47 NAT

Spoke to them today after sending off a C.V. by e mail (Its a curiosity thing ). After some 10 minutes on the phone and been told that the training covers Web Design and other things. I then heard the price......

Is it really worth getting into PC's, etc at the moment as it seems a tough job out there for Contractors at the moment OR should I save my money?

Thanks In advance.....

Nath

mega_stream

Well I made the move just over 3 years ago now, not looked back

I used to repair camcorders and video's and stuff, got sick of it one day and left. I got a job as a field engineer repairing and installing pc's, they offered Microsoft training, a year later I took a job doing support, next year got into security, changed jobs again in April.

All in all its been good, put it like this, my salary has doubled from my 1st job in IT 3 years ago

Depends what you want to do in life, I know contractors that know absolute diddlysquit yet earn £35 an hour doing 1st line support!

Good luck

Dream Weaver

Then there are unlucky sods like me. Spent last 3-4 years learning everything about web design, have created some really good sites, and still cant get a job designing websites, not even a basic one for about £12k a year!!

I currently sell domain names for £4.86 an hour - wonderful!!

I am finally getting some freelance work in, but it means I am currently working from 9am til about 11pm every day.

You tell me if you think I am good enough:

Weston Comms
Travel Mad
LVCentre

However, if you enjoy the work it is great fun, so go for it

DW

47 NAT

Thanks for the feedback so far. The link to their site is http://www.ukittraining.com/

I'm looking to get out of the Sales of the Automotive Industry and have mixed feelings about what field I'm going into next (time for a change). Like everyone I want something that stills pays fairly well and you have the option to work weekends rather than it been compulsary ...which is a real bummer with a family and other commitments.

The fee for joining for the above site is £1950,

Nath

mega_stream

I'd have a look at www.azlan.co.uk for training, thats who we use at work.

Dunno if I'd part with those sort of pennies though, maybe better to do one course first, or better still self study and exams off your own back shows willing to a potential employer..Get some books from amazon.co.uk and have a look online for test centres local to yourself.

KF

There is no way I would shell out £2k for training if I didn't know what I wanted to gain.
The the crux of the question is, what is it that floats your boat about IT? If the answer is "salary" sit tight for 2 years - this is not the environment to chance your arm on a speculative career change. If it is something concrete, you are 1/2 way to getting there. Then we can help with pointing you in the right direction.
KF.

Z75

47 NAT,

Already some good advice but here's mine.

I am a software/system engineer in the telecoms industry with 8+ years experience. I have been out of work 9 months (OK so 6 months of that was with a broken leg so it's more like 3 months). I start my new job in January.

It is very difficult to find jobs in IT at the moment even with plenty of experience. So with no experience at the moment your chances are not good. No doubt things will pick up but it will take a few years for sure.

Be wary of these courses. They are very expensive and not necessarily a guarantee in finding a job. The going rate for any IT course is about £400/day although discounts can be had. Mostly these are paid for by companies sending their employees for training. In my opinion, an individual would have to be mad to go on one of these courses.

I have hardly gone on any courses, most of what I have learnt has been by doing the job. Computers are no different from any other industry. You can't just do a week's training or read one of those 'Learn IT in a week books' then expect to cut it amongst the professionals. If I reckoned I could learn everything about servicing Subarus in a week then went to SWRT and asked them for a job in their 2002 squad they would just laugh at me. IT is no different.

Don't let me put you off - I'm just giving you the facts. Somebody else on this thread mentioned enthusiasm. This is very important. If you're really motivated by an interest in computers, go for it and with a bit of application and patience you will succeed. If you're just in it for the money - forget it.

My advice is (assuming this is your hobby at the moment),

continue with your hobby
try to find some cheap and cheerful courses at your local college (these should be no more than £100 for a term)
find some people in the industry (like me) and talk to them
get some good books on your subject
try to get to some conferences and exhibitions

this way you'll become a very competent amateur, the final step to professional will be an easy and natural one.

Don't waste your money on expensive IT courses to get some out of date regurgitated material - spend it on some books and go faster bits for your car.

Remember also the grass is always greener, I'm in IT/telecoms but would really like to give the auto industry a go. Do I leave 8 years experience to start at the bottom again or do I just leave cars/bikes as a hobby.

Good luck!

philc

as an employer in the IT game, here's my twopenn'orth - academic qualifications don't mean much if u have no practical experience (what was the course standard? passing exams doesn't mean you can write good programs, help end-users or effectively diagnose and fix pc's)

I tend to look at cv's of computer starters who've got off their chuff and done something practical - doesn't have to be paid work -could be supporting pc's and the network in a school, or a local community centre, whatever ....

it tells me the applicant knows something about computers and computer support, have dealt with users and I have some-one to contact to perform a work-related reference check.

if u want to make a start in the industry for a lot less than the course costs, buy a couple of second hand pc's, a few 'dummies' books (eg dummies guide to computer networking...), pull the pc's apart, put them back together again, network them, hook one up to the internet, etc ..... then look for an organisation in the community who wants part-time support, then start applying for jobs.

You'll get low pay as a starter in the industry, but your 'hands-on' experience will put you ahead of pack ...

Mice_Elf

Just a thought, but have you tried places like LearnDirect : http://www.learndirect.co.uk/
or
Schiedegger MIS - they do grants for learning courses. Haven't got the details here with me, but I'll try to source them at home for you.

PCs and IT in general are relatively good, secure areas to get into, it's just a question of finding a decent role for the proper money.

Good luck in your search.