I am 64 years old and I have not taken formal training or learning for the past 20 years. Coming back to formal learning is a big challenge but I am into it and intend to succeed. I am not working formally and find it a bit hard to even pay my tuition, but I am putting my meagre resources in this course so as to get something out of it. I live with my wife in a tiny single room and the situation is inconducive to study especially when she is around. So I have decided to conduct the best part of my studies from 3:30am to 7:00am daily, and do assignments and lab work from 10:30am to 1pm daily. There is no word "failure" in my vocabulary and I intend to succeed with all odds.
-Ebrahima
I developed an interest in web design a few years ago upon the purchase of a computer that had Microsoft Frontpage preinstalled. Playing around with the software taught me some of the fundamentals of web design and I enjoyed making a personal website with this software.
Up until recently it was somewhat of a hobby and something I hadn't really thought of as a career. That was until a friend asked me for some help, as his wife had a designer children's clothing boutique and wanted to sell her merchandise online to accompany her bricks and mortar store. Although this was something I had never done before I agreed to look into it for him, and after much research agreed to help.
I started work on zookids.co.uk, with little background knowledge and learning as I went. From designing the look and feel of the site to editing graphcs with Photoshop and even creating flash animations I learnt it all. It was then I started my CIW course with skillstrain. The information learnt through even the first few chapters of the course was invaluable to me.
It gave me a great understanding of the software I was using and before long the website was not only up and running, but selling goods and even attracting admiration from big designers, some even asking whether we'd be interested in selling their goods. And these designers keep their number of retailers to an exclusive minimum.
It showed me how invaluable a well presented and well thought out website can be. I'm now looking forward to learning more aspects of web design and for a future career in this exciting sector.
-James
I have completed all TMA's for 70-270 Part A with outstanding results. I recently applied for a 2nd line technical support specialist role that became available in my current workplace. During the interview I mentioned how I was studying for my MCSE with Skills Train alongside my existing skills. Days later I was pleased to hear that I had been accepted for the job role which I will be starting on the 26th January 2009.
-Carl
When I first looked at enrolling on this course, I was more than a little apprehensive of what the course would involve and how difficult it might be to understand and complete. It is many years since I last did any training, which incidentally was a Visual Basic course, unfortunately it was in the days when CD Writer's had only just come out, and due to it being a distance/home working course it was virtually impossible to get any help whatsoever from my tutor, who was sat on the other end of a phone and obviously could not see the programming code I had entered to assist me with issues I was having.
I have mentioned the above purely so that anyone who doubts their ability to complete this program will hopefully gain some confidence, especially as these days sending files, visiting forums, asking for help are so much more accessible and easy to find. I also do not rate myself as being naturally bright or intellectual, but so far I have achieved 90% markings on two TMA's & 100% on 1 TMA, which has given me great pleasure and confidence to go on. Since starting this course in October I have had to completely wipe the hard drive of my family PC due to a virus, and have had my Laptop send back to dell for a new Hard Drive, Memory & Motherboard, due to long standing issues I have experienced, so the laptop itself was basically wiped clean and I have lost 2-3 weeks not being able to submit my TMA's earlier. I hope this little tale of disaster gives those of you who May doubt their ability the strength and courage to continue with confidence
-Alexander
I wish I could say I have found a better job, been promoted or been given a pay-rise but I found out 3 weeks ago, that due to the credit crunch I am being made redundant at the end of the year. I have worked for the company for 4 and a half years so it came as a massive shock and completely out of the blue, especially when a few months ago there was talk of me being promoted to an IT based position and now those dreams have been shattered….
But its not all gloom and doom, thanks to SKILLS TRAIN I have being doing the CIW Web Masters course for 18 months now and I know that will keep me going during this very difficult time. It keeps me focused on the goal of being a web professional with an exciting and rewarding career in something I enjoy.
Recently on the plus side I have had more spare time and I have devoted that time to entering the ICT Competition 2008 which I am so excited about. I am so glad I entered this year as last year I let myself down by not entering. I am so lucky SKILLS TRAIN has given me so much confidence over the past year which has grown and grown. That confidence has inspired me to enter and do something positive for my future.
This Christmas I have also felt very competitive especially when it comes to the Christmas games of Pacman and Invaders, I have massively improved since last year and have learned some tricks along the way. Although I haven't got a chance of winning at the games it has made this year a lot of fun and has taken my mind of the fact I won't have a job in a few weeks and has kept my spirits high.
I would like to wish SKILLS TRAIN, the TUTOR TEAM and all my fellow students a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR and all the best of luck in 2009!
-Lisa
Even though my website, submitted for the ICT Competiton, was simple in relation to others submitted, I was proud and pleased with the end result. The reason behind the site was for a work colleague who enquired about a website for her local parish. I advised her about WYSIWYG interface's and how this is a simpler, non-HTML coded way to look at completing a working site.
When my colleague saw the first draft of the site, and after I explained that it is easily accessible and easy to navigate, she thought it was a start and she asked me to give her a copy. My colleague advised that she was going to take what I had worked on to her parish meeting and discuss the possibilities further. Also, after discussing websites with her further, she asked if I was willing to talk in her parish meeting about what I thought would be a good, simple site, as she advised that they were looking at paying a professional to create and maintain their site.
I gave my colleague brief information about different scenarios, such as if the site was not needing updating much then paying someone to maintain it May be a waste of their money. My colleague suggested I meet with the parish committee to give guidance and advice.
With my new knowledge from Skills Train, I have the confidence to advise on such matters with conviction. I have agreed to speak to the parish priest and committee about a web site after Christmas and have offered my services, no matter how limited, to create an easily accessible web site for them.
Thank you Skills Train, I do have a long way to go yet but having created this site has brought my passion for this course to the surface and from now on I am going to knuckle down. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
-Jayne
At the beginning of this course, I found the willingness to commit to study very challenging. It was very difficult for me to stick to my goals and a schedule. IT was a new area and I had a lot of difficulty to understand.
However, I struggled a lot but I never gave up. My strength and my motivation to do better every day helped me to fight my weakness. Today, I am very proud of my achievements. I have finally grasped the concept of the course work and have submitted 5 TMA'S in one month alone - November of this year with success grades ranging from 90- 100%. Previously, it took months to complete just one assignment.
Four days ago, I received another course book which contains 9 chapters. I have eagerly read and completed the TMA for 8 chapters already within this short space of time.
Because of my hard work and determination, I have gained skills that allowed me to set up my friends' computers and printer on a wireless home network. I also, trouble shoot various problems such as reconfiguring internet connection, removing virus and installing a firewall.
I am thoroughly enjoying this program and I have the motivation to complete it in the next two months.
-Steve
Hi,
and since I started doing this Course it has helped encourage me to build a pc based touch-screen jukebox. My partner is a full time sole carer for a young teenager mentally handicapped child with autistic tendencies, he's a great kid and loves music, but he has no respect for cd's lol he knows how to use them he just cant keep them from getting scratched, ;0) a cd does not last long in this house, hence the need for mp3 jukebox.
I guess your thinking this has nothing to do with promotions, pay rises and the likes, But without this course giving me some basic know how on Amps, Volts, compatability of Software/Hardware and Trouble shooting, I think I would still be checking out Ebay wondering if that part would work do this part fit for what I need.
So as I have now made the jukebox with a 17" Elo Touchscreen, Boxeasy for the Software, Jamie-lee Tried it out yesterday. and he smiled so much and ran round the house dancing the way he does laughing and screaming with excitement. Knowing that he will be getting this for Christmas is enough for me.
All it needs is for me to check my woodwork skills to make a frame for it to fit in to lol and I have to two left hands when it comes to that. nothing that a bit of glue and plenty of paint won't cover ;0)
Merry Christmas,
Leigh Badger
-Leigh
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
It is easy to be cynical about success stories and write them off as cock-and-bull stories that give false hope to an audience starved of excitement. Although there May be some truth to this idea, to believe it would very unfair. I am writing to you today to tell you about my story which started out as a romantic dream but ended in me fulfilling my goal through a divine twist of a fate and not a lifetime of hard labour.
I came to the United Kingdom with the distinct disadvantage of being an unskilled foreigner with no network of friends, colleagues or mentors. I came across the SkillsTrain training programme by pure accident and if not for my husband's intervention I would not even have enrolled.
Three kids, many tears and buckets of sweat later and after some fantastic encouragement, late nights and unconscious effort, things have finally paid off. I am on my final section of the CIW certification, soon to write my exams and I have just received the best news. Thanks to my studies I have already received a much needed promotion which has allowed me to be involved in web development tasks within my company. This has allowed me to take an active part in updating web pages for our intranet using varying technologies with my new found skills. This Christmas, I am getting a fantastic increase and bonus as well. I am so excited and could not be more thrilled.
When anybody is working towards a target, whether it's losing weight or training for a marathon or studying towards a qualification, it helps to focus on the ultimate goal. It is easy to lose sight of your dream and veer off the road you're travelling on. I sincerely hope that my success story works its magic in an inspiring way, encouraging others to persevere and never give up. Remember; it will ultimately be worth it in the end!
-Marie
As I'm looking through the children's Christmas present list no longer do I have to worry about the growing credit card bill. I've just sold my first web site and the money is going to go a long way.
My journey began last year when I made the best decision of my life and decided to hop on the skills train. My previous background was in education but I only had some minor IT qualifications so learning web design from scratch was going to be a challenge. But with the expertise and support of my tutor team, clear teaching resources and a few hours a week from me, I have made good progress.
Now a year later I'm capable of designing highly marketable websites.
I'm now designing the website for my neighbour's business and the local Indian takeaway and I'm paid well. Anyone who has a business wants a website so the customer base is endless.
My new skills are in demand as I've been contacted to run evening classes in computing and web design. In January I'm doing this two nights a week which is allowing me to afford my new car payments.
I look back to last Christmas, working for other people, being under appreciated, under paid and overworked. Now I look to the future as shortly I will be able to hand in my resignation from my day job and work from home as a web designer. Nothing is going to give me greater pleasure.
So it's going to be a very merry Christmas for all my family and a new year with endless possibilities.
I cannot understand why I didn't do the course earlier!
-Peter
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
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