What are the sort of things you’d expect the most superior Microsoft certified training providers to offer a student in the United Kingdom at present? Undoubtedly, the finest training tracks certified by Microsoft, providing a range of options to lead you into different areas of the IT industry.
Perhaps you’d hope to have a discussion on the types of jobs you might go for after you’ve completed your training, and the type of individual that work may be appropriate for. Lots of people prefer to discuss what the best route is for them.
Training must be tailored to meet your needs. So, having got to grips with the most appropriate area of work for you, you’ll then need to look at what is the appropriate training programme that will equip you for the role.
It’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees – this always means you have to pay for the exams before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you get carried away with a course with such a promise, why not be aware of the facts:
Obviously it’s not free – you’re still coughing up for it – it’s just been wrapped up in the price of the package.
For those who want to get a first time pass, you must pay for each exam as you go, give it the priority it deserves and give the task sufficient application.
Doesn’t it make more sense to go for the best offer when you’re ready, not to pay the fees marked up by the college, and also to sit exams more locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area?
A great deal of money is made by a number of companies that get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don’t take them for one reason or another but the company keeps the money. Believe it or not, there are training companies who rely on that fact – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit.
Most companies will require you to do mock exams and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass – so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.
VUE and Prometric examinations are around 112 pounds in Great Britain. Why spend so much more on ‘Exam Guarantee’ fees (usually wrapped up in the course package price) – when a quality course, support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.
The area most overlooked by those thinking about a course is the issue of ‘training segmentation’. This basically means how the program is broken down into parts for drop-shipping to you, which vastly changes where you end up.
Training companies will normally offer some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you complete each section or exam. On the surface this seems reasonable – until you consider the following:
Many students find that the trainer’s ’standard’ path of training isn’t as suitable as another. You may find that it’s more expedient to use an alternative order of study. Could it cause problems if you don’t get everything done in the allotted time?
For the perfect solution, you want everything at the start – meaning you’ll have all of them to return to any point – at any time you choose. You can also vary the order in which you move through the program if you find another route more intuitive.
Proper support is incredibly important – ensure you track down something that includes 24×7 access, as anything less will not satisfy and will also impede your ability to learn.
You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will make some notes and then email an advisor – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, at a suitable time to them. This is all next to useless if you’re stuck with a particular problem and can only study at specific times.
The very best training providers incorporate three or four individual support centres from around the world. Online access provides the interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, any time of the day or night, help is at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems.
If you fail to get yourself direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You might not want to use the service during late nights, but what about weekends, early mornings or late evenings.
Chat with a proficient consultant and they can normally tell you many worrying experiences of salespeople ripping-off unsuspecting students. Make sure you deal with someone who asks lots of questions to discover the most appropriate thing for you – not for their pay-packet! You must establish the right starting point of study for you.
With a strong background, or even a touch of real-world experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then obviously the level you’ll need to start at will be very different from someone who is just starting out.
Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to start into your IT programme, but depends on your skill level.
(C) Jason Kendall. Browse LearningLolly.com for logical advice. MCDBA Courses or Database Training Course.