Useful Civ courses to do on Army time

[accidentalscaley]

I'm looking at any Civ courses that'll give me useful quals for when i leave the Army. I've got 8 years left and don't want to wax it all by monging it on Arrse. Any useful! suggestions? I was thinking NEBOSH stuff

 

[Cammo]

Anything with computers

 

[chieftiff]

PRINCE 2
APMP
IOSH Managing Safely
Any NVQ level 4 but particularly management
BTEC Level 4 in Instructing (counts toward the new Certificate and Diploma in Education)

The list is endless............

 

[Unlucky_Alf]

PRINCE 2 Definitely

However -

I did the basic skils golf course and really enjoyed it - potentially completely useless but a week off to learn how to play golf was pretty damn good!

 

[msr]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

 

[StabTiffy2B]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

You're on drugs. ECDL is wank and everyone knows it. If anyone ever came to an interview and started using that as an example I'd wet myself laughing.

 

[Daytona955]

Look at Stratford Business School (http://www.stratfordbusinessschool.co.uk/undergradframe.html). They do business qualifications ranging from a Higher National Certificate, through a Higher National Diploma right through to a MBA.

For example, the Post Graduate Certificate is 6 units, with my military courses I only have to do 2 of them for the qualification (a month or so study). For the level 7 Post Grad diploma it is 3 further units (about 6-8 months study) and for an MBA a further 3 units. All this (less 20% of course) paid for by the ELC scheme.

Not quite done in Army time but paid for by the Army and prior accreditation not too bad!

 

[Cammo]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

Except the question to "why did you spend tax payers money on golf"

 

[msr]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

Except the question to "why did you spend tax payers money on golf"

Unless you are applying for a NRPS / PSAO job with the TA

 

[Goku]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

You're on drugs. ECDL is wank and everyone knows it. If anyone ever came to an interview and started using that as an example I'd wet myself laughing.

I’ve got to agree with you there.
ECDL is something I’d expect to see on the CV of someone fresh out of school with no experience, not from a 22yr Rsig.


Get an Open University degree in IT if you don’t already have a BSc.
Also get an MCSE, CCNA, ITIL, and join the BCS.

You’ll never be unemployed and you’ll never be poor.

 

[msr]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

You're on drugs. ECDL is wank and everyone knows it. If anyone ever came to an interview and started using that as an example I'd wet myself laughing.

I’ve got to agree with you there.
ECDL is something I’d expect to see on the CV of someone fresh out of school with no experience, not from a 22yr Rsig.


Get an Open University degree in IT if you don’t already have a BSc.
Also get an MCSE, CCNA, ITIL, and join the BCS.

You’ll never be unemployed and you’ll never be poor.

Read some of his posts:

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=104063.html

 

[Goku]

ECDL too.

Best thing about courses is that not only do you get a qualification, you also have the best answer to the interview questions "Tell me about a time you showed initiative / tenacity / personal whatnot?"

You could spin the answer out over several minutes

msr

You're on drugs. ECDL is wank and everyone knows it. If anyone ever came to an interview and started using that as an example I'd wet myself laughing.

I’ve got to agree with you there.
ECDL is something I’d expect to see on the CV of someone fresh out of school with no experience, not from a 22yr Rsig.


Get an Open University degree in IT if you don’t already have a BSc.
Also get an MCSE, CCNA, ITIL, and join the BCS.

You’ll never be unemployed and you’ll never be poor.

Read some of his posts:

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=104063.html

Accidentalscaley, your username is quite fitting

 

[yorkie79]

look at what you would like to do once your a civvie and then look at courses that will enable you to go for that level of employment.
whilst its a long way off the old planning and prep prevents piss poor performance rings true

 

[Closet_Jibber]

Cert Ed

 

[ukdaytona]

Depends what you want to do.

PRINCE2 is good if you want to get into Project Management as its any project not just in IT

there is also ITIL

Any Cisco - CCNA or CCNE

Forget MCSE, every man and his dog has that unless you go down one of the specialist routes, ie Security
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/security/windowsserver2003.mspx

This is the latest MS List - http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certifications.mspx

There is also LINUX, CITRIX and VMWARE is another one that's starting to get popular, also LINUX and VMWARE do have free downloads on their websites or they used to........

And don't believe all you see from so called training companies on tv. Most employers do require experience due to the amount of people who used to do Boot camps, get the certification then apply for a job with no formal experience.

Golf is good for getting to meet the bosses etc

 

[DisorderlyChimp]

don't believe all you see from so called training companies on tv. Most employers do require experience due to the amount of people who used to do Boot camps, get the certification then apply for a job with no formal experience.

I'm just leaving a 14yr I.T. career to join the Army (a bit late, I know) but couldn't agree more with the above. The number of people we've seen trying to find work off the back of these courses is just silly - most have never even seen the technology that they're supposed to be qualified to support.

I went down the ITIL road some time ago and got into service management, which to be fair wasn't a bad move money/career-wise.
BUT there's absolutely no way that you can guess what will be the "in" thing in 8yrs time within the IT sector.

Forget MCSE (I even know of a bus-driver who did it in his spare time and can't find work), and any technical qual's until you have an idea of what the buzz-products will be.

I'd start thinking about it 3-4yrs in advance, rather than 8 - although what you could do is use this time to gather all the background information to get yourself "ready" to study/qualify for what you want to do.

- on another note though, the golf definately IS a good idea! You seriously wouldn't believe how much civvy 'work' (i.e, networking) is done on the golf course...

 

[ukdaytona]

If you do go down the IT side of things, HP/EDS have recently announced 25000 jobs to go world wide
http://www.computerweekly.com/Artic...-jobs-in-europe-following-eds-integration.htm

'HP has confirmed plans to lay off staff in Europe following its integration of IT services firm EDS.

HP has informed its staff European works councils that it will cut 9,300 jobs across the EMEA region over a two-year period.

These cuts form part of the plan to cut 7.5% of the global workforce - 24,600 jobs - from the HP's 320,000-strong workforce.

The local job reduction consultations in countries will start next month. "Actual workforce reduction plans will vary by country, based on local legal requirements and consultation with works councils and employee representatives," said HP.

HP closed the acquisition of EDS on 26 August. The restructuring programme is expected to save annual costs of approximately $1.8bn (£1bn).'

Mate of mine been working for them for less than a year and is now waiting to see if he needs to start looking for another job....

 

[chieftiff]

Depends what you want to do.

PRINCE2 is good if you want to get into Project Management as its any project not just in IT

A quick note on PRINCE 2, don't put all your eggs in one basket, there are plenty of companies out there advertising for PM's with PRINCE2 (note the PM bit!) There are probably twice as many who aren't interested (or balk at) the prospect. If you can get on a course that covers APM Body of Knowledge - Introductory Cert- APMP do it, APM is part of the International Project Management group and as such is recognised more favourably amongst companies whose head offices are based in the States and much of Mainland Europe. PRINCE 2 is now the methodology preferred (insisted on in some cases) for all government work. Get both if you can, but far more importantly get a portfolio of projects under your belt, much of the non day to day stuff you do in the Armed Forces can be treated as, and managed better for, a Project Management approach.

Trust me on this one, I are one!

 

[Goku]

Forget MCSE, every man and his dog has that unless you go down one of the specialist routes, ie Security
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/security/windowsserver2003.mspx

Don’t forget forget about MCSE.
It’s still a good qualification that shows you have enough IT knowledge to pass multiple Microsoft/CompTIA exams.
Many IT companies and employment agencies wont even consider looking at your CV without at least one MCP.

Like all qualifications it means nothing without the experience to back it up.

 

[Sparky2339]

Forget MCSE, every man and his dog has that unless you go down one of the specialist routes, ie Security
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/security/windowsserver2003.mspx

Don’t forget forget about MCSE.
It’s still a good qualification that shows you have enough IT knowledge to pass multiple Microsoft/CompTIA exams.
Many IT companies and employment agencies wont even consider looking at your CV without at least one MCP.

Like all qualifications it means nothing without the experience to back it up.

I learned to program in Cobol, Pacal, DBaseII and of course BBC Basic.

Currently using a Commodore Pet, and Memorex PC. Just getting to grips (having migrated to) Windows 3.1.

Where can I go from here? Please help. Gambatte Kudasai!!!!