Good for you! As you\’re reading this article it\’s likely you\’re thinking about retraining for a new career – so already you\’ve made a start. Very few of us are satisfied with our careers, but no action is ever taken. You could be a member of the few who make a difference in their lives.

When considering retraining, it\’s important to first define what you want and don\’t want from the career you would like to get. Ensure that things would be a lot better before much time and effort is spent re-directing your life. So much better to look at the end goal first, to make the right judgements:

* Would you like to work with others? If the answer\’s yes, would you enjoy being part of a team or are you hoping to meet new people? Or would you rather work alone with a task?

* Are you thinking carefully about which area you could be employed in? (In this economy, it\’s vital to get it right.)

* Is this the final time you plan to retrain, and therefore, will this new career allow you to do that?

* Would it be useful for your training course to be in an area where you know you\’ll have a job until your pension kicks in?

Don\’t overlook Information Technology, that\’s our recommendation – it\’s one of the few growth areas in Great Britain and Europe. Another benefit is that remuneration packages are much better than most.

Locating job security in the current climate is very rare. Businesses often remove us out of the workforce at a moment\’s notice – as long as it fits their needs.

It\’s possible though to discover market-level security, by digging for areas in high demand, mixed with a lack of qualified workers.

Offering the computer industry for instance, a recent e-Skills survey brought to light major skills shortages in the UK in excess of 26 percent. Meaning that for every 4 jobs that exist around Information Technology (IT), there are only 3 trained people to do them.

This disturbing truth underpins an urgent requirement for more appropriately trained Information Technology professionals around the UK.

We can\’t imagine if a better time or market conditions could exist for getting trained into this hugely emerging and blossoming business.

Students often end up having issues because of one area of their training usually not even thought about: The breakdown of the course materials before being physically delivered to you.

Many companies enrol you into a 2 or 3 year study programme, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you complete each section or exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following:

What happens when you don\’t complete every exam? And what if the order provided doesn\’t meet your requirements? Without any fault on your part, you mightn\’t complete everything fast enough and therefore not end up with all the modules.

To be in the best situation you would have all the learning modules posted to your home before you even start; every single thing! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your capability of finishing.

Of course: a training itself or an accreditation is not what you\’re looking for; the career you\’re training for is. Too many training companies completely prioritise just the training course.

It\’s an awful thing, but a great many students begin programs that seem wonderful from the sales literature, but which delivers a career that is of no interest at all. Try talking to typical university leavers to see what we mean.

Be honest with yourself about the income level you aspire to and whether you\’re an ambitious person or not. Usually, this will point the way to which precise qualifications will be required and how much effort you\’ll have to give in return.

We recommend that students seek guidance and advice from a skilled advisor before embarking on a learning programme, so there\’s little doubt that the chosen route will give you the skills for the job being sought.

A competent and professional advisor (vs a salesman) will want to thoroughly discuss your current experience level and abilities. This is vital for understanding your study start-point.

If you have a strong background, or sometimes a little commercial experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it\’s likely your starting level will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever.

Where this will be your first effort at IT study then you might also want to cut your teeth on a user-skills course first.

(C) Jason Kendall. Visit LearningLolly.com for intelligent career tips. IT Training or www.learninglolly.com.

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