by Jason Kendall

One interesting way that colleges make a big mark-up is by charging for exams up-front then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status. It looks like a good deal, till you look at the facts:

We all know that we’re still being charged for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already in the overall price charged by the training company. It’s certainly not free – and it’s insulting that we’re supposed to think it is! Students who go in for their examinations when it’s appropriate, paying as they go are far more likely to pass first time. They are mindful of the cost and prepare more appropriately to ensure they are ready.

Do the examinations somewhere local and find the best deal for you at the time. A lot of extra profit is made by a significant number of organisations who get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don’t take them for one reason or another but the company keeps the money. Amazingly, there are providers who rely on that fact – as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. Many training companies will require you to do mock exams and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass – which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric examinations in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

Let’s face it: There’s very little evidence of individual job security now; there can only be market or sector security – a company will fire a solitary member of staff whenever it fits their trade interests. In times of growing skills deficits mixed with increasing demand however, we generally reveal a fresh type of market-security; driven by the conditions of constant growth, businesses are struggling to hire the staff required.

Investigating the computing industry, the recent e-Skills study brought to light a twenty six percent deficit in trained staff. So, out of each 4 positions existing around the computer industry, organisations are only able to locate properly accredited workers for 3 of the 4. Properly trained and commercially certified new professionals are thus at a total premium, and it looks like they will be for a long time to come. Quite simply, gaining new qualifications in IT as you progress through the coming years is most likely the finest career direction you could choose.

There is a tidal wave of change flooding technology in the near future – and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. We’re only just starting to scrape the surface of how technology will define our world. Technology and the web will massively change how we regard and interrelate with the rest of the world over the coming decades.

And keep in mind that typical remuneration in the IT industry throughout this country is significantly more than remuneration packages in other industries, therefore you will be in a good position to gain much more with professional IT knowledge, than you’d get in most other industries. Experts agree that there’s a substantial national demand for trained and qualified IT technicians. And with the constant growth in the marketplace, it looks like there’s going to be for quite some time to come.

A capable and specialised advisor (as opposed to a salesman) will cover in some detail your current level of ability and experience. This is vital for working out the point at which you need to start your studies. If you’ve got any live experience or qualifications, it may be that your starting point of study is different from a beginner. It’s wise to consider some basic PC skills training first. It will usually make the slope up to the higher-levels a much more gentle.

An area that’s often missed by trainees thinking about a course is the issue of ‘training segmentation’. Essentially, this is how the program is broken down into parts to be delivered to you, which vastly changes what you end up with. Often, you will join a program that takes between and 1 and 3 years and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. This may seem sensible until you think about these factors: It’s not unusual for trainees to realise that their providers standard order of study isn’t the easiest way for them. You may find that a slightly different order suits them better. And what happens if they don’t finish in the allotted time?

An ideal situation would be to have all the training materials sent to your address right at the beginning; the complete package! This prevents any future issues from rising that will affect your ability to finish.