Microsoft MCSA-MCSE Training Providers – Insights
Are you toying with the idea of doing an MCSE? It’s very possible then that it’s likely you’ll come into one of two categories: You’re currently an IT professional and you’d like to gain accreditation with the Microsoft qualification. Alternatively you might be just about to enter the IT environment, and you’ve found that there are many opportunities for certified networking professionals.
When researching MCSE’s, you’ll hit upon training companies that lower their out-goings by failing to provide the latest version from Microsoft. Avoid such training providers as you will face problems at exam time. If you are studying the wrong version, it will make it very difficult to pass.
A company’s mission statement must be based upon doing the most for their students, and they should be passionate about their results. Working towards an MCSE isn’t just about passing exams – the procedure must also be geared towards assisting you in working on the best action plan for your future.
Consider only retraining programs which will lead to industry accepted accreditations. There’s an endless list of small companies pushing their own ‘in-house’ certificates which are worthless when it comes to finding a job.
From a commercial standpoint, only the big-boys like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (for instance) will get you into the interview seat. Nothing else makes the grade.
A service that many training companies provide is job placement assistance. This is to assist your search for your first position. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though – it’s quite easy for eager sales people to overplay it. The fact of the matter is, the still growing need for IT personnel in the UK is why employers will be interested in you.
You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; also we would encourage all students to update their CV the day they start training – don’t delay for when you’re ready to start work.
Various junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who are still learning and haven’t even passed a single exam yet. At the very least this will get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.
Normally you’ll get better performance from a specialist independent regional employment service than you’ll get from a training company’s centralised service, because they’ll know local industry and the area better.
Please make sure you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, just to give up and leave it up to everyone else to secure your first position. Stop procrastinating and start looking for yourself. Invest as much time and energy into finding a good job as it took to get qualified.
We’re often asked why traditional degrees are less in demand than the more commercial qualifications?
Industry is of the opinion that for an understanding of the relevant skills, certified accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance – and a fraction of the cost and time.
This is done through concentrating on the skills that are really needed (together with an appropriate level of related knowledge,) rather than going into the heightened depths of background ‘padding’ that degrees in computing can get bogged down in – to fill a three or four year course.
It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. All an employer has to do is know what areas need to be serviced, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. That way they can be sure they’re interviewing applicants who can do the job.
Some training providers will only offer support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly.
Be wary of any training providers which use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – with the call-back coming in during standard office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
World-class organisations utilise an online access round-the-clock system combining multiple support operations throughout multiple time-zones. You’ll have an easy to use environment which accesses the most appropriate office at any time of day or night: Support available as-and-when you want it.
If you accept anything less than direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. It may be that you don’t use it in the middle of the night, but consider weekends, late evenings or early mornings.
Written by Scott Edwards. Visit or .
