| One of the best decisions you can ever make is to | | | | class! |
| attend a computer training school. As I've written in | | | | The most important part of your computer school |
| several other articles, you have to ask the right | | | | studies is getting hands-on experience with the |
| questions before writing a check or taking out a | | | | technologies that you're learning. If you're taking a |
| student loan, but when you find the right school you | | | | Cisco class, you need to work with a router or switch |
| are indeed on your way to a successful career. | | | | as often as you can. If you're learning a software |
| There's a big difference between attending a tech | | | | program, you need to work with that program in the |
| school and excelling at the classes, though. Whether | | | | school's labs as much as possible. Reading books |
| you just "float through" the school or really work hard | | | | alone will not teach you everything you need to know. |
| is totally up to you. From my personal experience at | | | | The best time to get extra work in is after class. You |
| such a school, I'd like to offer you one simple tip that | | | | may not be able to work in the computer labs at night |
| will quadruple your chances of success at the school | | | | if the school offers night classes, but odds are there |
| and in the job market. | | | | are very few people in there during the afternoon. You |
| Get there early and stay late. | | | | need to be one of those people. |
| When I attended a tech school years ago, I admit I | | | | Doing only what is required of you is not the path to |
| was surprised that most of my classmates had what I | | | | excellence. You need to go beyond the requirements |
| call the "junior high school" mentality - they would get | | | | of the school and invest the extra time and effort into |
| there late and leave as soon as class is over. Guess | | | | your career. I speak from experience - there is no field |
| what? You're no longer in junior high. You're attending | | | | in the world that rewards individual effort more than |
| this school to create a career for yourself. Get to | | | | the IT field. Develop the habit of going "above and |
| class early, get some extra study and work in while | | | | beyond" today, and this will pay huge dividends for you |
| you're waiting for class to start, and then stay after | | | | in the future. |