subject: Uk Cisco Ccna Training - Thoughts [print this page] If your search is for Cisco training and you haven't worked with routers before, what you need is a CCNA. This course is designed to train people with a working knowledge of routers. Large companies who have various regional departments rely on routers to connect their networks in different buildings to allow their networks to keep in touch. The Internet also is based on huge numbers of routers.
It's very probable you'll get a job with an internet service provider or maybe a large company that's on many locations but needs computer networks that talk to each other. This career path is very well paid and quite specialised.
Achieving CCNA is all you need at this stage - you're not ready for your CCNP yet. Once you've worked for a few years you will have a feel for if it's relevant for you to have this next level up. If it is, you'll have significantly improved your chances of success - as your experience will help you greatly.
Charging for examinations as an inclusive element of the package price then including an exam guarantee is a popular marketing tool with a good many training companies. However, let's consider what's really going on:
You're paying for it ultimately. It's definitely not free - they've just worked it into the package price. People who go in for their examinations when it's appropriate, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're conscious of the cost and revise more thoroughly to be up to the task.
Why should you pay the training company in advance for examination fees? Go for the best offer when you take the exam, instead of paying any mark-up - and sit exams more locally - rather than in some remote place. Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on exams when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? A great deal of money is made by companies charging all their exam fees up-front - and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Most companies will insist on pre-tests and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.
Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on an 'Exam Guarantee' is remiss - when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will really guarantee success.
Students often end up having issues because of a single courseware aspect which doesn't even occur to them: How the training is broken down and packaged off through the post. You may think that it makes sense (with training often lasting 2 or 3 years to gain full certified status,) for a training company to release the training stage by stage, as you complete each part. But: Sometimes the steps or stages offered by the provider doesn't suit. It may be difficult to get through every element within the time limits imposed?
To provide the maximum security and flexibility, it's not unusual for students to insist that all study materials are posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It's then your own choice how fast or slow and in what order you want to go.
Finding job security nowadays is very rare. Companies often drop us from the workplace at the drop of a hat - as and when it suits them. When we come across escalating skills deficits coupled with increasing demand though, we almost always hit upon a newly emerging type of market-security; driven by a continual growth, businesses are struggling to hire the number of people required.
The computing Industry skills shortage in the UK clocks in at approx 26 percent, according to a recent e-Skills analysis. It follows then that for each four job positions available across Information Technology (IT), companies can only source enough qualified individuals for three of the four. This basic concept clearly demonstrates the requirement for more appropriately certified computer professionals around the United Kingdom. In actuality, retraining in Information Technology throughout the coming years is probably the finest career move you'll ever make.
A question; why might we choose qualifications from the commercial sector instead of familiar academic qualifications gained through schools, colleges or universities? Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is most often much more specialised. The IT sector has become aware that this level of specialised understanding is necessary to handle a technically advancing workplace. Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA are the dominant players. Higher education courses, for instance, become confusing because of too much background study - with a syllabus that's far too wide. Students are then prevented from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.
Just like the advert used to say: 'It does what it says on the label'. All an employer has to do is know what areas need to be serviced, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.
