Advice on IT courses

Darkst4r

Darkst4r

Darkst4r

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Bedford , United Kingdom
I've recently decided to re-train and look for a career in the IT industry after many years of job hopping.

I've had a look at local college courses and have found a couple that look like the right sort of thing but they are pretty expensive so I want to make sure they arent just throw away qualifications that don't hold much weight with potential employers.

Basically I would like to be a tech guy type person that can handle things from installations, upgrades, trouble shooting software and hardware etc.

The two courses on offer are :

PC Maintenance Certificate
Level 1
If you are new to the ICT industry or looking for a career change, this qualification is designed to provide you with the basic knowledge needed to
maintain basic hardware, install and configure software and troubleshoot general problems at home or at work.
Course content:
Fundamentals of computing systems and customer care, and dismantle, assemble, install and maintain a desktop computing system. You will also have
the option to complete the CompTIA Strata certificate.
Entry requirements:
There are no entry requirements for this course.
Progression:
Certificate in Computer Maintenance and Installation (A+) (see next course entry), Computer Networking Certificate Level 2 (see page 58), or courses
within the Microsoft Professional program

Computer Maintenance & Installation (A+)
Level 2
This course will give you a practical and theoretical insight into computer maintenance and installation, and leads to the CISCO IT Essentials 1
Certificate (on successful completion of an online theory test and practical examination).
Course content:
Installing, configuring and upgrading hardware, diagnosing and troubleshooting hardware, preventative maintenance, basic networking, operating
systems technologies, operating system fundamentals, installing, upgrading and configuring operating systems, troubleshooting operating systems, and
establishing networks using various operating systems.
Entry requirements:
A good understanding of computer hardware and operating systems or PC Maintenance Certificate.
Progression:
CISCO Academy courses (see pages 59).
Additional information:
In addition if you wish to undertake the CompTIA A+ Certificate you will be required to pay for the exam fees prior to taking the exams. CompTIA A+
Certificate is an internationally recognised entry level qualification for IT professionals or PC service technicians.


Im pretty competant when it comes to PC's but I still think the Level 1 will give me a good grounding before I start the more in depth level 2, with a view to go onto the networking course afterwards.

Has anyone done these courses and are they the right kind of course for my aims ? Unfortunately the college no longer does the Mcdst courses so these are pretty much the options available to me.

Any advice greatly appreciated.
 
In my opinion, I'd say forget doing it at College and invest in books/training materials for A+ and MCDST. They're simple enough to learn on your own and the exams are about £90 apiece.

Once you've got those done and the certs under your belt, you're in a good position to walk into some horrible 1st line support job - though make sure it's in a good company that offers decent progression with experience.
 
Working in IT is tough in my opinion (I don't do it), the jobs can be quite technically demanding but not that well compensated. I'm just wondering how necessary it is to get any qualification to pick up a basic IT job, because in general is there not a shortage of people prepared or able to do a basic IT support type job? If you're technically adept, might it be worth applying for some jobs, even a low paid one, just to see if you get taken on, then you'll save yourself the expense and bother of going on the course.

When I wanted to get into web design (I'm now a self-employed web developer ;)) I did do a course at my local college, but I learnt far more by myself. I also offered to work for free for a month for a local company, and I then got taken on after that, having learnt on the job.

I'm just putting these ideas out there ...

Rgds :cool:
 
If the training is free take it, however its (almost) worthless in the industry, you should also get the a+ books and pass the 2 (I think) exams to get the basic qualification, then work on getting an mcp or two..

if two people apply from a job, one has 'did college course' then other also has a+ certified and MCP windows 7 on it... only one of you will get an interview...
 
Darkst4r said:
Basically I would like to be a tech guy type person that can handle things from installations, upgrades, trouble shooting software and hardware etc.
Click to expand...

Probably about the least interesting and one of the lowest paid parts of IT. Sure it is the hands on stuff, but after you have done it for a year what are you going to do to keep it interesting? Most of the people I have known doing the above sorts of roles have been doing it as a job not a career.
 
Don't do it, it's one of the most boring jobs around, dealing with people who call you up every two seconds because they don't know how to use a computer to even the simplest use, and blame you when they do their jobs wrong.

It's a stressful job, with little reward and i'd look (and am going) to get AWAY from it as soon as possible.
 
Are you too old to get an apprenticeship? I'm on one and I have 1 day at college, the rest at work. For NVQ Level 2 and 3 and a couple of other certs too.
 
Hardly the encouragement I was looking for but if thats how it is then thats how it is. Now I'm even more confused as to where my future lies. Im 28 so an apprenticeship is pretty much out of the question. Time for some serious reconsideration.:(
 
My advice: don't bother with IT! :D

Seriously though, unless there is a mega shortage of IT staff where you are (which I suspect is unlikely, because everyone's brothers/cousins/uncle believes they know how to fix a PC these days).

Plumbing is where it's at, I'm told. Specifically, drainage.
Perhaps a resident plumber could comment on this hearsay? :)
 
Not my cup of tea atall, I've done the building site gig for years on and off and have had enough of it. I want something where I can test my brain in an office environment where the work is regular and guaranteed (to a degree).

I guess my next port of enquiry is going to be web design/development.

Back to the drawing board !
 
neil3k said:
agreed that training is worthless.

Get yourself a helpdesk job logging calls and work your way up
Click to expand...

That has to be one of the hardest IT jobs. I done it for 8 years. Both 1st and 2nd line. I have done it for both residential and business customers. You are often dealing with idiots who know nothing about PC's and cannot follow very simple instructions, know it alls, angry people, condescending people etc etc. When I worked for Virgin cable tech support 99% of people doing tech support hated the job.
 
ennogs said:
That has to be one of the hardest IT jobs. I done it for 8 years. Both 1st and 2nd line. I have done it for both residential and business customers. You are often dealing with idiots who know nothing about PC's and cannot follow very simple instructions, know it alls, angry people, condescending people etc etc. When I worked for Virgin cable tech support 99% of people doing tech support hated the job.
Click to expand...

Dont most people grumble about their jobs anyway ?
 
s0ck said:
My advice: don't bother with IT! :D

Seriously though, unless there is a mega shortage of IT staff where you are (which I suspect is unlikely, because everyone's brothers/cousins/uncle believes they know how to fix a PC these days).

Plumbing is where it's at, I'm told. Specifically, drainage.
Perhaps a resident plumber could comment on this hearsay? :)
Click to expand...

+1 and plumbing pays quite good due to a shortage.
 
I have A+, i would skip the level if you say your competant with computers, 1, A+ is pretty easy. Hard to advise what technician cert to take as the mcdst works with XP and the mcitp with vista and both are about 50/50 is usage i would say.

How about programming side of things, plenty of jobs there.
 
rz30 said:
I have A+, i would skip the level if you say your competant with computers, 1, A+ is pretty easy. Hard to advise what technician cert to take as the mcdst works with XP and the mcitp with vista and both are about 50/50 is usage i would say.

How about programming side of things, plenty of jobs there.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what programming involves, it sounds a bit beyond my reach to be honest.
 
If you have aptitude, there are opportunities in both web design and web development. If you are an arty/creative type, then you might start out by building websites for people, start learning here:

Web Design Tutorials

If you have ability in computer programming, there are a lot of opportunities, either in web development or in software development. You can then either go contracting, either from home or at a company, or perhaps run your own network of websites (takes a lot of time and effort, but can be done).

Learning programming isn't easy, but if you are determined and have a reasonable brain that likes problem solving and numbers, it can be done. A gentle introduction would be to learn some PHP, maybe starting with how to update a MySQL database using PHP:

PHP Tutorials

PHP Scripts

The good thing about learning web design or PHP is that you can do it at home at no cost, and see whether you like it and have the aptitude.

Rgds :cool:
 
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