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Managing Your Career For A Brighter Future...

There are many different management careers and routes to get into management positions. Naturally the right training and certifications will be required to get you into the market in the first place. Most managers then build their experience in a number of different companies, and continue to retrain to keep their skill-sets current.

Our Spotlight Is On The Following Roles...

Database Administration, HR Management and Information Systems Manager.

Take your time to explore the different training routes and certifications that will take you into these roles, and ensure they're recognised by the industry.

You'll notice there are a whole range of colleges and training providers featured here. Visit several of them and you'll be able to start making comparisons on which suit you best.

You'll find a quick and simple way to get back to this page is to type CTRL D on your keyboard and bookmark it.

Administering Databases With An MCDBA Course

As you might expect, Database Management is a highly task-oriented job, which demands a great deal of accuracy from both the Administrator and the Data Input Clerks working on their team.

A Database Administrator takes responsibility for collating and interpreting all the company's data and statistics, and for producing meaningful reports. A person will have undergone a substantial professional training program (for example to attain the Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional DBA), and have gained a good deal of industrial knowledge before qualifying for this role.

If you're new to IT and databases, a good starting course is the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician, also known as MCDST.

You can get into industry with this, and begin building some technical employment experience. Another essential will be an understanding of the database computer language 'Structured Query Language' or SQL for short. Look for training that leads to the Microsoft MCTS SQL Server certification for this knowledge.

Managing a database system takes significant skill and competency. As well as dealing with the running of the system - which includes security issues, analysis and reporting - the role can also involve installing and testing software, and liaising with database developers on design criteria. As a Database Manager you could expect to receive a substantial remuneration package and gain a very real sense of making a major contribution to the running of an organisation.

Managing Human Resources

Human Resources management suits people who enjoy working with and interpreting employment legislation, and can at the same time handle the internal day to day requirements of employees.

The HR team is responsible for ensuring the correct number of workers are employed in each department and that talented staff members are properly developed. Equal opportunities have to be considered, and it is the job of the HR department to ensure that any policies are compliant.

It's also HR's responsibility to ensure that employees are fully aware of the company's staffing and employment policies. Staff benefits, compensation claims, dismissal issues etc. are all dealt with via HR.

Management in Human Resources is now a valued and accomplished profession. The role has evolved over the last few decades from the 'Personnel Officer' who used to be responsible for advertising staff vacancies and processing the wages. These days the HR Manager is a fundamental contributor to the future success of a company.

You'll find there are several colleges offering training to prepare you for work in the HR environment. You may already be working in an HR department, or looking to join one following time at university. In both cases you should look into becoming a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

There are various levels of membership and certification programmes with the CIPD. Discuss your options with the specialist training organisations that advertise on the web.

Systems Manager

The wide ranging job of the Systems Manager is to oversee all of a company's computer systems.

Duties will include budgeting, purchasing, in-depth analysis of the ICT infrastructure, plus overseeing security, back-up, storage capacity, server requirements and handling system changes when up-grades are implemented. Systems Managers are needed in all medium to large organisations, and will be involved in policy decisions regarding strategic planning and quality standards. Naturally managers in this field will have excellent technical and IT capabilities, with a long career history of working with computers.

The department headed up by the systems manager will employ network technicians, security specialists, data and systems analysts and developers.

To become an Information Systems Manager will take a good level of training, but there are a number of choices. If you talk to training organisations that specialise in IT you should be able to get advice on the different areas that interest you. You should expect to gain an understanding of how to use SQL which was covered earlier when we discussed the role of a DBA, and have a sound working knowledge of Microsoft Operating Systems. It's a step by step process. A professional certification will get you into the industry, and then further accreditations as you build your experience will take you to a senior level.