Should you need Cisco training, the chances are you’re looking for a CCNA. Training in Cisco is intended for individuals who wish to understand and work with network switches and routers. Routers connect networks of computers to different networks of computers via the internet or dedicated lines.

You may find yourself employed by an internet service provider or maybe a large company which is spread out geographically but still wants internal communication. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

We’d recommend a tailored course that will take you through a specific training path before commencing your Cisco training.

Which questions do we need to pose to get the understanding necessary? After all, it seems there are some quite exceptional prospects for us to chew over.

Don’t forget: a actual training program or the accreditation is not what you’re looking for; the particular job that you want to end up in is. Far too many training organisations place too much importance on the actual accreditation. It’s a terrible situation, but thousands of new students begin programs that seem spectacular in the syllabus guide, but which provides a job that doesn’t satisfy. Just ask several university leavers and you’ll see where we’re coming from.

You also need to know your feelings on career progression and earning potential, and how ambitious you are. It makes sense to understand what will be expected of you, what qualifications they want you to have and how you’ll gain real-world experience. Seek out help from an industry professional that understands the sector you wish to join, and who can give you ‘A day in the life of’ understanding of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking on a day-to-day basis. It just makes sense to know if this change is right for you well before you start on any retraining programme. There’s little reason in starting your training only to find you’ve taken the wrong route.

It only makes sense to consider study programmes which grow into commercially accepted accreditations. There’s an endless list of minor schools promoting unknown ‘in-house’ certificates which aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on when you start your job-search. Only nationally recognised accreditation from the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will have any meaning to employers.

It’s likely that you’re quite practically minded - a ‘hands-on’ type. Usually, the trial of reading reference books and manuals is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but you’d hate it. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if you’d really rather not use books. Studies have consistently demonstrated that getting into our studies physically, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.

Learning is now available on CD and DVD discs, so you can study at your own computer. Using video-streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how something is done, with some practice time to follow - in an interactive lab. It would be silly not to view examples of the courseware provided before you sign on the dotted line. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive modules with audio-visual elements.

Avoid training that is purely online. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where possible, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you - and not be totally reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.

Proper support is incredibly important - ensure you track down something that includes 24×7 access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely hold up your pace and restrict your intake. Beware of institutions that use call-centres ‘out-of-hours’ - with the call-back coming in during office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and need help now.

We recommend that you search for training schools that utilise many support facilities from around the world. All of them should be combined to enable simple one-stop access and also 24×7 access, when it’s convenient for you, without any problems. If you accept anything less than online 24×7 support, you’ll very quickly realise that you’ve made a mistake. You may not need it during late nights, but you may need weekends, late evenings or early mornings.

A sneaky way that colleges make a big mark-up is by charging for exams up-front and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. This sounds impressive, but is it really:

We all know that we’re still being charged for it - it’s obviously already in the full cost of the package supplied by the college. It’s certainly not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Taking your exams progressively one by one and paying as you go has a marked effect on pass-rates - you take it seriously and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.

Find the best exam deal or offer available at the appropriate time, and avoid college mark-up fees. You’ll also be able to choose where to do the examinations - which means you can stay local. Paying upfront for examinations (and if you’re financing your study there’ll be interest on that) is madness. Don’t line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours simply to help their cash-flow! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you won’t get round to taking them - so they don’t need to pay for them. You should fully understand that re-takes through training companies who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are monitored with tight restrictions. They will insist that you take pre-tests first so you can prove to them you have a good chance of passing.

Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish - when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will really guarantee success.

Sometimes trainees assume that the state educational path is still the most effective. So why then is commercial certification becoming more popular with employers? With university education costs spiralling out of control, together with the IT sector’s increasing awareness that accreditation-based training is closer to the mark commercially, we’ve seen a large rise in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA authorised training routes that create knowledgeable employees for considerably less. This is done by honing in on the actual skills required (together with a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) as opposed to trawling through all the background ‘extras’ that academic courses often do - to pad out the syllabus.

Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. All an employer has to do is know what they’re looking for, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. That way they can be sure they’re interviewing applicants who can do the job.

The world of information technology is one of the more thrilling and changing industries that you can get into right now. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology puts you at the fore-front of developments shaping life over the next few decades. We’re in the very early stages of beginning to see just how technology will affect our lives in the future. Computers and the web will massively alter how we regard and interact with the entire world over the next few years.

And don’t forget salaries also - the average salary over this country as a whole for a typical IT worker is significantly greater than in the rest of the economy. Chances are that you’ll receive a much greater package than you’d expect to earn doing other work. Apparently there’s no end in sight for IT increases in the United Kingdom. The market sector continues to grow hugely, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it’s not likely that this will change significantly for years to come.

Tags: Online Colleges

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