What type of IT training?

[dirty_dog]

Hi all,

I'm after some advice/ideas for training for career development. I currently work as network manager for a school which covers everything you can imagine as we are only a department of 3.5. I've worked my way up doing support here for about 8 years now but I am not too sure what to do next. I have been offered the chance to do some more training and I think ideally the school may look for me to move into an ICT Director type role in a few years time which I'm not 100% sure ill be interested in.

I don't have any formal IT qualifications such as Microsoft ITP's but I wonder if I should do this or some sort of management course. To be honest I don't really know where to go from here if I move on (which doesn't really help) but I feel like I could do with a change to something a little more focused. I guess something that a future employer would find attractive would make sense.

Any suggestions of what to look at or where to look would be much appreciated. Thanks

[shtu]

The market for "jack of all trades" hands-on people is shrinking steadily. Bank on your current job being outsourced, and look at Service Management as the way to cushion against that?

If so, ITIL for a start.

[Munter]

ITIL as above. But also you might want to consider a speciality. To some extent that'll depend on the environment you have at the school. But I would think a Security/Cisco/VMware/Oracle or SQL DBA type qualification could be justified.

[dirty_dog]

Thanks guys will take a look at ITIL. Certainly a lot of people I meet now go for the jack of all trades, master of ONE approach now.

[944fan]

If you are looking at senior IT management (IT Director etc), then ITIL would be good. PRINCE2 is often asked for, rarely used, but is worth having on the CV. Otherwise you may wish to consider some general management training or even an MBA.

I was a developer for 10 years, moved into Head of Development and then General Manager. I am looking at the Cranfield School of Management for some of their training and also the OU MBA.