Change-My-Career.co.uk

Retraining To Get Into IT With A Microsoft Course

A career in computing and IT might be ideal for you if you've always had a hankering to fix and modify your own PC's. We live in an increasingly technological society, so it's a great thing to have qualifications in computing and IT.

In the UK alone there are well over a million IT jobs, as most companies couldn't survive without the skills of computing technicians.

Are You Looking For Computer Literacy?

When we refer to work in the IT sector, we're primarily talking here about developer skills. If it's enhancing user skills that appeals to you, the type of training to look for will focus on getting the most out of the various different office programs. There are a number to learn, which all serve different purposes - for example Word for word processing, Access for databases and PowerPoint for presentations. A well-respected all-round user training course is the ECDL, or European Computer Driving Licence.

Be Part of an Exciting Future

It's worth noting that IT was one of the last industries to slow down as the recession took hold. Likewise it's highly apparent that economic growth and IT are inextricably linked.

Also we can confidently state that the computer industry is just about the most innovative and intriguing industry you could be involved in. We'll all see massive developments in the next several years that will change the way we live and work.

Computers and IT really are setting the pace - and it's all very exciting!

Take Your Pick...

There are a great variety of roles in IT, and thus a great many training courses.

Some will keep you regularly on the move and others will have you in one place all day. Some ask for practical skills and others ask for a more cerebral mentality. Some are mostly concerned with back-up and support for clients or colleagues, and some will need you to work by yourself for several hours a day.

... Discover Your Route

So if this is the first time you've considered IT training, talk through the range of jobs first with a proper training advisor (don't be fobbed off with a sales person) who can help you work out which role will suit you. In particular, find out what doing the job is really like prior to selecting the course for you. Finding the right career role and training company is the key to your success.

Support Work and Networking

As more and more computers are used in industry, the demand for support workers increases. What about training to get into helpdesk work or working as a technician?

There's great variety in Support work, or if that doesn't appeal how about Communications, Network or Server Administration? You might feel that Systems Planning and Design work is more in tune with your interests and abilities.

Early work could have you very much involved as a local technician, but in time you could find yourself travelling around the globe.

You might start your IT work by sorting out individual and small networked computers when they run into problems. Then, as your CV and training builds up, you could progress into actually designing large-scale systems.

Computer professionals working in this area of IT are the very people who keep industry going. With no PC technicians, designers and trouble-shooters, trade and commerce would be a very different state of affairs.

The amount of commercial computers in use throughout the world runs into scores of millions, and the figures are constantly increasing. By definition then, this creates a parallel need for skilled and competent technicians to design, build and fix both the computers themselves and the networks they're a part of.

Do you think you could be taught how to trouble-shoot and resolve technical faults? OK so why not take professional training in networking and become Microsoft or CompTIA certified?

Why Become Professionally Certified?

You will have increased job security if you arm yourself with professional qualifications. Once you've been in the IT industry for a couple of years, your qualifications and experience are likely to open up further career advancements and make you a respected member of the workforce. You can expect a salary of approximately 33 to 37 thousand per annum when you've been in industry for three to four years.

Without doubt there are men and women who've taught themselves about how networks function, and how to deal with some hardware and software issues. Although they can offer a valuable contribution to a department or company, employers can't be absolutely sure they've got the right person for the job.

By becoming professionally trained and qualified, a candidate can give the employer an assurance of what their competency level is.

Certified employees lead to higher productivity as they understand how to perform tasks more objectively and speedily. However there's more to it than that. When an employer takes someone on, they want a person with focus, commitment and perseverance - those who've put themselves through training have demonstrated that. One last point - it's increasingly the case that corporate insurance claims are not being paid if computer systems were not managed and maintained by certified professionals.