from being a technician at the local computer shop, to travelling the world doing senior support work. You could start your career solving other people's PC or network problems, and steadily progress as you build your experience and certifications to designing major security systems.
Trained and skilled technical staff are the backbone of industry and commerce. Without technical engineers and problem-solvers the commercial world as we know it would grind to a halt. The number of PC's used for commercial purposes is staggering, and it gets greater every month. As they can't operate without trained staff, computer technicians are always in demand. Could you study diagnostic techniques to analyse and solve computer problems? OK so why not take professional training in networking and become Microsoft or CompTIA certified?
Job security is one reason to make sure your training leads to accredited certifications. After a year or two in industry, the blend of experience and exams will have set you up for additional career opportunities. You'll also find you enjoy more credibility in the workplace. It's no secret that the pay for IT workers tends to be better than most. After a few short years, your skills and qualifications will give you a salary band in the mid thirty thousands.
Without doubt there are men and women who've taught themselves about how networks function, and how to deal with some hardware and software issues. The problem is, employers don't really know if their knowledge is good enough when they haven't been tested accurately.
By becoming professionally trained and qualified, a candidate can give the employer an assurance of what their competency level is.
Trained and qualified personnel are more valuable to a company. They can carry out their tasks more reliably and more quickly. Moreover a person who has trained and passed commercial exams not only demonstrates a skill level, they also demonstrate an attitude and work ethic that is very attractive to employers. At the end of the day, some companies won't employ non-qualified technical staff to deal with anything but the mundane because their insurance contracts won't allow it.