I Have studied for 2 and a half years with skills train and am preparing for my CCNA having passed my network exam a year ago.
My studies and closeness to completing my CCNA has meant that I have changed Jobs and careers and now work on an IT Help Desk for Christians Against Poverty. I've just completed my 2nd week.
Keep reading reading and reading. Take it all in and when you're ready apply for lots of jobs.
I now know it was all worth it!!!!
-James
I have now began to run my own IT consultancy and repair business. I am not going to say it has been easy, but thanks to the tutors at SkillsTrain, it has been easier than expected, due to the training support offered. I stood little chance of employment on the open job market due to my many medical problems, and family commitments to my disabled son, but now two years down the line, I am once again financially sound and it's all thanks to SkillsTrain. I can't thank you enough for the support and encouragement provided by the staff and tutors, May I wish everyone more success for the future and May you continue to go from strength to strength, as I myself have done.
-Robert
This year of studying with skills train has been unbelievable, I could never imagined that when I enrolled last year that my life would change in more ways than I imagined.
When I enrolled last year I explained my situation with the skillstrain advisor. I was undergoing the final stages of my treatment for a brain tumour, and had undergone surgery, radiotherapy and six months of chemotherapy. I wanted something to take my mind off of my situation, and give me some goals for the coming year, and a skillstrain course seemed an ideal way to progress.
For the last year |I have been managing my study with my job (although only part time as I still get very fatigued), and I admit it has been a struggle juggling work, with hospital visits and studying, and in August this year I was taken back into hospital after a relapse.
Throughout this however my concentration on my study has I feel got me through some of these dark times, and waiting for my latest TMA result gave me something to aim for.
My Progress I admit May not be as fast as some other students, because of my situation, however I am soldiering on and look forward to every new part of my course.
My Latest Scans show I'm am in remission and I have every intention of making up for lost time, So Thank you once again Skills Train and here's to 2009!.
Yours faithfully
-Martin
Since passing my CompTiaA+ exam in 2007,My Skilstrain A+/N+ course has helped me to secure my first temporary IT contract (IT Support Administrator)with a major international accountancy firm at their Glasgow office and has increased the number of job interviews and calls from employers about job applications.
I hope to secure my next IT contract soon thanks to Skillstrain.
-Rick
My story is a big one. I was a heroin addict for 8 years and after seeing life at its most low for that time I knew I needed to get out. so I did and now I have an exciting new job in IT and have just finished my last TMA on my first book of the N+ course. This will be a great Xmas this year as I have a positive future ahead of me. 2 years clean and a good career, for me life could not be any better. Thank you all very much
-Allan
I always wanted to work in IT field, therefore after I finished University in Poland, where I studied IT, I decided to move to UK. My dream was to get a good IT job with possibilities to learn something new. I soon realised that knowledge I gathered during my studies doesn't meet minimum required to start any serious IT job. I searched and applied for many positions with no replies, so I had to take a job irrelevant to my interest.
I realised then, that my dream will not come true unless I do something about it.. I decided to find a course which allows me develop my skills and move forward. It wasn't easy, as most of the courses available were too expensive and classes time was not convenient - I had to work. I didn't see myself as a full time student and an employee at the same time, but I kept looking and filled up some course applications.
I got a phone call one day, from some college, they asked me questions about my current situation, interests and my plans for the future. We arranged a meeting where I was explained a flexible on-line studying and very suitable payment system. I was given an advice which course I should choose and what my career steps should be. I decided to join The Skills Train College.
I started to study for the CompTia A+ certification. I really enjoyed studying, and after I passed my first certificate, I noticed that this course filled some gaps in my knowledge and here actually I was learning something what I could practice and use resolving every day issues.
I started to apply for IT jobs again, and one day received a phone call from a company where I sent a job application form to. They invited me for an interview. The position I applied for was IT Support Assistant. I got this job! and I must say - I have realised that I'm finally on my way. Just a few months later I passed the second certificate - CompTia N+.
Currently I am working as 2nd line support technician. Studying helps me to face new challenges at work, be more confident, creative and helpful. Every day I resolve issues using backgrounds from A+ and N+ courses. People value my opinion and I am becoming a technical expert as I have always wanted to be.
I am on the third and the last level of my courses choice - CCNA, but I already know that I'm going to continue my journey with The Skills Train as I have found more interesting courses. Information technology is a field where we can always explore new technologies. This is one of the reasons which makes it so exiting. I have finally found the right place which shows me the way and gives sources to do it.
The Skills Train College not only allows me to achieve recognised certificates therefore get better job, but most importantly makes my dreams come true.
I have and I will recommend this College to all of my friends who want to start or continue their IT career.
Thank you Skills Train.
-Tomasz
Over the past years I have been studying since successfully completing my A+ Certification, I have been selected for the role of Head Technician and manager of an IT company . This has unfortunately taken me away from studying more of the skillstrain course, but if it was not for this course I am sure I would have not got there.
I was offered this role over colleagues that have been employed in the technician role and have been with the company for many years before myself, however, this achievement was made possible due to the understanding of computer maintenance and repair that I have gained from carrying out courses via Skills Train and my determination to succeed. Very hard for promotion at work. One of my key tasks was to pass my A+ and N+ exams to help put a case forward for promotion. In March 2008 I passed both external exams to certify as an A+ IT Technician and now have the certificate on my wall at work. Then to make things even better I sat and passed my Comptia N+ exam in February and am now awaiting that certificate to go alongside my A+ one. My manager has just said he is going to support my case for promotion and fingers crossed it will be made true these coming months. All of this is down to the course materials received from Skillstrain making the studying a lot easier with excellent course materials.
-Mohammed
Pastures New! Promotion! Career! Prospects!
All words I'd come to forget 2 years ago! I was out of work, fast approaching 30 with 2 young children and my elderly grandmother to care for and had lost my lustre for life believing it to have past me by! I needed direction! It came in the form of skillstrain. A chance stop at the skillstrain website one evening, a single phone call, a single visit from an caring and knowledgeable skillstrain agent and I was on the road to recovery! I started studying on the 1st January with a new year's resolution to improve my life and thereby also improving those lives around me. With little IT background I was correctly advised to learn from the ground up with the excellent A+ with which I gained a solid understanding of the inner workings of a PC and the peripherals that went with one, hey now I can count in binary:0) I started to enjoy life once more and threw myself into study, while incorporating the school run, shopping, caring for my grandmother etc.. In this time I also got a part time job in a warehouse, it wasn't much but too me it was a big stepping stone to the future. Midway through the year I began the N+ and now things were hotting up and getting more difficult however this just made me more determined to study harder. During this time I was sending of tma's regularly and during the N+ getting more wrong than right! But with the excellent tutoring provided by the college staff via both phone, e-mail and notes made on the tma's I systematically improved and re-took any unsuccessful tma's until I got them right and more importantly understood where I had gone wrong.
So that brings me onto this year. How has skillstrain improved my life this year? Well at the start of the year I was still working in the warehouse and had just moved onto studying CCNA. I had been slowly gaining my confidence back and at this point, felt proud enough of myself to start sending out CV's and trying to sell myself and the new knowledge I had gained. It all came together in April this year, when I got an interview for a firstline systems helpdesk analyst. I was thrilled just to be getting an interview for this type of role, remembering how far I'd come. I got a call back for a second interview, where the IT manager was very impressed with the A+ and N+ on my CV and pleased to hear how the CCNA was coming along. A phone call later on the same day confirmed I'd got the job and beaten off some more experienced interviewees. The reason was simple, I had studied with a recognised institute in the IT field and that speaks volumes. All the same I realised the company has gone out on a limb employing someone with little real world experience, although the training at skillstrain is as close as you can get! So I threw myself into work as I had my studying and began to impress, which wasn't that hard because I'd had the best training and experience. I began feel comfortable using my learned knowledge and adding it to my new skills being learnt every day. After each day when work was over and I had made dinner for the children and bathed and put them too bed, I still made time to study, even for just a short while, not wanting to lose momentum even for a moment.
I began the second half of my CCNA midway through the year, all the time working as an analyst in a citrix environment dealing with basic password resets etc.. I knew if I kept at my study it would once again pay off.......It did! Recently our company has merged with another who provides managed services and now my company has formed a new Networking helpdesk called Service Management Centre (SMC) on which I have been promoted too as an Incident Manager (firstline escalation/2nd line), so will now be using my networking and CCNA skills on a daily basis.
When I think how far I've come from last year to this year and now from this year to next year, I wonder where I'll be in years to come.
From unemployed and unemployable, to Incident manager in 2 years.
Thank you Skills-Train and all the college staff involved who made it happen (you know who you are:0)
Merry Xmas and a Happy prosperous new year to all!
PS thank you also to all the inspirational stories wrote by skills-train students, I still take time to read them occasionally when I lose motivation, it never fails to put me back on the right path again:0)
PPS For those that have read this far;) I intend to take my CCNA final exam by February and will more than likely be knocking on skills-trains door asking about another course!
-Richard
I started my cisco certified network associate (ccna) in January 2008 of which I have finished my a+ and I am about to answer the last part of my n+ (revision supplement part b). I started on a brilliant performance on most of my assignments which have really helped me in my work place. I worked as an inspector of the railway where most of my works require reports writing basically done on the computer.
I was in the office with my colleagues sometimes back in September this year where everyone was on the computer writing out their reports when suddenly the system lost its connection from the network server. Everyone was not happy about the incident. It was at this point, I said to myself I can be of relevant because none of them knew I have the knowledge. Most of them were about going home with a disappointment while I said to them if they could wait for some minutes in order to rectifying the problem.
I was told not to put myself in an unnecessary situation as there is no one that could resolve the problem among us. I said, well just bear with me for some minutes while they waited and see what I was up to. I started with one of the method I really love so much in troubleshooting network (asid) which is acquire, simplify, implement and document. I started by using the drivers that are on the drivers disk that were ships with the network interface card (nic). I make sure the driver is loaded and the protocols are bound. I test the nic adapter with the diagnostic utilities that often came with the driver installation. I make sure the network cable was securely attached at both rj45 connections (adapter and hub). I checked the led lights were on the nic and finally the system was up and running with the help of the administrator as well. My colleagues were all over praising me for a well done job.
I was overwhelmed by this achievement because; it was a huge success that was recognised by the managing director. I was nominated for the staff of the month and equally given a free day travel to any place of my choice paid for. I have attended some meetings with the managements and I have been told that, come the 19th of December this year, I shall be awarded with the best performance staff of the year. My colleagues have been coming for enquiries as to where I am receiving my lessons. I told them, it is from skills train computer training college. Some of them were looking forward to register in due course. I am very grateful for all the staff and my tutors for their unrelentless efforts to seeing me up till this stage of my course. The company has shown me there is a brighter future for me and I know that, this is just a stepping stone to a greater high in my life.
-Adeyinka
I have been working as Chef for 10 years now working in many top class restaurants in my local area. My working week consists of working 60 or more hours 7 days a week in two restaurants. In the 10 years of being a chef I have never spent a Christmas at home with the Family I have always worked.
Last year a Friend of mine told me about the skills train and he thought it was a great idea and gave me the number to call. 2 weeks later someone came out to visit me and after a chat and a small test he offered me a placement with them which of course I accepted.
I am only 1 third of the way through the course but thought I would set up a small business in October fixing and building computers. Not expecting to make much money to start with I decided to keep my jobs in the Kitchen. Little did I Realize the demand for my business as the calls flooded in and I soon had to turn away business so I decided to quit one of the jobs and on the 20th of December I will be leaving the catering industry for good.
I believe this all came because I made this call and wish to thank all the people that have helped me on the way.
I am thoroughly looking forward to spending all the Christmas period with my family this year and many more to come.
Thank you Skills train
-Jonathan
I started my studying in January 2007. At the time I was working a job I despised, for very low wages. I was medically discharged from the British Army several months before, and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I received an email about Skills Train, (I still to this day don't know how I got on the mailing list!) and decided to look into it further.
When the agent came to my house, I was worried about the cost. He told me to take a few days and do some research about Cisco and what sort of job roles required a CCNA. When I realised how much employers were willing to pay people with the qualification, I immediately decided to take the course.
Six months after I started, I was offered a job in a data centre; I had not yet completed any of my qualifications and did not expect to hear back from them. When I started the job, I was happy for the first time in my employment career! I got a £7000 pay increase over my previous job, along with putting everything I had learnt into practice. It soon became clear that I knew more about computers than I thought, and quickly became one of the more senior members of the support team. The highlight of this was when a colleague who had a degree in computer studies began to ask me how to do things!
Now, 12months on, I am coming to the end of my studies. I am currently working in another data centre as a trainee networks engineer. The level of knowledge within the operations team is immense, I feel very proud that I was chosen to become part of that team. I am very happy in my career. As a direct result of taking the training with Skills Train, my wages have increased enough to cover my fees 3 times over!
-Samuel
Although I am only half way through my CompTIA A+ and N+ course I have already secured a fantastic work experience opportunity with my local college. At long last I can see an end to the endless search for the next 'contract' to keep me in work. I May have not reached any sort of career wage position but already I am seeing doors start to open for me. The biggest thing for me is one word and that is HOPE, and hope for someone who has spent their whole working life in a different but dying industry. Thank you Skills Train, only 50% through my course and I me starting to reap the rewards.
-Graham
I have been on this course for two years and have struggled to balance full time work (60-70 hours) with learning and as such was unable to complete the 2003 a+. To continue with the course I have had to start from scratch with the 2005 objectives. To ensure I complete this course I have had to cut down my hours at work and I have also taken a part time university degree to motivate me. To have time to study for the course I sacrifice work breaks to study every night. Also using the knowledge I have gained from the A+ course so far I have three of my friend's computers for no profit gain to increase my experience. I am also looking to volunteer to computer companies during summer 09 to improve my experience further.
-James
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