Congratulations! By reading this it’s likely you’re thinking about retraining for a new career – so already you’ve made a start. Very few of us are happy and fulfilled in our work, but most just moan and do nothing about it. Why not be one of a small number who take responsibility for their future.
When considering retraining, it’s essential to first define what you want and don’t want from the career you’d like to train for. Ensure that the grass actually is greener before your energies are focused on changing the direction of your life. So much better to look at the whole story first, to steer clear of regrets:
* Do you hope for interaction with others? If so, do you like working with the same people or do you want to meet lots of new people? Or are you better working in isolation?
* Banking and building are struggling right now, so which industry will answer your needs?
* Having completed your retraining, would you like your skills to serve you till you retire?
* Will this new qualification make it easier to discover new employment possibilities, and stay employable until you choose to stop?
Don’t overlook Information Technology, it will be well worth your time – you’ll find it’s one of the only growth areas in Great Britain and Europe. Another benefit is that remuneration packages are much better than most.
An advisor that doesn’t ask many questions – chances are they’re just trying to sell you something. If someone pushes specific products before understanding your background and current experience level, then you know you’re being sold to.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got any qualifications that are related, then you can sometimes expect to commence studying further along than a trainee with no history to speak of.
Always consider starting with some basic user skills first. This can help whip your basic knowledge into shape and make the transition to higher-level learning a little less steep.
One interesting way that colleges make a lot more is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and offering an exam guarantee. This sounds impressive, but is it really:
Everyone knows they’re ultimately paying for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already in the full cost of the package supplied by the training provider. Certainly, it’s not a freebie – don’t think these companies are so generous with their money!
If it’s important to you to get a first time pass, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, and keep hold of your own money. You’ll also be able to choose where to take your exam – so you can find somewhere local.
Considerable numbers of current training providers secure huge profits through asking for exams at the start of the course then hoping that you won’t take them all.
In addition to this, many exam guarantees are worthless. Many training companies will not pay for you to re-take until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.
Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is short-sighted – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is actually the key to your success.
We need to make this very clear: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 support from professional instructors. You’ll severely regret it if you don’t.
Don’t buy certification programs which can only support you through a message system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Training companies will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. The bottom line is – support is required when it’s required – not as-and-when it’s suitable for their staff.
Top training providers tend to use an internet-based round-the-clock service utilising a variety of support centres across the globe. You’re offered a simple interface which switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres irrespective of the time of day: Support when you need it.
Always pick a trainer that offers this level of study support. As only 24×7 round-the-clock live support provides the necessary backup.
An area that’s often missed by people considering a training program is that 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.
Drop-shipping your training elements stage by stage, taking into account your exam passes is the typical way that your program will arrive. While sounding logical, you might like to consider this:
With thought, many trainees understand that the trainer’s ‘standard’ path of training isn’t ideal for them. They might find varying the order of study will be far more suitable. Could it cause problems if you don’t get everything done in the allotted time?
In an ideal situation, you’d ask for every single material to be delivered immediately – so you’ll have them all to return to any point – whenever it suits you. You can also vary the order in which you attack each section if another more intuitive route presents itself.
Copyright 2010 Scott Edwards. Go to Dreamweaver Training or www.AdultCareerTraining.co.uk/ract.html.
