The definition of ‘Web-Designer’ is quite possibly one of the more over-used & misunderstood titles within the I.T. market. For anyone looking to get into the industry, an explanation about the different facets might help to make things clear.

Web-Design involves the technical components of a website as well as the creative aspects. To the average man or women on the street, a ‘web-designer’ is someone who designs the ‘look’ & ‘feel’ of a site. Many of us might consider a web designer a form of ‘artist’. The truth is every web-designer’s job is an ‘inter-related’ mixture of technical know-how and design-creativity – & the two have become very hard to separate. It will become much more evident how things fit together when we break the work down into its various roles.

People who design and construct the images and graphic symbols to go on a web-site are known as graphic-artists. In real terms, graphic-artists are generally not really web-designers. More commonly they’re multimedia artists who use software like Adobe Photoshop and Flash to produce their results. Typically, they’ll have an art background, & may possibly have studied at university or college level. More than anything else, this kind of role involves a sound creative talent.

Next, there are the web site designers, who utilise design environments like Dreamweaver to produce the lay-out & ‘feel’ of the site. They use the visuals which are supplied by the graphic-artist, and talk with their clients to initially create the ‘feel’ and ‘navigational’ structure of the web-site. A large number of novice site designers put emphasis to begin with on the format of the website, as opposed to its ‘function’. However, to truly create a useful website, you have to start with an understanding of the things you require the website to actually do. It could be that it is essentially a web based brochure, or an e-commerce site where merchandise can be purchased directly. Quite possibly much like this website the chief purpose is easy access to relevant information, or it could be it’s going to be a showcase for items via video and a heavily graphical inter-face.

Whatever you require from a web site, it must – at it’s most basic level – carry out the ‘function’ for which its designed. There’s little value in making a visually interesting site that’s extremely hard for individuals to find their way around! The over-riding goal of every good web-designers is for people to go to their website on a regular basis – so it needs to be a comfortable and satisfying experience.

See Web Design Training Courses for more info…

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Although quite often talked about alongside one another, the MCSA and MCSE are essentially geared to fulfil 2 quite different functions. The ‘MCSA’ (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) is a certification produced for people who wish to get a job in server-administration, networking and senior support careers. Predominantly this accreditation is an excellent starting point for a technical systems administrator, who will work with the inner workings of operating a small to mid level commercial network. You will really enjoy this kind of job if you are a well organised problem-solver that looks forward to a proper technical-challenge. You can expect a very high level of connection with fellow workers, (since a good deal of what you will be doing will call for supporting the network users,) & a diverse working day.

On the other hand, the ‘MCSE’ (‘Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer’) function provides a position with increased responsibility, where the job revolves more around design, planning & project management. So if senior-administration, network management, senior security work or technical/project management is your objective, then this is definitely the course you should look at taking. Creative, personal & leadership skill-sets can also be dealt with within this training, as successful ‘MCSE’ specialists often take care of many personnel and resource-management tasks.

See MCSA vs MCSE for more info…

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You have four ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ (MCP) exams to sit to qualify at the ‘MCSA’ grade. Of these, 3 exams are core elements & so have to be sat, but the fourth can be picked from a range of ‘electives’. The CompTIA Security+ is now accepted as an ‘elective’ exam, and has grown to be increasingly popular with all trainees for various reasons. With the ‘MCSE’ there’s now increased importance placed on security from an organisational perspective, the planning of systems, and design of networks. There are 7 MCP examinations in all.

See Microsoft MCSE & MCITP Training for more info…

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It’s not a revelation then that ‘Cisco’ has many accreditation paths, dealing with all of its technologies & it’s patents. In order to simplify things, candidates are likely to be encouraged to begin their Cisco training programs at the same point, prior to building more advanced & specialised skillsets. There are two examinations for the Cisco Certified Network Associate, or ‘CCNA’ for short. They will furnish students who are suitable with the requested technical expertise to operate medium sized networks with routers and data-switches.

The CCNA examination (640/802) can be split up in to its 2 component parts: The ‘CCENT’ (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) examination – also called the ‘ICND1′ (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 – 640/822) exam, and the ‘ICND2′ (640/816) examination. Although all of this may appear to be a mouthful (as can be the case with IT acronyms,) the simplest way to do this qualification is as the blended ‘CCNA’ (640-802) exam.

This particular path would hugely benefit from being combined with the ‘CompTIA A+’ & N+ certifications, as they provide all of the essential ‘grounding’ before attempting the more specialised Cisco-specific examinations. A blended training package such as this would take about twelve months to achieve if studying part-time. As with all technical study programs, 24/7 direct access student support should be offered to allow you to study & ask about any queries when-ever you need to. The appropriate study materials are crucial – go for inter-active multi-media disc based packages, and an approved & highly effective exam practice system.

See Cisco CCNA Certification for more info…

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