Luckily enough, for the past two weeks I have been working from home already in order to complete some development work on some of our foundation courses at Firebrand Training. Because of this unrelated (lucky?) coincidence, I was already self-isolating — with an IT book in front of me!

Even as the coronavirus pandemic restricts people across the world to their homes, this doesn’t mean we can’t keep improving our careers, or our lives.

And so, my early start at self-isolating while revisiting some foundational IT courses has prompted me to write this article — and to share them with you, as suggestions, on how you can potentially use some of the extra time you’re spending at home.

CISMP

My first task was to update the BCS CISMP Course, which dovetails in with the new course book (Third Edition). This is a great course, and the new additions only enhance it further.

I still firmly believe that the Firebrand CISMP is by the far the best Protect course available on the market and a must-have for anyone who’s interested in the basic concepts of Network Defence, Information Security and Data Protection.

It works across all boundaries of industry. The value-add on this course is the technical depth we give it, without distracting from the core values of the BCS Course and Examination. I love this course, and it’s one of my favourite deliveries — and certainly one of the best introductory courses around.

CompTIA A+ / Network+

My second task was to rewrite the CompTIA A+ and Network+ Courses, which are two foundation courses I rarely teach these days, being a “senior” cyber-security instructor and other lofty titles. These are courses and credentials which I took many years ago, and although I stay current with the credentials, I rarely revisit the course material.

We have now linked all of the foundation CompTIA courses with the Sybex Complete or Review Guides for each subject, which we think are the best on market. The “holy trinity” of CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+ now all flow perfectly using the Firebrand and Sybex combination.

To be honest, I was dreading it. A+ in particular was a subject which has not really floated my boat for many years — however, how wrong was I.

There is a distinct difference between reading a technical study guide or book and reading the content with a view to producing a set of course notes that you can teach from and impart wider knowledge.

I now have to admit that I loved it. Going back to the grassroots of IT systems, from component parts, motherboards, network cables and operating systems, was a refreshing experience.

It also made me stop and think about how the Firebrand model does so much more than just deliver a course from a standard book or set of slides, and adds so much value to it — in the form of industry knowledge and experience, and knowing what comes next in the evolution timeline.

Did I learn new things as I went through these courses? Of course I did!

These are great courses to refresh your knowledge and certifications on. Or, if you’re just looking for a career change, a way into the enlightened world of IT.

From these four courses, the technical and managerial world of IT opens up. IT Support and Management, Network Engineer, Desktop Technician, IT Security Manager — you name it. It all starts with the way you learn it.

The great news also is that all of these courses work as well online as in the classroom, with examination support from both BCS and CompTIA coming in the near future. Now would be a great time to get the most out of an Online Instructor-Led course to get those certs back in order, or just to learn some new skills and put your time to good use.