This demand has presented many people the opportunity to travel the world in order to attend the best training available in their fields and work on numerous ICT projects. A number of ICT professionals believe they found what they considered was the best training through industry literature and personal contacts. But what about training for ICT beginners who may not have the industry knowledge or contacts?
It is a question that has echoed around the world since the popular rise of the Internet in the 1990s, “What are the best ICT courses for beginners”? The answer is not as simple as rattling off a few training providers. I will try to explain why with an example about cars, because I think that most readers will be able to relate.
Imagine that I was going to buy a car and I asked you to “help me to buy the best car”. Your response would probably include some follow up questions concerning my budget and the type of cars that I like. Sports cars, family cars, 4WD, luxury cars, economic cars and environmentally friendly cars are possibilities but experience tells you that my budget and preference will narrow down the options to one or two types and manufacturers.
Can you see where I’m going with this? ICT courses for beginners suffer the same problem but with an additional hurdle. Unlike car manufacturers, ICT fields are not well known or understood by those outside the ICT industry. So your first step to finding the best ICT course for you should be to identify and research career options within the industry that include training requirements, pay scales, demand and entry requirements. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in the ICT industry and the best training will be dependent on your specific circumstance.
At a very general level, your initial research will likely identify a number of possible ICT fields not unlike the following; Helpdesk, PC support, ICT Business Analyst, Systems Administrator, Database Administrator, Telecommunications Engineer, Software Developer, Information Systems Analyst, Security or Project Manager.
This list is just the start. Further research will reveal that most of the aforementioned fields contain a number of specialty areas within. For example, the Systems Administrator field may include Windows Systems Administrator, Unix/Linux Systems Administrator or Network Systems Administrator. It is targeting one or more of these specific areas that will most likely result in the most value from your ICT training, because it is this type of specific skills that employers often seek during a recruitment process.
Once again, ensuring that your training will be valuable for your ICT career depends on your selected field as well as your region of the world. Proper research into your specific job market, however, is easy and will help you to satisfy any doubt about demand, pay scale, entry requirement and your suitability before you invest in your selected career. Here is a great place to start.
An easy to follow and comprehensive ICT industry overview will help you to identify a suitable field, pay scales, entry requirements and even job application details for your selected field. There are a number of ICT opportunities which have arisen in the African continent and in Zimbabwe through the increase in ICT penetration as countries strive to meet the MDGs and fulfill the great need to communicate. Choosing the right career path within the Information Technology industry in Africa can be quite daunting. Although many universities and colleges are producing ICT skilled personnel there is still demand for ICT skills in Africa.
A lot of skilled personnel are joining the local job market and some are migrating to other countries in search of more skills and better remuneration. Due to the dynamic and evolving nature of the ICT field there is need for continuous skills development in order for ICT people to remain competent and compliant. Knowledge of the ICT job market is very important to students and personnel working in the market. With the growth in technology the ICT job market seems to be the market of choice currently and in the future for a number of people.
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Post published in: News