Network and computer support technicians are more and more in demand in the United Kingdom, as institutions are becoming more reliant upon their knowledge and ability to fix and repair. The hunger for such qualified and commercially astute members of the workforce is consistently on the grow, as everywhere we work becomes progressively more dependent upon technology.

Clearly, the IT sector promises dazzling opportunities. However, to fully investigate, what sort of questions should we pose, and what are the sectors we need to investigate?

A skilled and professional advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current level of ability and experience. This is vital for understanding your study start-point. An important point to note is that, if you’ve had any relevant previous certification, then it’s not unreasonable to expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone new to the industry. Opening with a basic PC skills module first is often the best way to get into your IT studies, but depends on your skill level.

Some training companies will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and so-called telephone support is normally just routed to a call-centre who will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This is not a lot of use if you’re lost and confused and only have a specific time you can study.

As long as you look hard, you will find professional companies which offer direct-access support 24×7 – including evenings, nights and weekends. You can’t afford to accept anything less. Online 24×7 support is the only way to go for computer-based training. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we’re working while the support is live.

Trainees looking at this market can be very practical by nature, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and poring through books and manuals. If you identify with this, go for more modern interactive training, where you can learn everything on-screen. Where we can study while utilising as many senses as possible, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Start a study-program in which you’re provided with an array of DVD-ROM’s – you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, and then have the opportunity to practice your skills in interactive lab’s. Each company you’re contemplating should be able to show you samples of their courseware. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and a wide selection of interactive elements.

Plump for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media whenever you can. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.

Often, students don’t think to check on a vitally important element – the way the company actually breaks down and delivers the courseware elements, and into how many parts. By and large, you will purchase a course staged over 2 or 3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. This may seem sensible until you think about these factors: What happens when you don’t complete every section? And what if the order provided doesn’t meet your requirements? Because of nothing that’s your fault, you might take a little longer and therefore not end up with all the modules.

For future safety and flexibility, most students now choose to request that all their modules (now paid for) are couriered out in one package, all at the beginning. It’s then your own choice at what speed and in which order you want to finish things.

‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – inevitably that means paying for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. But before you get taken in by guaranteed exams, consider this:

It’s become essential these days that we are a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and the majority of us ought to cotton on to the fact that it is actually an additional cost to us (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) If you want to pass in one, evidence suggests you must avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.

Don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you’re ready, and save having to find the money early. You’ll also be able to choose where to sit the exam – so you can choose somewhere closer to home. A surprising number of current training course providers secure huge profits through charging for examinations upfront then cashing in if they’re not all taken. Most companies will insist that you take mock exams first and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass – making an ‘exam guarantee’ just about worthless.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is short-sighted – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

Many trainers supply a practical Job Placement Assistance program, to assist your search for your first position. With the great need for more IT skills in this country at the moment, there’s no need to make too much of this option though. It’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to find your first job once you’re properly qualified.

Nevertheless, don’t leave it until you have qualified before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start a course, enter details of your study programme and get it out there! It’s possible that you won’t have even qualified when you will be offered your first junior support role; yet this isn’t going to happen if your CV isn’t in front of employers. The best services to help you find a job are usually local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.

Not inconsiderable numbers of trainees, it would appear, conscientiously work through their course materials (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of attempting to secure a job. Market yourself… Work hard to put yourself out there. A job isn’t just going to bump into you.

Technology and IT is one of the most stimulating and innovative industries that you could be a part of. To be dealing with leading-edge technology is to be a part of the massive changes affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. It’s a common misapprehension that the revolution in technology we have experienced is lowering its pace. There is no truth in this at all. Terrific advances are ahead of us, and most especially the internet will be the biggest thing to affect the way we live.

And don’t forget that the average salary in the IT sector across the UK is a lot greater than average salaries nationally, so in general you will most likely earn a lot more once qualified in IT, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. Because the IT market sector is still emerging at an unprecedented rate, it’s looking good that the need for qualified professionals will continue to boom for decades to come.