Golden Lyre

If Cisco training is your aspiration, and you\’ve not yet worked with routers or network switches, you should first attempt CCNA certification. This will provide you with knowledge and skills to work with routers. The internet is made up of hundreds of thousands of routers, and large commercial ventures with many locations also need routers to allow their networks to keep in touch.

The kind of jobs requiring this knowledge mean the chances are you\’ll work for national or international companies that are spread out geographically but need their computer networks to talk to each other. Or, you may move on to joining an internet service provider. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

You should get a bespoke training program that will take you through a specific training path to make sure you have the correct skill set and knowledge prior to getting going with Cisco.

One thing you must always insist on is 24×7 round-the-clock support with trained professional instructors and mentors. Too many companies only seem to want to help while they\’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.

Never buy certification programs which can only support trainees through a message system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don\’t need this. The bottom line is – support is required when it\’s required – not when it\’s convenient for them.

The very best programs opt for a web-based round-the-clock system utilising a variety of support centres over many time-zones. You will have an environment which switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres any time of the day or night: Support when it\’s needed.

Never make the mistake of compromise when it comes to your support. The majority of would-be IT professionals that can\’t get going properly, would have had a different experience if they\’d got the right support package in the first place.

Considering the amount of options that are available, there\’s no surprise that nearly all newcomers to the industry get stuck choosing the job they will follow.

Because without any solid background in computing, how should we possibly understand what someone in a particular job does?

To get through to the essence of this, we need to discuss a variety of definitive areas:

* The sort of individual you are – what kind of jobs you enjoy, and on the other side of the coin – what don\’t you like doing.

* Is it your desire to achieve an important dream – like becoming self-employed someday?

* Is salary further up on your list of priorities than anything else.

* Understanding what the main IT roles and markets are – and what makes them different.

* The level of commitment and effort you\’ll commit getting qualified.

For the average person, getting to the bottom of these areas requires a good chat with someone that knows what they\’re talking about. And we don\’t just mean the certifications – you also need to understand the commercial needs and expectations besides.

A question; why should we consider commercial qualifications as opposed to traditional academic qualifications gained through schools, colleges or universities?

As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has moved to the specialised core-skills learning only available through the vendors themselves – in other words companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time.

Many degrees, for example, become confusing because of a lot of background study – with much too broad a syllabus. Students are then prevented from getting enough core and in-depth understanding on a specific area.

In simple terms: Authorised IT qualifications give employers exactly what they\’re looking for – the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a \’Microsoft Certified Professional\’ in \’Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network\’. Therefore employers can identify just what their needs are and what certifications are required to perform the job.

Be alert that all exams you\’re studying for are recognised by industry and are up-to-date. Training companies own certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment.

All the major commercial players like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA all have nationally recognised proficiency programmes. Huge conglomerates such as these will make your CV stand-out.

(C) 2009 Scott Edwards. Visit CareerChangeIdea.co.uk/mcca.html or PHP Training.