Cisco Career Retraining Uncovered

Cisco training is intended for individuals who want to learn about routers and switches. Routers join up computer networks via the internet or dedicated lines. It's likely that your first course should be your CCNA. Steer clear of going immediately onto your CCNP because it is very complex - and you really need experience before you take this on.

Getting this certification means you'll most probably find yourself working for national or international companies that are spread out geographically, but still want internal communication. The other possibility is working for internet service providers. Either way, you'll be in demand and can expect a high salary.

If you haven't yet had any experience of routers, then working up to and including the CCNA is the right level to aim for - at this stage avoid being tempted to do the CCNP. With a few years experience behind you, you will have a feel for if this next level is for you.

A useful feature offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. This is designed to assist your search for your first position. At the end of the day it's not as hard as some people make out to secure employment - once you're trained and certified; employers in this country need your skills.

Whatever you do, don't wait till you have finished your training before polishing up your CV. The day you start training, mark down what you're doing and tell people about it!

Quite often, you'll secure your initial position while you're still a student (sometimes when you've only just got going). If you haven't updated your CV to say what you're studying (and it isn't in the hands of someone with jobs to offer) then you don't stand a chance!

Most often, a local IT focused recruitment consultancy (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) is going to give you a better service than a division of a training company. It also stands to reason that they'll know the local area and commercial needs.

To bottom line it, as long as you put the same commitment into getting a position as into studying, you won't find it too challenging. Some people inexplicably spend hundreds of hours on their training and studies and then call a halt once they've got certified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

A lot of trainees assume that the state educational route is the way they should go. So why are qualifications from the commercial sector beginning to overtake it?

Industry is now aware that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, certified accreditation supplied for example by CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA is closer to the mark commercially - saving time and money.

Academic courses, for instance, clog up the training with vast amounts of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. Students are then held back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

It's rather like the advert: 'It does what it says on the label'. The company just needs to know where they have gaps, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

It's essential to have an authorised exam preparation system as part of your course package.

Steer clear of relying on non-accredited preparation materials for exams. Their phraseology is often somewhat different - and this could lead to potential problems in the actual examination.

Be sure to ask for testing modules so you'll be able to verify your knowledge at any point. Simulations of exams help to build your confidence - then you won't be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

Ask a professional advisor and they can normally tell you many worrying experiences of how students have been duped by salespeople. Ensure you only ever work with an experienced advisor who asks lots of questions to uncover the best thing for you - not for their bank-account! You need to find the right starting point of study for you.

Where you have a strong background, or perhaps a bit of commercial experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it's more than likely your starting point will be different from a trainee who has no experience.

For students embarking on IT studies for the first time, it can be helpful to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, beginning with some basic user skills first. This is often offered with most accreditation programs.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Try CLICK HERE or www.CiscoTrainingInfo.co.uk.