| PC Support Training Online - Insights |
| Written by Jason Kendall |
| Monday, 04 January 2010 10:37 |
|
The Cisco training is intended for individuals who wish to work with routers and switches. Routers hook up computer networks over the internet or dedicated lines. We'd recommend that you should start with the CCNA. It's not advisable to launch directly into your CCNP for it's full of complexities - and you need to work up to it to have a go at this.
The Cisco training is intended for individuals who wish to work with routers and switches. Routers hook up computer networks over the internet or dedicated lines. We'd recommend that you should start with the CCNA. It's not advisable to launch directly into your CCNP for it's full of complexities - and you need to work up to it to have a go at this. Getting this certification means you'll probably end up working for large commercial ventures who have many locations, but need their computer networks to talk to each other. Alternatively, you may find yourself employed by an internet service provider. Both types of jobs command good salaries. Achieving CCNA is where you need to be aiming - don't be pushed into attempting your CCNP for now. After gaining experience in the working environment, you'll know if it's relevant for you to have this next level up. If it is, you'll have significantly improved your chances of success - because you'll know so much more by then. Make sure that all your certifications are current and also valid commercially - don't bother with programs that only give in-house certificates. Only properly recognised qualifications from the top companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco and CompTIA will have any meaning to employers. Students hoping to begin a career in computers and technology normally aren't sure what direction they should take, let alone which sector to obtain accreditation for. What is our likelihood of grasping the many facets of a particular career when we've never done it? Maybe we have never met anyone who performs the role either. To attack this, we need to discuss a number of core topics: * Your personality type as well as your interests - what kind of work-related things please or frustrate you. * Why you're looking at getting involved with computing - maybe you'd like to achieve a life-long goal like being your own boss for example. * Is salary further up on your priority-scale than other factors. * Many students don't properly consider the level of commitment involved to attain their desired level. * The level of commitment and effort you're prepared to put into your training. In actuality, you'll find the only real way to research these matters tends to be through a good talk with an experienced advisor that has years of experience in the IT industry (and specifically it's commercial needs.) If your advisor doesn't ask many questions - it's likely they're just trying to sell you something. If they push a particular product before learning about your history and current experience level, then you know it's true. With some real-world experience or qualifications, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is not the same as someone new to the industry. For students beginning IT exams and training for the first time, you might like to start out slowly, starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with any study program. A sneaky way that training providers make more money is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. This sounds impressive, but is it really: Certainly it's not free - you're still being charged for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Students who enter their exams one by one, paying for them just before taking them are much more likely to pass. They are mindful of their investment and take the necessary steps to ensure they are ready. Why should you pay the college early for examinations? Find the best deal you can at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance - and take it closer to home - rather than in some remote place. Paying in advance for examination fees (which also includes interest if you've taken out a loan) is bad financial management. Why fill a company's coffers with extra money of yours simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won't get round to taking them - so they get to keep the extra funds. It's worth noting that exam re-takes via training course providers with an 'Exam Guarantee' are tightly controlled. You'll be required to sit pre-tests to make sure they think you're going to pass. The cost of exams was about 112 pounds in the last 12 months through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don't be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more to get 'an Exam Guarantee', when any student knows that the best guarantee is consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software. |