Thursday, December 24, 2009

Networking Microsoft MCSA Courses Described

By Jason Kendall

If you're about to get certified at the MCSA study level, the latest courses on the market today are CD or DVD ROM based study with interactive components. So if you have a certain amount of knowledge but are hoping to formalise your skill set, or are just about to get started, you will find interactive MCSA training programs to cater for you.

If you want to get into the world of computers as a beginner, you will possibly need to have some coaching before attempting to go for the 4 MCP's (Microsoft Certified Professional exams) needed to become MCSA qualified. Look for a company that's able to create a bespoke package to cater for you - it should be possible for you to chat with an advisor to sort out your optimum route.

Many training companies will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; very few go late in the evening or at weekends.

some companies only provide email support (slow), and so-called telephone support is normally just routed to a call-centre who will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team - who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you're there), when it suits them. This isn't a lot of good if you're stuck and can't continue and can only study at specific times.

It's possible to find professional training packages who provide their students online direct access support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends.

You can't afford to accept less than you need and deserve. 24x7 support is really your only option when it comes to technical study. Perhaps you don't intend to study during the evenings; often though, we're at work when traditional support if offered.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and avoid focusing on what you actually need - which will always be getting the job or career you want. You should always begin with the end goal - don't make the journey more important than where you want to get to.

It's a terrible situation, but a great many students kick-off study that often sounds amazing from the marketing materials, but which provides the end-result of a job that is of no interest at all. Just ask several university students for a real eye-opener.

You'll want to understand the expectations of your industry. Which precise exams you'll need and how you'll go about getting some commercial experience. It's also worth spending time considering how far you think you'll want to go as often it can present a very specific set of certifications.

We recommend that students always seek guidance and advice from a professional advisor before embarking on a particular learning program, so there's little doubt that the content of a learning package provides the appropriate skill-set.

Beginning from the viewpoint that it makes sense to locate the employment that excites us first, before we can contemplate which development program fulfils our needs, how do we decide on the way that suits us?

Consequently, without any background in the IT market, how could you possibly know what a particular IT employee does each day? Let alone decide on what educational path would be most appropriate for you to get there.

The key to answering this predicament appropriately flows from a full talk over some important points:

* Your hobbies and interests - as they can point towards what areas will give you the most reward.

* Why you're looking at stepping into IT - it could be you're looking to triumph over a long-held goal like being self-employed for example.

* Where do you stand on job satisfaction vs salary?

* Many students don't properly consider the time involved to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* How much effort you'll have available to set aside for obtaining your certification.

For the majority of us, sifting through these areas needs a long talk with an advisor who can investigate each area with you. Not only the certifications - you also need to understand the commercial requirements also.

Many students think that the state educational route is the way they should go. So why then are qualifications from the commercial sector becoming more in demand?

Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry has become aware that a specialist skill-set is what's needed to service the demands of an acceleratingly technical workplace. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the dominant players.

Vendor training works through honing in on the skills that are really needed (together with a relevant amount of related knowledge,) as opposed to trawling through all the background detail and 'fluff' that computer Science Degrees often do - to fill a three or four year course.

Just as the old advertisement said: 'It does what it says on the tin'. Companies need only to know where they have gaps, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

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