Congratulations! As you\’re reading this article you\’re probably toying with the idea of re-training to work in a different industry – so already you\’ve made a start. Less of us than you\’d think are content with our jobs, but it\’s rare anyone does more than moan. Why not be one of a small number who take responsibility for their future.

We\’d politely request that in advance of taking any individual training program, you discuss your plans with a person who has knowledge of the industry and can point you in the right direction. Such a person will go through personality profiling with you and assist in finding the right role for you:

* Do you like to be around others at work? Is it meeting new people or being part of a team? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you can complete alone?

* What elements are you looking for from the market sector you work in? – We all know that things have changed, look at building and banking for instance.

* How long a career do you hope to have once retrained, and will the industry offer you the chance to do that?

* Will this new qualification give you the opportunity to discover new employment possibilities, and remain in employment until you choose to stop?

The most significant market sector in Great Britain that can satisfy a trainee\’s demands is the IT industry. There\’s a shortage of skilled workers in this market, just check out any job site and you\’ll see for yourself. Don\’t let people tell you it\’s all nerdy people staring at theirscreens all day – it\’s much more diverse than that. The majority of staff in IT are just like you and me, with well paid and stimulating jobs.

The perhaps intimidating chore of finding your first job can be made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. Ultimately it\’s not as hard as some people make out to get employment – once you\’re trained and certified; employers in this country need your skills.

You would ideally have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we\’d encourage all students to bring their CV up to date right at the beginning of their training – don\’t wait until you\’ve graduated or passed any exams.

Many junior support roles are offered to students who are still learning and have yet to take their exams. This will at least get your CV into the \’possible\’ pile and not the \’no\’ pile.

The most efficient companies to help you find a job are generally independent and specialised local recruitment services. As they will get paid by the employer when they\’ve placed you, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

Fundamentally, if you put as much hard work into getting a position as into training, you\’re not likely to experience problems. Some people strangely put hundreds of hours into their learning program and just give up once they\’ve passed their exams and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.

If your advisor doesn\’t dig around with lots of question – it\’s more than likely they\’re actually nothing more than a salesman. If they wade straight in with a specific product before learning about your history and current experience level, then you know it\’s true.

Remember, if you\’ve had any relevant accreditation or direct-experience, then you will often be able to begin at a different level to a trainee with no history to speak of.

It\’s wise to consider user-skills and software training first. This can set the scene for your on-going studies and make the transition to higher-level learning a less steep.

It only makes sense to consider training courses that\’ll grow into commercially approved certifications. There are loads of small companies suggesting unknown \’in-house\’ certificates which will prove unusable in today\’s commercial market.

If your certification doesn\’t come from a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then chances are it will have been a waste of time – as no-one will have heard of it.

Think about the points below carefully if you believe that old marketing ploy of examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

Everyone knows they\’re still paying for it – it\’s obviously been inserted into the full cost of the package supplied by the training company. Certainly, it\’s not a freebie – and it\’s insulting that we\’re supposed to think it is!

If it\’s important to you to get a first time pass, then you should pay for each exam as you go, give it the priority it deserves and apply yourself as required.

Do the examinations somewhere close to home and find the best deal for you at the time.

Big margins are secured by many companies that get money upfront for exam fees. For various reasons, many students don\’t take their exams but the company keeps the money. Amazingly, there are training companies who rely on that fact – as that\’s how they make a lot of their profit.

Re-takes of any failed exams via companies with an \’Exam Guarantee\’ inevitably are heavily regulated. They will insist that you take pre-tests first to make sure they think you\’re going to pass.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an \’Exam Guarantee\’ is remiss – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really see you through.

Copyright Scott Edwards. Try MCITP Training or HR Career.