If you’re thinking of being a web designer, you will need to study Adobe Dreamweaver.
The whole Adobe Web Creative Suite ought also to be studied in detail. This will introduce you to Action Script and Flash, (and more), and could lead on to the ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) or an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) certification.
The building of the website is just the start of what you’ll need – in order to drive traffic to the site, maintain its content, and work with dynamic database-driven sites, you will have to learn other programming skills, for example HTML, PHP and MySQL. In addition, you should gain an excellent grasp of E-Commerce and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor and mentor support. Later, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t.
Look for training where you can access help at any time of day or night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – constantly waiting for a call-back at a convenient time for them.
Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers who recommend and use direct-access online support at all times – including evenings, nights and weekends.
Don’t compromise with the quality of your support. The majority of trainees who drop-out or fail, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.
You should only consider retraining paths which move onto commercially accepted accreditations. There’s a plethora of trainers proposing minor ‘in-house’ certificates which aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on when you start your job-search.
From an employer’s viewpoint, only the big-boys like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (as an example) give enough bang for your buck. Nothing else makes the grade.
Adding in the cost of examination fees with the course fee and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is a popular marketing tool with many training course providers. But look at the facts:
Thankfully, today we are a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and most of us realise that of course we’re actually paying for it – it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away!
People who take each progressive exam, paying for them just before taking them are far more likely to pass first time. They’re thoughtful of what they’ve paid and prepare more appropriately to ensure they are ready.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, and save having to find the money early. You also get more choice of where you do the examinations – so you can choose somewhere closer to home.
A lot of extra profit is made by a significant number of organisations who take the exam money up-front. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Amazingly, there are providers that rely on that fact – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit.
It’s also worth noting that many exam guarantees are worthless. Many training companies won’t be prepared to pay again for an exam until you’re able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.
Prometric and VUE exams are around 112 pounds in the UK. Why pay exorbitant fees for ‘exam guarantees’ (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) – when a quality course, support and exam preparation systems and a dose of commitment and effort are what’s required.
The perhaps intimidating chore of landing your first role in IT can be eased by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance service. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though – it’s easy for training companies to overstate it’s need. Ultimately, the massive skills shortage in the United Kingdom is the reason you’ll find a job.
Work on polishing up your CV right away however (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don’t delay till you’ve finished your exams.
Having the possibility of an interview is better than being rejected. A decent number of junior support jobs are bagged by people who are still at an early stage in their studies.
Normally you’ll get quicker service from a specialist independent regional employment service than any course provider’s centralised service, because they’ll know the local area and commercial needs better.
A good number of students, so it seems, are prepared to study their hearts out (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of trying to get a good job. Promote yourself… Make an effort to get yourself known. A job isn’t just going to bump into you.
(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Check out Learn Graphic Design or CareerAlternatives.co.uk/pcaralt.html.
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