Have (IT) certs will travel?

By Jeanne-Vida Douglas and Fran Foo, ZDNet Australia

03 July 2006 06:26 PM

Tags: jeanne-vida douglas, .net, job, citrix, hewlett-packard, university, erp, lotus notes

	Introduction
	Sound education A decent starting point for an IT degree -- part-time or full-time -- is your neighbourhood university.
	Another entry point Apart from universities, private institutions and TAFEs offer more practical IT courses.
	Where to next? ERP (enterprise resource planning) development and administration are most in demand. How can you obtain these skills, and more?
	The tale of two CVs Analysts and IT professionals -- past and present -- share their views on whether certification is better than experience.

TAFEs and technical colleges

University isn't the only way to kick-start a career in IT. TAFE courses can be an affordable alternative in terms of both money and time, and can provide a rapid entry into the workforce.

Around Australia, TAFEs offer entry-level certificates, as well as specialists streams in programming and networking, and even graduate diplomas.

Course costs vary between states, ranging between AU$250 and AU$4,000 per year, and the study programs are generally organised into segments which can be completed in six months on a full-time basis, or spread out over time.

In many cases coursework completed at TAFE is being recognised by university faculties, and can count towards the completion of a university degree. Moreover many university graduates find a TAFE course (see list below) forms a handy bridge between their more theoretical skills, and the practical business skills they need for day-to-day work life.

Private institutions and colleges

Although this is often the most expensive option, private training institutes are more flexible and better oriented towards people looking to slot training into busy careers.

There are numerous private colleges throughout Australia (see list below), which offer both general and specialist courses in IT. In many cases these institutions work in conjunction with technology vendors to offer training in specific areas, and preparation for professional certification.

The professional organisation IT Pro Australia lists institutions which provide training in major vendor certificates, from the likes of Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft.

Some vendors, like SAP and Oracle, offer training courses in their own software applications, thus keeping a tighter reign over the nature, cost and content of the course.

Since they are predominantly designed for busy professionals, most courses offered by such private institutions are limited to a number of days up to about a fortnight.

However, with costs ranging from $500 to $1,500 per day, most of these institutions work in conjunction with the HR (human resources) department of companies rather than directly with individuals.