computeach course

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I'm currently doing a networking course with Computeach, which in the end will provide me with COMPTIA A+, MCSA and MCSE qualifications. How demanding are employers for people with these qualifications, especially with no experience? What are the wages like? Would I begin as a trainee on poor wages?

 

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Hi Rigby,

I hate to say that I rather think this would be the case with little or no experience. You can prob expect to look at an entry level position, such as a junior IT Tech, or be on Helpdesk / Support. Thats how I got my break (still waiting on the next step) but don't under-estimate it - it shows you have the willingness to take on the basics first amd learn from there, and you never know who you'll meet / what you'll learn once you get that break.

So yes, expect a lowly start, but don't be put off - it's only the beginning ....

By the way, why not swing by the New Members Forum and introduce yourself to the gang.

HTH

 

Greetings, Rigby. Welcome to CertForums. I'll agree with Gav here. Gone are the days when you could get a good paying job based on holding a set of certifications alone. Passing a set of exams doesn't always translate into administering a network and employers would like to see a "track record" for a prospective employee.

Having said all that, it's unlikely that you'd take and pass all of the exams leading up to an MCSE without applying for and (hopefully) getting hired for an entry-level tech job where you would begin getting experience. There's not magic to a career in IT and certainly no magic in having one or more ceritifications. You still have to "pay your dues" and start out...probably as a support desk tech or field support tech, troubleshooting and repairing problems on PCs. laptops. PDAs and the like.

The bottom line is that as you gain experience and proceed through your education, you will eventually be eligible for better and higher paying jobs. Of course, building a career path takes years. Even taking and passing all of the exams required to become an MCSE will not happen very quickly.

I'm sorry if I sound discouraging but I wanted to make sure that you knew that this career path is not a quick path to good wages. On the other hand, if you have a desire and talent for the field, it can also be very rewarding and satisfying.

Let us know how we can help.

 

Hi I'm doing the same course as rigby, I know it's going to me a long slog, and expect to start at the bottom when I do finally get a job. During my interview before I was offered the course, the lady told me I would be looking around the £18,000 mark as a start off salary, have I been misled?, because I did state to her I can't really drop too much from my current wage.
Also what are the job prospects like??? She made it sound like they were ready and waiting for you!!! Because all company's were short of it staff. Don't get me wrong I like the course, but im a bit old to be starting on £12,000 pa. I also have city and guilds in data comms and multimode fibre. Even though not my current job, are employers going to take this into consideration.
Sorry for going on , but I feel a little disappointed as the light at the end of the tunnel doesn't seem as bright anymore.

 

As far as leveraging your current skill sets into a new job in IT, it certainly is possible but there are no guarentees. I don't know how old you are but at 50, I'm just now getting back on my feet after working slave jobs for the last 4 or 5 years. There is no substitute for paying your dues and I know people older than me who are starting over.

I can't count the number of Ethernet rollouts and hardware upgrade projects I've worked on. The hourly wage can go from lousy to pretty decent...but they are all temp jobs. Be that as it may, they were the foundation on which to build up my CV and eventually get the job I have today.

I still don't earn quite as much as I did 5 years ago relative to inflation and do free lance work after hours to make up the difference. I wish I could tell you that you'll get a break because of your previous employment and life experience but there are no promises.

 

I'm 30, but when u got kids a mortgage and bills, it all adds up. I never have a minute to myself cos I'm trying to study. I've paid alot of money to do this course, so to go from decent pay to crap pay at the end, whats the point cos I won't be able to afford to switch jobs?!?!? plus I will still be paying off the course. I don't mind starting at the bottom, but to pay £4000 for a course thats going to start me off on a crap wage........

Sorry to go on but i'm stressed, too much to do and so little time. At least I can get it off my chest here. I'm off before I really lose it

Will b back when feeling calmer

 

No problem, Dusty. In my case, it was forced on me. I lost my previous job and couldn't find anything decent in my original career path. To make ends meet, I was forced to take a slave job with the postal service, working long, hard hours with next to no pay in order to support my family.

I went about a year before landing on IT a career move. I considered self-study but I didn't have a background or context for what I was trying to learn so it didn't make a lot of sense. In my case, I looked at a local (and pricey) provider for training but they gave me the creeps so I dropped them like a feral cat and took a look at my local college

They had a 2 year program in computer network support for a fraction of the cost as the private provider so I went with them. I tend to do better in classroom situations so it was a good fit. Then in class, I opened up my first PC, started digging around and I was hooked for life.

I was working for crummy wages anyway, so I had nothing to lose by transitioning to entry level jobs in IT. I understand what you are saying about having to support a family and I don't think you'll find anyone here who will argue against you making that your number one priority in life.

You do need to make an informed career decision as far as IT goes. Maybe it's not a good fit. It can be quite lucrative but that's only after you have quite a bit of relevent experience in a developed specialty area. That's *years* down the road from just starting out.

I know it's stressful. There were days when I thought my head was going to explode when I was working my slave job full-time, going to school full-time, studying and after all...I had to sleep sometimes. My family didn't know who I was for awhile since they saw so little of me.

It does pay off in the end, but you have to be willing and able to make the necessary sacrifices. Keep asking questions and turning it over in your head. You're the only one who can make the final decision about whether IT is good for you or not. We'll do what we can to support you, mate. Good luck.

 

Thx for the support m8. Thats the problem, I love my pc, I enjoy my course(but agree with you, I'am better in a classroom with hands on). I wish I had got into computers earlier, typical, the amount of courses and career paths I have taken, and when I'm 30 I finally decide what I want to do!!! Don't know if I should be happy cos' Ive found what I want to do or have a breakdown. Lol, only kidding.

Do you know many peeps that have done a computeach network course Tripwire???

Also is there a part on the forum where I can get in contact with peeps doing the same course with computeach at roughly the same level???? Didn't realise how hard it is to learn at home. Would be good to have someone to bounce off when things go pear-shaped

I'm just glad I have some knowledge on networking, I nearly chose to do programming. Having learnt the basics of all the IT jobs, I'am so glad I picked networking. Web Design!!! Looks nice at the end, just doing it would really do me in( no offence to you web designers out there, you do a great job)

Have you heard any bad press about computeach? So far I have found them helpfull, In fact my tutor tells me peps don't contact him often enough. Either I'm thick cos I ask him questions or peeps know it all

If I'm stuck on a question m8, can I post on here for some help? Some off the questions in my mock exam are not on my online theory or my big ass book they sent.

Gonna go, cheers for the help and advice m8, talk l8ers

 

I don't really have the members here memorized by who goes to what provider. Since I live in the US and have never used any of the providers in the UK, I have a tough time keeping them straight.

You might want to start a separate thread. Something entitled "Ping Computeach Students" or something like that. See if you can collect a few names and swap a few email addresses or just use a thread to discuss your common experiences.

Sure, if you get stuck, choose the appropriate forum and let us give you a hand. We tend focus not just on answering an exam question but on trying to get to the underlying issue. If the correct answer is such and thus...why is that the right answer. That sort of thing.

We're here to help each other. That's what this place is all about.

 

Hi Dusty - couldn't agree more with Trip on this. Whilst we try to avoid actually promoting or denegrating individual training providers, we do welcome active discussion amongst Members about them. The Training & Development board is the main Forum we have for discussion of these issues. I don't think many Members here would object to you at least dropping a quick PM if you think they're in the same boat as you. Or, like Trip says, kick off a Thread of your own - it's why we're here, after all, and who's to say you won't start off a whole new discussion that will help not just you, but many other Members too.

HTH

 

Thx guys