My IT nightmare

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Hi

In 1995 I was unemployed for a stint and was told that I would have to go on some sort of training course to enable me to broaden my horizons, so I wanted to take a course in woodwork or antique repairs because I like working with my hands and also like to problem solve and use my brain for measurements etc.

Anyway it turned out that the 15 people in the group all did the same course, it was the City & Guilds, Excel, Access and Word, I went to part 2 of the C & G and I really did not like the course as I thought it was a bit secretarial for me, but it had awoken something inside of me, I was now hooked and intrigued about computers, and lets not forget this was the time when the UK Gov were telling everyone that there is a shortage of IT people in the UK. man I was going to get a job with good pay and pretty soon.

Anyway I carried on with the day to day drudgery and then yet again I was made redundant and so I asked if I could go on a computer course to learn how to repair computers although I had already been tinkering but as a man of 38 by now I was careful as to what to do when tinkering and never took shortcuts and I really liked fixing things so this really suited me.

So I went on a course with Working Links for my A+, well I absolutely nailed the essentials and my tutor said that I could go straight to the final exam, I told Working Links I passed and would need funding for the final second part.

They never replied and I had to keep phoning them because they would never contact me and as I was/am on a low wage I could never afford the costs, so one day I said what if I pay the funding could they book the course, with that they said ok and a few days later I had a letter saying that the I was not going to get funding because I had enough money, wtf! I thought, I inquired if I had enough funding not that I had the money, this had been going on for 8months so I though I could push them along a bit but instead they removed from there books.

Anyway it is now years later still no second part and now the criteria has changed but yet friends and family and others call me from time to time and I always do a top notch job but I have still not got that job in IT that was so readily available in 1995.

Maybe one day though

Sorry for the wall of text.

 

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Don't get me started on Working Links ... (to deal with as a company working alongside them!)

So what are you up to now?

 

Unfortunately if you rely solely on the government for your education or career you are likely to fail.

The A+ exam is available self study for around £250, now I admit that its not cheap, but spread over a year that is not a lot of money, ~£20 a month.

 

I am valeting cars at the moment, now that the weather is bad and my boss had the great idea of taking the cars outside to be worked on because he wanted the space to store his TR7 the amount of work has gone down hill so money is tighter than ever.

If you ever want to PM about working links go ahead, I would love to hear how they have been towards you.



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With kids and bills that's a really big amount to save up unfortunately, and loans are not for me i also live in a rural area and work is scarce so I have to feel fortunate just to have a job at the moment.

 

I would not generally advise loans, you can save and pay as you go, first buy a good book on the A+ £20-30, read and study, possibly get hold of old computers to look at from freecycle etc, after 3-4 month study book first exam with a discount voucher £110, couple months later book second exam with another discount voucher £110.

If you have already passed part one , then you have just the second exam to pay.

 

I was informed that even if you pass the essentials before the new rules were applied where they renamed the exams and now the cert only lasts 3 years that I would have to take the now renamed essentials again.

 

Correct you have to pass both exams from the same version

 

It is incredulous somebody's career could be held back for the sake of £250. I paid around £250 for the 2 A+ exams back in 2006 - greatly over-priced for a computer based multiple choice based test. Consider looking for a job right NOW - based on the knowledge you have. Exams don't mean everything. Once you start working you will forget about ALL certs, and updating them will likely not happen, unless you go through a future period of unemployment. Learn everything you need NOW to get up to date - forget exams - use your money for good books like Scott Mueller, you will learn a LOT more. Plus you've got Wikipedia and the rest of the internet. Most TP's are shysters, preying on those lacking initiative. When you show initiative, you get a job. Save money by buying books second-hand on Amazon or EBay. Many books can be found online free in PDF form (eg bit-torrent).

 

The Training Provider was/is a pile of crap and the local Jobcentre have not got a clue, I think one of the problems I have faced is that I am in my 40s and in most peoples eyes I should of known what I wanted to do by now, maybe if I commit a crime or say I have mental issues then I would get any course I wanted by now.

"sigh"

 

I know people that have used Working Links and have had many horror stories to tell about them, I honestly do not think I have ever heard a good story about them so I really do not understand why they are still operating, probably through fake statistics for target purposes...

I did the A+ through my local college, whom I now happen to work for also, the course was not the best however it included the exam costs and study materials included which gave me a big drive to see myself through the course. I then used Professor Messer and other online resources including mock tests from Measure Up, I then booked both exams and passed them both first time. All in all I spent a lot of hours, and maybe around £600 total from start to finish but it got me my current job I am sure so has ended up being worth it.

I am currently learning to drive and I have my driving test on 21st March, once I have passed then I will be able to sit back down and look at other IT Certifications I can begin to focus on, things like the Microsoft 70-680, N+ are ones that I am currently looking at.

The reason I have given so much information here is to give you the drive to not give up and that there are plenty of free resources out there to get you exam ready, then you just have to pay for the exams which I accept with the A+ are quite expensive.

Good luck

 

@xit909: Take the responsibility out of other PEOPLE's hands and put it into your own. You do NOT need Working Links or any other TP to help you succeed. There are employers and businesses out there who NEED people who are skilled in computer/laptop/tablet/smartphone repair, and these employers are often waiting on the right candidate to turn up - they are tired of time-wasters and 'talkers'. Show how much you have learned in your own time and under your own initiative, set up a simple web site eg a word press blog with descriptions and photos of some projects you've worked on to show what you've achieved. Go beyond PC repair and learn about laptop/tablet/smartphone repair also, as this is becoming increasingly important. Just keep on gaining knowledge and experience and write it down so you can speak about it during interviews - if you are determined you can succeed - but it depends on how determined you are. Age is not a barrier in any field of IT - there is no heavy lifting involved - BUT age IS a barrier in something like car valeting.

Yes I think you have hit the nail right on the head there, which is why 'statistics' can generally be safely ignored