Adobe Dreamweaver is the starting point of study for almost all web designers. It is probably the favourite environment for web development on the planet. For applications in the commercial world you will require a full understanding of the full Adobe Web Creative Suite. This means also (though it’s not limited to) Action Script and Flash. If you wish to become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) or Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) you’ll find these skills are vital.
The construction of a website is only the beginning of the skill set required though – in order to drive traffic, update content, and work with dynamic database-driven sites, you will have to learn additional programming skills, for example PHP, HTML, and MySQL. A good web designer will additionally have a practical knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce.
Being at the forefront of the leading edge of new technology gives you the best job satisfaction ever. Your actions are instrumental in defining the world to come. We are really only just starting to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be inordinately affected by computers and the web.
Always remember that typical remuneration in the IT industry throughout this country is noticeably more than in the rest of the economy, so in general you’ll most likely gain a lot more as a trained IT professional, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. Apparently there is a lot more room for IT industry development in the United Kingdom. The market is still growing hugely, and we don’t have anywhere near enough qualified skilled IT professionals to fill current job vacancies, so it’s most unlikely that there’ll be any kind of easing off for years to come.
Picking up on the sheer volume of talk about computing technology these days, how are we supposed to understand what in particular to look for?
With so much choice, is it any wonder that a large majority of trainees don’t really understand the best career path they could be successful with. Scanning a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is next to useless. The vast majority of us don’t really appreciate what our next-door neighbours do at work each day – so we’re in the dark as to the intricacies of a specific IT job. Achieving a well-informed decision will only come via a methodical examination covering many altering criteria:
* Your personal interests and hobbies – these often show the areas will give you the most reward.
* Are you looking to achieve a specific aim – like becoming self-employed in the near future?
* Is the money you make further up on your wish list than other requirements.
* Understanding what the main Information technology areas and sectors are – and what makes them different.
* Our advice is to think deeply about the amount of time and effort you’ll put into the accreditation program.
In these situations, it’s obvious that the only real way to research these matters is through a chat with a professional who has experience of Information Technology (as well as the commercial needs and requirements.)
It’s likely that you probably enjoy fairly practical work – a ‘hands-on’ person. Typically, the painful task of reading endless manuals would be considered as a last resort, but you really wouldn’t enjoy it. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books. Years of research and study has time and time again demonstrated that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.
Start a study-program in which you’ll get a host of CD or DVD ROM’s – you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, and be able to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. You’ll definitely want a look at some courseware examples from your training provider. You’ll want to see expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.
Purely on-line training should be avoided. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where possible, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want – and not be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.
Many training companies will only offer support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; very few go late in the evening or at weekends. Never purchase certification programs which can only support students via a message system after office-staff have gone home. Training organisations will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. Essentially – you need support when you need support – not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.
It’s possible to find the very best companies who provide their students direct-access support around the clock – including evenings, nights and weekends. Unless you insist on online 24×7 support, you’ll regret it very quickly. You may not need it throughout the night, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or late evenings.
A number of men and women presume that the school and FE college route is the right way even now. Why then are qualifications from the commercial sector becoming more popular with employers? Industry is now aware that for an understanding of the relevant skills, the right accreditation supplied for example by Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is closer to the mark commercially – and a fraction of the cost and time. They do this through concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with a proportionate degree of related knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background ‘padding’ that computer Science Degrees can often find themselves doing (to fill up a syllabus or course).
Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the label’. Companies need only to know what they’re looking for, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.
Adding in the cost of examination fees with the course fee and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is a popular marketing tool with a number of training colleges. But let’s examine why they really do it:
Everyone knows they’re still being charged for it – it’s not so hard to see that it’s already in the full cost of the package supplied by the training company. It’s certainly not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Taking your exams progressively one by one and funding them as you go sees you much better placed to get through first time – you put the effort in and are aware of the costs involved.
Sit the exam at a local pro-metric testing centre and don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you’re ready. Many so-called credible training companies secure a great deal of profit through asking for examinations upfront then banking on the fact that many won’t be taken. The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and hold you back from re-takes until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass – making an ‘exam guarantee’ just about worthless.
Due to typical VUE and Prometric examinations costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it makes sense to pay as you go. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
Many training companies offer a Job Placement Assistance facility, designed to steer you into your first job. Often, people are too impressed with this facility, because it’s relatively easy for well qualified and focused men and women to land work in the IT environment – because companies everywhere are seeking trained staff.
However, what is relevant is to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; also we would encourage everybody to work on polishing up their CV as soon as training commences – don’t put it off until you’ve qualified. It’s not uncommon to find that junior support roles have been bagged by students who are still studying and haven’t even passed a single exam yet. At the very least this will get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile. The most reliable organisations to help you land that job are normally specialist locally based employment services. Because they make their money when they’ve found you a job, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.
Not inconsiderable numbers of students, it seems, conscientiously work through their course materials (for years sometimes), only to give up at the first hurdle when attempting to secure a job. Introduce yourself… Make an effort to get in front of employers. Don’t expect a job to just fall into your lap.