CompTIA Network Plus Home-Based Courses Explained
Network and computer support staff are ever more sought after in this country, as companies become progressively more dependent upon their knowledge and capacity to solve problems. As we’re all becoming more and more dependent on advanced technology, we simultaneously emerge as more reliant on the technically knowledgeable networking professionals, who keep the systems going.
Review the following facts carefully if you think the sales ploy of an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value:
You’ll pay for it one way or another. It certainly isn’t free – it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole.
Evidence shows that when students fund their own exams, one by one, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt – because they’re aware of their investment in themselves and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.
Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay a college in advance for examination fees? Go for the best offer at the appropriate time, don’t pay mark-ups – and do it locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area.
Paying upfront for examination fees (plus interest – if you’re financing your study) is madness. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with extra money of yours just to give them more interest! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you won’t get to do them all – then they’ll keep the extra money.
It’s worth noting, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ – you are not in control of when you are allowed to do a re-take. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.
Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is remiss – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
So, why should we consider commercially accredited qualifications instead of traditional academic qualifications taught at schools, colleges or universities?
Accreditation-based training (as it’s known in the industry) is most often much more specialised. The IT sector has become aware that such specialised knowledge is what’s needed to handle a technologically complex commercial environment. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the big boys in this field.
Essentially, only that which is required is learned. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle objective is to focus on the exact skills required (including a degree of required background) – without overdoing the detail in everything else (as academia often does).
As long as an employer understands what areas they need covered, then all they have to do is advertise for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses are set to exacting standards and do not vary between trainers (in the way that degree courses can).
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24×7 support through professional mentors and instructors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend.
Email support is too slow, and phone support is often to a call-centre that will take the information and email an instructor – who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This isn’t a lot of good if you’re lost and confused and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.
Keep your eyes open for colleges that use several support centres around the globe in several time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to provide a single interface and also 24×7 access, when it suits you, with no fuss.
Look for an educator that gives this level of learning support. As only true live 24×7 round-the-clock support provides the necessary backup.
Technology and IT is amongst the most stimulating and innovative industries that you can get into right now. Being up close and personal with technology means you’re a part of the huge progress that will affect us all over the next generation.
We’ve only just begun to get a feel for how technology will define our world. Computers and the Internet will profoundly transform how we view and interact with the world around us over the coming decades.
The usual IT employee in the UK is likely to get considerably more than fellow workers in other market sectors. Typical wages are around the top of national league tables.
It would appear there is no end in sight for IT industry development in Great Britain as a whole. The sector is continuing to expand hugely, and we don’t have anywhere near enough qualified skilled IT professionals to fill current job vacancies, so it’s highly unlikely that this will change significantly for the significant future.
(C) 2010 Scott Edwards. Visit Cisco Training or www.CiscoCCNA4UK.co.uk.




