Marine Electronics

Both my wife Katie and I were desperate to reduce our weight, so we had a little heart to heart about why we wanted to be thinner, and what that would mean to us. Our little tete-a-tete revealed a rather basic wish-list. As far as my wife was concerned, she wanted more get-up-and-go when the kids wanted to do things. Also, she wanted to feel more confident revealing herself to me.

Predominantly for me it was about buying stylish off-the-peg clothes again, instead of the dreary ageing ranges available for 'over size' people. Oh, and I also REALLY wanted to get to the third floor of our house without gasping for breath!

We did our research, and found that as well as considering how we look, we also have to consider how we feel about ourselves. It seems that evidence suggests we have less regard for ourselves the more weight we put on. Most overweight adults believe that being slimmer will restore their happiness. We'd like to offer some of our insights, as we can absolutely identify with this assumption.

Psychologists understand that we have a subconscious mind, which doesn't recognise the difference between a real thing and an imaginary thing. And therefore our subconscious transfers its most vividly perceived information into our conscious - imaginary or otherwise! Repeat a concept often enough and that surfaces as the overriding idea.

Just how long have we been re-affirming the concept of how fat we are? A re-programming of our sub-conscious is what's needed - so it works for us and not against us.

If we concentrate on the positive things we'll enjoy when we're slimmer, it's easier to get through the tough times. And so each of us thought of activities and things that would be enhanced by being slimmer. We realised we wanted to do things like going for long walks, going to dances, being flirtatious, having great sex, swimming, having more fun, playing with the kids, beach games, cycling, confidence and excitement.

Next we conjured up visions of ourselves on vacation, looking fantastic in our new summer gear. We got the respect and esteem of people as we confidently mingled with others. Life became a breeze.

Accordingly, both of us are a lot lighter and fitter - though not as thin as rakes! We're feeling great and can honestly say the fun is back!

(C) Scott Edwards. Pop over to WeightLossDietWar.com for logical diet tips on weight slimming and weight management programs.

If you're looking for an MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) training program, be aware that companies offer quite diverse courses; some are much better than others. You'll come across a variety of courses, whether you're a beginner, or a professional looking to gain acknowledged certifications. Each scenario requires a specialised course, so pay attention to check you're on the right one before making a start. Search for a training provider that talks with you so they get to know what you're looking to do, and can help you identify what you'll be doing, long before they discuss course options.

So, why should we consider qualifications from the commercial sector rather than more traditional academic qualifications gained through the state educational establishments? The IT sector is of the opinion that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, certified accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is closer to the mark commercially - for much less time and money. The training is effectively done by concentrating on the skills that are really needed (along with a proportionate degree of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background non-specific minutiae that computer Science Degrees often do - to pad out the syllabus.

The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. Consequently an employer can identify exactly what they need and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

We can see a myriad of jobs and positions available in Information Technology. Arriving at the correct choice out of this complexity is generally problematic. Consequently, if you don't have any know-how of the IT market, how can you expect to know what any qualified IT worker spends their day doing? And of course decide on which educational path provides the best chances for ultimate success. Arriving at the right choice really only appears through a systematic analysis covering many varying key points:

* Personality plays a major part - what things get your juices flowing, and what are the activities that put a frown on your face.

* Are you aiming to accomplish an important aim - for instance, working from home sometime soon?

* What salary and timescale needs you may have?

* There are many ways to train in IT - there's a need to gain some key facts on what makes them different.

* Having a cold, hard look at how much time and effort that you're going to put into it.

To be honest, you'll find the only real way to gain help on these matters is through a chat with someone who has years of experience in IT (and chiefly it's commercial requirements.)

You should remember: the actual training program or the accreditation is not the ultimate goal; the career that you're getting the training for is. Too many training companies over-emphasise just the training course. It's a sad fact, but the majority of trainees begin programs that seem amazing from the prospectus, but which provides a job that doesn't satisfy. Just ask several university students for examples.

Spend some time thinking about how much you want to earn and how ambitious you are. This will influence what certifications you'll need to attain and what you can expect to give industry in return. We recommend that students seek guidance and advice from a professional advisor before making your final decision on a study path, so there's no doubt that the content of a learning package provides the skills necessary.

A study programme must provide a properly recognised accreditation at the finale - and not some unimportant 'in-house' printed certificate to hang in your hallway. From an employer's viewpoint, only the major heavyweights such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (as an example) give enough bang for your buck. Nothing else hits the mark.

One useful service offered by some training providers is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is to steer you into your first IT role. But don't place too much emphasis on it - it's easy for training companies to overstate it's need. In reality, the need for well trained IT people in this country is the reason you'll find a job.

However, what is relevant is to have CV and Interview advice and support though; also we would encourage everybody to work on polishing up their CV as soon as training commences - don't wait till you've finished your exams. It's possible that you won't have even passed your first exam when you land your first junior support position; although this can't and won't happen unless you've posted your CV on job sites. You'll normally experience better results from a specialised and independent local recruitment service than you'll get from a training provider's national service, because they will understand the local industry and employment needs.

In a nutshell, as long as you focus the same level of energy into getting your first job as into studying, you're not going to hit many challenges. A number of students inexplicably put hundreds of hours into their training and studies and then call a halt once qualified and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.

The CCNA certification is the way to go for training in Cisco. With it, you'll learn how to deal with maintaining and installing switches and routers. The internet is made up of many routers, and commercial ventures that have different locations rely on them to connect their computer networks.

You may end up employed by an internet service provider or possibly a large or international company that's spread out geographically but still wants secure internal data communication. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

Having the right skills and understanding ahead of getting going on the Cisco CCNA is essential. So find an advisor who will know what you need.

Does job security truly exist anymore? In the UK for instance, with industry changing its mind at alarming speeds, there doesn't seem much chance. It's possible though to discover market-level security, by looking for areas that have high demand, tied with a shortage of skilled staff.

The 2006 United Kingdom e-Skills study highlighted that 26 percent of all available IT positions haven't been filled because of a lack of trained staff. That means for every 4 jobs that are available throughout the computer industry, there are barely three qualified workers to fill that need. This alarming reality clearly demonstrates the requirement for more properly trained computer professionals around Great Britain. With the market evolving at such a speed, is there any other area of industry worth considering for a new career.

How are we supposed to arrive at an informed decision then? With such prospects, we have to know where we should look - and what to be investigating.

Ignore the typical salesman that just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation to gain understanding of your current abilities plus your experience level. Always check they have access to a generous array of training so they're able to solve your training issues. With a strong background, or sometimes a little work-based experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then it could be that your starting level will vary from a trainee who has no experience. It's usual to start with a user-skills course first. Starting there can make the transition to higher-level learning a much easier going.

The classroom style of learning we remember from school, with books and manuals, is usually pretty hard going. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, look for learning programmes which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Long-term memory is enhanced when multiple senses are involved - educational experts have expounded on this for as long as we can remember.

Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab's will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you'll find them fun and interesting. You'll definitely want a training material demonstration from the training company. You'll want to see slide-shows, instructor-led videos and lab's for you to practice your skills in.

Often, companies will only use online training only; and while this is acceptable much of the time, think what will happen if internet access is lost or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. A safer solution is the provision of actual CD or DVD ROMs which removes the issue entirely.

Students will sometimes miss checking on something of absolutely vital importance - how their training provider breaks up the training materials, and into how many bits. You may think that it makes sense (with most training taking 1-3 years to pass all the required exams,) for a training company to release one module at a time, until you've passed all the exams. But: What if you find the order prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. It may be difficult to get through each and every section inside their defined time-scales?

For the perfect solution, you want everything at the start - so you'll have them all to come back to at any time in the future - whenever it suits you. Variations can then be made to the order that you move through the program if you find another route more intuitive.

A lot of commercial training providers only give support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Avoid training courses that only support you through a message system when it's outside of usual working hours. Training companies will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. But, no matter how they put it - you want to be supported when you need the help - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.

The very best programs tend to use an online access 24 hours-a-day service utilising a variety of support centres throughout multiple time-zones. You'll have a simple interface which seamlessly accesses whichever office is appropriate any time of the day or night: Support when you need it. Never make do with a lower level of service. Direct-access 24x7 support is the only kind to make the grade for computer-based study. Perhaps you don't intend to study during the evenings; but for the majority of us however, we're working at the time when most support is available.

An effective training package will also include accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. Avoid depending on unofficial preparation materials for exams. Their phraseology is sometimes startlingly different - and this leads to huge confusion once in the actual exam. As you can imagine, it is really important to know that you are completely prepared for the real exam before taking it. Revising simulated tests helps build your confidence and saves you time and money on wasted exam attempts.

A service provided by many trainers is a Job Placement Assistance program. It's intention is to steer you into your first IT role. Having said that, occasionally people are too impressed with this facility, for it's really not that difficult for any focused and well taught person to secure work in the IT environment - as there is such a shortage of trained staff.

Get your CV updated straight-away though - look to your training company for advice on how to do this. Don't procrastinate and leave it until you've qualified. It can happen that you haven't even got to the exam time when you will get your initial junior support role; but this can't and won't happen unless your CV is with employers. Most often, a local IT focused employment service - who make their money when they've found you a job - will be more pro-active than a sector of a centralised training facility. Also of course they should know the local area and commercial needs.

A regular grievance of some course providers is how hard people are focused on studying to get top marks in their exams, but how little effort that student will then put into getting the position they've studied for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.

As you're considering studying to get an MCSE, you'll fall into one of two camps. You're either just starting to enter the computer sector, as it's apparent this commercial sector has a huge demand for those with appropriate certifications. Instead you may be a knowledgeable person wanting to consolidate your skill-set with the Microsoft qualification.

As you try to find out more, you will discover colleges that lower their out-goings by failing to use the current Microsoft version. Don't use these companies as you will face problems with the present exams. If you've been taught the wrong syllabus, it is going to be hugely difficult to get qualified. A training provider's focus should be on doing the absolute best they can for their trainees, and they should be passionate about getting things right. Studying for a career isn't just about passing exams - it should initially look at assisting you in working on the best action plan for your future.

Understanding the most appropriate career development choice can be very hard - so where do we need to look and what are the questions we need to be posing?

So many training providers are all about the certification, and avoid focusing on what you actually need - getting yourself a new job or career. Always start with the end goal - don't make the vehicle more important than the destination. Never let yourself become one of the unfortunate masses that choose a course which looks like it could be fun - and end up with a certification for a job they hate.

Never let your focus stray from what it is you're trying to achieve, and formulate your training based on that - don't do it back-to-front. Keep on track - making sure you're training for something you'll still be enjoying many years from now. Have a conversation with a skilled advisor that understands the work you're contemplating, and could provide an in-depth explanation of what you actually do in that role. Getting to the bottom of all this long before commencement of any study program will prevent a lot of wasted time and effort.

It's so important to understand this key point: Always get full 24x7 professional support from mentors and instructors. You will have so many problems later if you don't follow this rule rigidly. Try and find training with help available at all hours of the day and night (even if it's early hours on Sunday morning!) You'll need direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you're constantly waiting for a call-back during office hours.

Keep your eyes open for training schools that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to give a single entry point as well as access round-the-clock, when it suits you, with the minimum of hassle. Don't compromise where support is concerned. Most trainees who throw in the towel, are in that situation because of support (or the lack of).

If you're like many of the students we talk to then you probably enjoy fairly practical work - a 'hands-on' personality type. If you're anything like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals would be considered as a last resort, but it's not really your thing. You should use video and multimedia based materials if books just don't do it for you. If we're able to study while utilising as many senses as possible, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Modern training can now be done at home via easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM's. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you'll take everything in by way of their teaching and demonstrations. Then it's time to test your knowledge by utilising the practice lab's and modules. It's wise to view a small selection of training examples before you sign the purchase order. Always insist on instructor-led video demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Seek out physical media such as CD or DVD ROM's if possible. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband 'downtime' or slow-speeds.

If you're thinking of using a training school that still provides 'in-centre workshop days' as a benefit of their course, then you should know about these typical downsides experienced by the majority of trainees:

* Masses of driving back and forth from the workshops - usually quite a distance away.

* Requesting time off work - a lot of colleges will only provide availability during weekdays - typically grouping 2 or 3 days together. This isn't ideal for most people who work, even more so when travel time is included.

* Annual leave lost - a lot of IT hopefuls only have 20 days holiday. If you use up half of that with study workshops, that doesn't leave much holiday time left for the family as a whole.

* Workshops sometimes end up way too big.

* Some attendees want to progress quickly, but some need a more gentle learning curve and not be pushed beyond their comfort-zone. This will often generate tension and unrest in most cases.

* Many trainees tell us of the considerable cost of getting to and from the training facility while covering the cost of accommodation and food gets very high.

* Maintaining the privacy of our training can be very important to many students. Why would you want to lose any possible promotions, pay-rises or achievement in your job while you're training. If your boss finds out you're putting yourself through accreditation in a completely different market, what are they going to be thinking?

* Who amongst us hasn't avoided putting our hand's up, because we wanted to maintain the illusion that we did, in fact, understand?

* If you occasionally work away from home, you have the added problem that workshops now become very hard to attend - unfortunately however, they've already been paid for.

Why not simply watch and be trained by tutors one-to-one from filmed modules, studying them when it's convenient for you, not someone else. You can train wherever you want. If your PC is a laptop, why not take in a bit of sun in your garden while you learn. If you have any difficulties then logon to the 24x7 support facility. Forget taking notes - you have the lessons and accompanying information ready-made for you. Anything you want to do over, it's immediately available. Could it be simpler: A lot of money is saved and you avoid all the travelling; and you get a more relaxed learning atmosphere.

Let's face it: There's no such thing as personal job security available anymore; there can only be market and business security - as any company can let anyone go when it fits the business' business requirements. However, a fast growing sector, where there just aren't enough staff to go round (through a growing shortfall of properly qualified staff), provides a market for lasting job security.

The 2006 national e-Skills study showed that twenty six percent of all available IT positions cannot be filled due to a lack of trained staff. Basically, we can't properly place more than just 3 out of every 4 jobs in IT. This disquieting idea underpins an urgent requirement for more technically qualified Information Technology professionals in the UK. As the Information Technology market is evolving at such a quick pace, is there any other sector worth taking into account for your new career.