I want to train in something, but not sure what. Any advice?

kingslayer

Okay, so I got this job a few weeks ago and it's a weekend job in a department store. It is going okay and the staff seem friendly enough. However, because this job is weekend only, I want to train for something else so I can get extra work during the weekdays.

I have been thinking something office based, maybe admin or something similar, but I don't know how to go about training for this. Would it be best for me to volunteer somewhere as admin, and maybe go to some kind of office based training course in the evening?

I was also thinking about I.T, but the thing is, I am not much of an I.T buff as it is, so not sure if I'd find it boring or not. I.T is something you have to have a strong interest in to be good in it, is it not?

Anyway, does anyone know what kind of qualifications I could take to get a job in office? Would volunteering be a good idea?

WobblyDog

IT is a very broad subject. It helps to have a strong interest if you want to work in in more specialised areas such as programming, but for most IT admin. posts it's not necessary.

You could take classes at a local college to get some basic IT qualifications, but avoid any highly priced courses that promise to dramatically improve your employability. Learning IT skills in your own time shouldn't be expensive. If you have a PC at home with basic office software installed on it (word processor, spreadsheet, maybe also presentation software and database software), that's a good start.

Sncjw

You still haven't decided jeez. Well I'm doing admin role in NHS soon and they will train me as I go so maybe do something like that.

Sncjw

Maybe do a vision2lesrn course in business and admin. It's free but you will have to pay if you don't keep commitment or leave. You do it at your own pace but you have set dates for deadlines. In my last course I submitted my coursework way before deadline date so wasn't under slot of preassure.

Tiddlywinks

Will there ever come a time when you learn to research things for yourself do you think?

You just seem incapable of knowing what you want or trusting your own opinions... how many more threads and how much more advice do you need?

Gavin83

kingslayer wrote: »

I was also thinking about I.T, but the thing is, I am not much of an I.T buff as it is, so not sure if I'd find it boring or not. I.T is something you have to have a strong interest in to be good in it, is it not?

It certainly helps. IT is a constantly evolving field and to truly excel you need to be prepared to learn stuff in your own time as well as on the job so you almost need to treat it as a hobby.

I was designing websites and learning about databases at the age of 14 as a I ran a website/forum. This isn't something that someone that didn't have an interest would bother doing. Even now I do jobs for people outside of work and learn new skills when I have the time.

I suggest you have a think about what you actually want to do in life and what you'd enjoy rather than just picking something because it's a well known job that pays well. There are a tonne of jobs you can do in an office, think about what interests you the most.

paddyrg

I wouldn't suggest anyone who isn't an 'IT buff' get into IT - it's an area where natural inclination and ability will make the world of difference - and those aren't things you can be taught.

Maybe look at something vocational - forklift driving, for instance?