Just ten percent of adults in Great Britain are happy with what they do for a living. Of course, most will take no action. The fact that you’re reading this surely suggests that you’ve realised change must come.

We’d recommend that prior to beginning any individual training program, you discuss your plans with a person who can see the bigger picture and can make recommendations. They can look at aspects of your personality and give you guidance on the right role for you:

* Do you hope for interaction with others? If so, do you like working with the same people or are you more comfortable dealing with strangers? Alternatively, do you like to deal with your responsibilities alone?

* Have you given much thought to which area you choose to work in? (In this economy, it’s even more crucial to get it right.)

* How long a career do you hope to have once retrained, and will the market sector offer you that opportunity?

* Would you like your training course to be in an area where you believe you’ll remain employable until your pension kicks in?

We ask you to have a good look at Information Technology – there are a larger number of jobs than people to do them, and it’s a rare career choice where the industry is on the grow. Despite what some people believe, IT isn’t all techie people gazing at their computer screens the whole day (though naturally some jobs are like that.) The vast majority of roles are occupied by ordinary people who want to earn a very good living.

In amongst the top nominees for the biggest single let-down across all IT training is a requirement to attend multiple workshop days. Many certification companies push the so-called ‘benefits’ of these classes, usually though, they end up as a burden to be carried because of:

* Lots of round journeys – often hundreds of miles each and every time.

* Workshop accessibility; frequently Monday to Friday and sometimes 2-3 days at a time. It’s never convenient to take the required days away from work.

* If we get 20 days holiday per year, sacrificing half of them for training events means we’ll be hard-pushed to get a holiday with our families.

* Training events fill up fast and can be very crammed in.

* Some trainees lean towards a pace that is different to the other class members. Often this can bring about tension in the class.

* Let’s not disregard the added expense of driving or bed and breakfast for the night either. This may well run to many hundreds of pounds more – sometimes thousands. Take some time to add it all up – it’ll shock and surprise you.

* A lot of trainees want their training to remain private thus avoiding all come-back in their work.

* Posing questions in front of other class-mates will often make any one of us feel nervous. Have you ever left a question un-asked just because you didn’t want to look foolish?

* For students working away from home occasionally, you face the added difficulty that events are now difficult to get to – but unfortunately, the fees were paid along with everything else at the start.

Doesn’t it make a lot more sense to learn when it’s convenient for you – not the company – and exploit videos of instructors with interactive virtual-lab’s.

Think… If you’ve got a notebook PC you have the ability to learn in any location you choose. And 24×7 support is an online click away if you hit challenges.

It really doesn’t matter how often you would like to re-take a quiz or test, on-screen teachers can never get frustrated with you! And don’t forget, with this method, note-taking is gone forever. Everything is already there for you.

Even though this can’t completely stop every single problem, it definitely makes things easier, simpler and less stressful. Plus you’ve got less hassle, costs and travel.

Potential Students hoping to begin an IT career often have no idea of which route is best, or what area to build their qualifications around.

How can we possibly grasp the tasks faced daily in an IT career when we’ve never done it? Maybe we don’t know someone who works in that sector anyway.

Generally, the way to deal with this question appropriately flows from an in-depth talk over several different topics:

* Which type of person you consider yourself to be – what kind of jobs you really enjoy, plus of course – what you definitely don’t enjoy.

* Are you aiming to pull off a specific aim – for instance, working from home as quickly as possible?

* How highly do you rate salary – is an increase your main motivator, or is day-to-day enjoyment a lot higher on your priority-list?

* Considering the huge variation that computing covers, it’s a requirement that you can understand how they differ.

* Having a serious look at the level of commitment, time and effort that you’re going to put into it.

For the average person, getting to the bottom of each of these concepts tends to require the help of a professional who can explain things properly. And we don’t just mean the qualifications – but also the commercial requirements and expectations also.

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With an abundance of IT courses to be had, it can be difficult to find the right one. Find one that’s on a par with your character and abilities, and that’s in demand in the working environment.

The courses range from Microsoft User Skills up to career training for Databases, Programming, Networking and Web Design. There’s a lot to choose from and so the chances are you’ll want to chat to an experienced advisor prior to deciding which way to go: you don’t want to get on the wrong course for a job you’d actually hate!

Today, there are many user-friendly and accessibly priced options available that will give you everything you need.

Does job security really exist anywhere now? Here in the UK, with industry changing its mind on a day-to-day basis, there doesn’t seem much chance.

It’s possible though to hit upon market-level security, by looking for areas of high demand, together with a lack of qualified workers.

Looking at the Information Technology (IT) industry, a recent e-Skills study brought to light an over 26 percent shortfall of skilled workers. This shows that for every 4 jobs existing across computing, there are only 3 trained people to perform that task.

This one idea alone shows why the United Kingdom urgently requires a lot more workers to get trained and enter the Information Technology market.

Without a doubt, this really is a fabulous time to join Information Technology (IT).

You’ll come across courses which guarantee examination passes – this always means you have to pay for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. But before you get taken in by guaranteed exams, be aware of the facts:

Everyone knows they’re still paying for it – it’s not so hard to see that it’s been inserted into the gross price invoiced by the training company. It’s definitely not free – and it’s insulting that we’re supposed to think it is!

The honest truth is that if students pay for each examination, at the time of taking them, they’ll be in a better position to pass every time – because they’re aware of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Does it really add up to pay your training college in advance for exam fees? Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance – and sit exams more locally – not at somewhere of their bidding.

A lot of questionable training course providers secure huge profits by charging for examinations upfront and hoping that you won’t take them all.

Also, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. The majority of organisations won’t pay again for an exam until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.

With average Prometric and VUE exams coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, by far the best option is to pay for them as you take them. Not to fork out thousands extra in up-front costs. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

Don’t accept anything less than an accredited exam preparation programme included in your course.

Often students can find themselves confused by trying to prepare themselves with questions that aren’t recognised by the authorised examining boards. Often, the question formats and phraseology is unfamiliar and you should be prepared for this.

Be sure to have some simulated exam questions that will allow you to check your comprehension at all times. Simulations of exams add to your knowledge bank – then you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

So, why should we consider qualifications from the commercial sector instead of more traditional academic qualifications taught at tech’ colleges and universities?

With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs spiralling out of control, alongside the industry’s growing opinion that corporate based study often has more relevance in the commercial field, there’s been a dramatic increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA authorised training routes that create knowledgeable employees for considerably less.

Patently, an appropriate amount of background knowledge has to be learned, but focused specialised knowledge in the exact job role gives a vendor trained student a massive advantage.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty: Recognised IT certifications provide exactly what an employer needs – it says what you do in the title: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. Consequently companies can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

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We all know people who appear to breeze through life, happily moving from one triumph to the next. On the other hand, we know others who never quite make it, and always have an answer why life has dealt them a hard blow. Society is made up of victors and victims, and the difference can very often be boiled down to one key factor – attitude.

When moving in a new career direction, it’s essential to learn the habits of the victor to achieve a successful outcome. The victims attempt actions in a timid manner, hoping for good things, but never really believing they’re worthy of great things. Victors commit mentally to a successful outcome, and back their actions with emotion.

Imagine two tennis players who’re about to play for a championship. The first says “It’s my final chance – I’ll give it my best shot,” but the second says “Winning is my destiny.” Guess who’ll win the tournament? They may both put in the same practice hours, but the victor spends more time on his mental training to win.

We can define the victor by the word OAR (Ownership, Accountability and Responsibility) – a figure paddling towards success. The victim is defined by the word BED (Blame, Excuses and Denial) – one who stays in bed and gives up.

The victor doesn’t expect someone else to lead the way – and takes ownership of his or her tasks. He’s liable for his actions, and so takes them seriously (seeing things through by tackling problems not creating them). He takes responsibility for the results of his actions, and doesn’t allow excuses from himself.

In the victim’s eyes, there’s always a reason why he’s not achieving, and it’s rarely to do with himself. It’s always someone else’s fault – he feels out of control so justifies it by blaming someone else. He makes excuses for his lack of performance, but the only person he’s convincing is himself. With this continual pattern of blame and excuses, the victim lives a life of complete denial, convinced that there’s absolutely nothing he can do about his situation.

To stack the odds in their favour, a mental work-out may be needed for some students approaching a life-changing training program. Anyone who’s a fully paid up member of the victim society must address their issues before they get going, to fully embrace the potential in front of them.

Both sets of attitudes are just habits, and with constant repetition, habits can be changed. Listen to the voice inside your head – if it sounds like a victim, then stop it and verbalise why you can achieve. No one is any better than you – some have just fought their demons and emerged victorious.

As Churchill said, “There is no such thing as a hero, only those who rise to the occasion.” In learning as in life, we need to have the attitude of a winner in order to become a winner.

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Am I professing that IT training and careers within IT are the be-all and end-all of futures on this planet? God forbid, no. Where would we all be without the highly paid football stars who entertain us so well on a week by week basis? But there has to be a reason why increasing numbers of people are studying for careers within the IT industry.

An interesting development has been the increase in IT training for those people who are seeking a career change or an enhancement to their existing skill sets. In reviewing this, I’m curious as to why IT continues to offer the attraction, and is this option really viable?

Whilst we all accept that in relationships, people and key elements can change. A boyfriend or girlfriend at the age of 10 is often considered a cute thing, but not expected to last. Relationships at the age of 18-20 are often less transient, but again have a higher rate of short-term lifespan than others later in life.

Equally we ask our young people to plan and make decisions as to their working career fairly early on in life, and yet historically there seems to be an inherent resistance to change as times goes on. If we accept that life changes, and we also accept that circumstances also change, then isn’t it prudent for us to accept that career paths should and could change?

The ongoing dependence of today’s society on IT, and factors related to IT, means that many people assume a career in this industry would be well paid and reliable, (based on simple economics of supply and demand). A lot see a direct correlation of how they utilise IT systems in a social environment (such as playing games and social interaction on the internet e.g. facebook etc.) and transfer that into a career. Could this genuinely lead to a career within IT, and what factors would be necessary for a successful career?

A key element in answering this, I believe, is an understanding that a career in IT is as dependent on factors such as a client base (if self-employed,) or an employer and economic issues, as any other career path. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that professional people within the IT industry can move between employers and industry sectors more freely. This is due to the wide dependence on IT services across both geographic and industry models.

One of the key elements here is the term ‘Professional IT People’. Just as in any other industry, employers consistently seek human resources where skills can be proven by both experience and an approved benchmark. This applies whether that is a degree, or a recognised apprenticeship that leads to an industry standard qualification, such as plumber and electrician.

The IT industry is no different. Just because many people have access to a computer at home, and can experience many factors of the IT industry in a refined environment, this is in many cases vastly different from the skills and resources required in the commercial sector. I’m sure we’d all agree that spending four hours a night playing games or surfing the internet doesn’t make us a qualified games designer, or a qualified webmaster.

Within the IT field, professional qualifications such as MCSE or MCSA are immediately recognisable as an industry standard. Employers know they can rely upon the skills offered, and as such there’s a reduced risk of breach of commercial insurance policies for work and services provided by such people. This applies whether they are self-employed or directly employed.

Anybody seriously thinking about a future in this field must look at how best to position themselves to become interesting to an employer – and clearly having a professional qualification will go a long way towards this. It’s the employer or client who pays the salary, so we should at least be aware of what they’re seeking in recruitment or engagement.

Data exists in abundance to support the view that the growth in the IT sector is more resilient and faster than many other industry sectors. We’re experiencing a transitional shift in industry sectors, from the first world through to the third world. The rate at which many growing or ‘tiger’ economies are embracing and adapting to long standing IT systems is very fast indeed.

Up to now in this article we’ve looked at the trends, which with the slow down and in some cases demise of traditional industry (and therefore traditional job-for-life expectancies), there will be an increasing propensity towards several jobs and career paths over our lifetime.

Furthermore we’ve noted that the IT industry remains consistently attractive as it provides both consistencies in supply and demand, across industry sectors and across geographical boundaries. Current forecasts also predict the increasing long-term reliance on IT systems overall, and the professional people that develop, utilise and maintain those systems remain integral to many organisations long-term requirements.

Expectations for salaries continue to be high within this field, and plenty of evidence suggests that this is achievable. However, it is worth noting that the top-people get paid the top-money in many other industries. It’s not good enough to simply ‘be there’ and does not guarantee the top-money.

We have also put forward the case that employers review recruitment for IT skills as no different to any other facet of their business, and they expect the individuals to formally demonstrate their skills and qualifications, in exactly the same way as they expect their electricians and accountants to be professionally qualified to do the work they’re employed to do.

I believe that there is considerable evidence to promote a career within the IT industry as a strong and viable option to many people within today’s economic and social climate. High salaries are definitely achievable. Yet it’s equally clear and, to be fair, common sense to expect to have to achieve a recognisable professional IT qualification to be able to clearly demonstrate one’s own ability, and at the very least the attitude that you are serious about this career path and that your prospective employer can rely on you in the commercial field.

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Long term studies recently indicated that the average cost of bringing up a child in the UK amounted to 193,000 pounds in total – equating to approximately 26-28 pounds per day. The news was greeted with a swathe of cynical retorts from long suffering parents almost unified in their total lack of surprise.

Many people are now weighing up the current recession and its effect on traditional education systems. Consistent reference is being made to the strategies to survive adopted by parents, educators and students in the recession of the 1990’s.

Analysis suggests that the money spent on education and schooling overall could on average be up to 40 percent of the entire household disposable income. With the hardening attitude towards mortgage allocation and bank lending, this figure could increase as young people stay with their parents for longer and extend their education programs – almost as a by product of something to do until things start to get better.

With an ever increasing family focus on the cost of living, alongside many companies cutting back on training and development programs – it is pointless spending money on training when you do not know for certain that the person will not be made redundant – it is small wonder that many people are now reviewing their method of personal development and the subject matter that they study in.

Banking, public services and the like have historically been considered long term stable employers and attracted people in accordance with that. Over the last ten or so years this has been largely superseded by the perception of positions on offer within the IT industry.

Training in the motor industry or engineering demands that key skills often have to be gained in a practical environment. By contrast, IT training can be predominantly home-based. It would be impossible to transport a complete car production line into the home, yet computer based training is easily at hand. Enhancements in the intellectual property field such as IT have grown exponentially as a result of this and the continued progression in the way the skills are learnt and taught.

Remote access 24/7 to highly skilled lecturers is available due to the utilisation of new training methodologies. This adds weight to the strategy and the final results are qualifications in a field that’s widely sought after on an international level. Add to that easily quantified salary and career structures, and it’s little wonder that IT training is attracting so much attention.

With many people unsure of their future, whether early on in their career or mid way through life, home based training in subjects such as IT can often be seen as a superb, low cost, easy paced development program; gaining skills that are easily accepted anywhere in the world and highly resilient in a changeable economic environment.

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Dividing up the different stages of learning can be very useful when we’re working out where we are and how far we can go. It can be a little frightening to look at the big goal – maybe professional web designer with many clients who rely on our expertise, when we’re still having difficulty remembering the names of the software we’ll be using to learn!

Let’s look at four different levels of understanding. Whenever we take on anything new, we all experience these stages, and recognising them helps us to evaluate ourselves and our progress.

1. Unconscious Incompetent, 2. Conscious Incompetent, 3. Conscious Competent, 4. Unconscious Competent

Career changers frequently begin at stage one – Unconscious Incompetent. We know we want to change at this stage, but we don’t yet know what we don’t know, what we need to know, how to learn it or where it might lead us! It sounds pretty desperate, but knowing we want to change is the important thing – we can be taught everything else .

The essential thing is to get advice. By talking things through with an experienced advisor, the stage one person can discover what’s involved in the process; find out where they want to go and what they need to learn.

Conscious Incompetent – this is stage two. Now we’re probably at the start of our training course. Having been taught the various options, we’ve chosen our career path, and we know what we have to learn – or to put it another way, we’re conscious of what we don’t yet know, or what incompetences we currently have.

It’s important to comprehend this, and have the wisdom of knowing where we are. If we understand conscious incompetence, we won’t get so frustrated in our early stages of learning – we’re maybe not very good at it (particularly if it’s been a while since school…) but we do know we’ll get better. This process is accelerated with modern interactive training, so we don’t have to stay at this stage for very long.

Stage three is Conscious Competent. We’re in the flow of the learning environment, and are picking things up much faster. We still have to consciously think about what we’re doing all the time, but we’re able to learn competently. We’ll probably complete our studies and successfully pass our exams whilst in this learning stage, which is likely to also extend into our working life too.

Remember when we learned to drive a car? We’d got to conscious competency by test time – good enough to pass the exam but still consciously aware of every manoeuvre. It wasn’t until we gained more experience to consolidate the knowledge that we moved into stage four.

In the computer world, before we become Unconsciously Competent we’ll most likely be several years into our working experience. At that stage, we know what we need to know, and no longer have to consciously think about why we do something. Although school’s never out for the pro, (and the joy in IT is there’s always more to learn) getting to this lofty height of understanding makes all the hard work worth it.

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