Cisco CCNA Training In The UK – What’s Best? (110509)
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The CCNA certification is where it all starts for training in Cisco. With it, you’ll learn how to handle the maintenance and installation of routers. Fundamentally, the internet is based upon huge numbers of routers, and commercial ventures that have various regional departments need them to keep their networks in touch.
Successfully achieving this qualification means you’ll probably end up working for large commercial ventures that have several locations, but need their computer networks to talk to each other. On the other hand, you might end up joining an internet service provider. These jobs are well paid and in demand.
If routers are a new thing for you, then qualifying up to the CCNA level is the right level to aim for – don’t be pushed into attempting your CCNP. Once you’ve worked for a few years, you will have a feel for if it’s appropriate for you to go to the level of CCNP.
We can all agree: There really is no such thing as personal job security available anymore; there’s only industry or sector security – as any company can remove anyone whenever it fits the business’ trade requirements. Now, we only experience security via a fast rising market, fuelled by a lack of trained workers. It’s this alone that creates the right environment for a secure market – a far better situation.
Taking a look at the IT sector, the most recent e-Skills investigation demonstrated a more than 26 percent skills deficit. To put it another way, this clearly demonstrates that the UK is only able to source 3 certified professionals for each 4 positions existing now. This distressing notion underpins the requirement for more appropriately qualified computer professionals across Great Britain. Because the IT sector is growing at such a speed, is there any other area of industry worth considering for your new career.
So, which are the questions we should raise if we’re to get the understanding we want? After all, it’s evident there are many pretty superb prospects for us all to investigate.
Don’t get hung-up, as a lot of students can, on the training process. Training is not an end in itself; you’re training to become commercially employable. Begin and continue with the end in mind. Avoid becoming one of those unfortunate students that choose a course that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for a career they’ll never really get any satisfaction from.
Set targets for earning potential and what level of ambition fits you. Often, this changes what accreditations will be expected and what’ll be expected of you in your new role. Seek out help from an experienced industry professional who appreciates the market you’re interested in, and who can give you ‘A day in the life of’ understanding of what you’ll actually be doing on a day-to-day basis. It’d be sensible to discover if this is the right course of action for you before the training program is started. There’s really no point in beginning your training and then find you’ve taken the wrong route.
A lot of trainers will only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Many only provide email support (too slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will make some notes and then email an advisor – who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a suitable time to them. This is no good if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and can only study at specific times.
The best trainers utilise several support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, irrespective of the time you login, help is at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. Never compromise where support is concerned. Most students who throw in the towel, are in that situation because of support (or the lack of).
The old fashioned style of teaching, utilising reference manuals and books, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, find training programs that are multimedia based. If we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.
Learning is now available on CD and DVD discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Video streaming means you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how it’s all done, and then have a go at it yourself – in an interactive lab. It’s wise to view some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you sign on the dotted line. The minimum you should expect would be video tutorials, instructor demo’s and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.
Select actual CD or DVD ROM’s whenever you can. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.
So, why might we choose qualifications from the commercial sector and not familiar academic qualifications taught at schools, colleges or universities? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs becoming a tall order for many, together with the IT sector’s recognition that vendor-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, we’ve seen a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training routes that educate students for much less time and money. Essentially, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It’s slightly more broad than that, but the most important function is always to master the precisely demanded skill-sets (along with a certain amount of crucial background) – without attempting to cover a bit about every other area (as universities often do).
It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they’re assured that a potential employee can do exactly what’s required.
A key training program will have accredited simulation materials and exam preparation packages. Sometimes people can get confused by trying to prepare themselves with questions that are not from authorised sources. It’s not uncommon that the phraseology can be quite different and you should be prepared for this. Ensure that you ask for exam preparation tools so you’ll be able to test your understanding along the way. Simulations of exams help to build your confidence – so the actual exam is much easier.
A service that many training companies provide is a programme of Job Placement assistance. The service is put in place to help you get your first commercial position. However sometimes people are too impressed with this facility, for it is genuinely quite straightforward for well qualified and focused men and women to get a job in IT – as there is such a shortage of trained staff.
However, what is relevant is to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we’d recommend any student to bring their CV up to date right at the beginning of their training – don’t delay for when you’re ready to start work. You’ll often find that you’ll land your first position whilst you’re still studying (sometimes when you’ve only just got going). If your course details aren’t on your CV – or it’s not getting in front of interviewers, then you aren’t even in the running! Actually, an independent and specialised local employment agency (who will get paid by the employer when they’ve placed you) is going to give you a better service than a recruitment division from a training organisation. Also of course they should know the local industry and employment needs.
A big aggravation of a number of training companies is how much people are prepared to study to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the job they’ve qualified for. Get out there and hustle – you might find it’s fun.
