subject: Comptia Networking Support Home-based Online Courses Examined [print this page] Were it not for a constant influx of trained PC and network support staff, business in Great Britain (and around the world) would surely be brought to its knees. Consequently, there's an on-going demand for men and women with technical ability to support both the users themselves and their networks. Our country's need for increasing numbers of qualified personnel is growing, as we become consistently more dependent upon PC's in the twenty first century.
You have to be sure that all your qualifications are current and commercially required - don't even consider studies which provide certificates that are worthless because they're 'in-house'.
Unless your qualification is issued by a big-hitter like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco, then you'll probably find it will have been a waste of time - as it'll be an unknown commodity.
A fatal Faux-Pas that many potential students make is to look for the actual course to take, instead of focusing on where they want to get to. Colleges have thousands of direction-less students that chose a program because it looked interesting - instead of the program that would surely get them the career they desired.
Imagine training for just one year and then end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don't make the error of opting for what may seem to be an 'interesting' course only to spend 20 years doing something you don't even enjoy!
Prioritise understanding what industry will expect from you. Which particular qualifications they'll want you to gain and how to gain experience. It's definitely worth spending time assessing how far you think you'll want to build your skill-set as often it can present a very specific set of certifications.
You'd also need help from a professional that can best explain the industry you're considering, and will be able to provide 'A typical day in the life of' synopsis for that career-path. This is incredibly important because you need to know if you're barking up the wrong tree.
Authorised exam preparation and simulation materials are a must - and should definitely be sought from your course provider.
Because a lot of IT examining boards are American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. You can't practice properly by simply going through the right questions - it's essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format.
A way to build self-confidence is if you analyse how much you know by doing tests and practice exams to prepare you for taking the real deal.
Including examination fees as an inclusive element of the package price then including an exam guarantee is a common method with many companies. However, let's consider what's really going on:
Everybody's aware that they're still paying for it - it's not so hard to see that it's already been included in the overall price charged by the course provider. It's absolutely not free (it's just marketing companies think we'll fall for anything they say!)
If you want to pass first time, then you should pay for each exam as you go, focus on it intently and apply yourself as required.
Don't pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you at the time, and hang on to your cash. You'll then be able to select where you take your exam - so you can choose somewhere closer to home.
Paying upfront for examinations (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is insane. Resist being talked into filling the training company's account with your money simply to help their cash-flow! A lot bank on the fact that you won't get to do them all - so they don't need to pay for them.
Also, many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of organisations won't pay for re-takes until you can prove to them you're ready to pass.
Exams taken at VUE and Prometric centres are in the region of 112 pounds in the United Kingdom today. Why spend so much more on charges for 'Exam Guarantees' (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) - when a quality course, support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
