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If you’re thinking about an excellent career in network support then the Microsoft MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) course is an ideal qualification for you. Whether you want to get going or are experienced already but no certificate, there’s a range of courses to suit your requirements. Each of these scenarios needs a different solution, so pay attention that you’re on the right one in advance of spending your money. Identify a company that’s eager to understand you, and what you’re looking to do, and one that has the ability to make available the clear facts to make your choice.

If the UK Information Technology (IT) sector provides so many fantastic advancement possibilities for us all - then what are the questions we need to be posing and which aspects are important to consider?

So many training providers are all about the certification, and avoid focusing on what it’s all actually about - which will always be getting the job or career you want. You should always begin with the end goal - too many people focus on the journey. Don’t let yourself become one of those unfortunate students that choose a course which looks like it could be fun - and end up with a plaque on the wall for something they’ll never enjoy.

Get to grips with the income level you aspire to and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. Sometimes, this affects which certifications you will need and what you can expect to give industry in return. Seek guidance and advice from an industry professional, irrespective of whether you have to pay - it’s much safer and cheaper to investigate at the start if something is going to suit and interest you, rather than realise following two years of study that the job you’ve chosen is not for you and have to return to the start of another program.

Be on the lookout that any certifications you’re working towards are recognised by industry and are bang up to date. ‘In-house’ certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment. From a commercial standpoint, only the top companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (for example) will get you into the interview seat. Anything less won’t make the grade.

People attracted to this sort of work are often very practical, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where everything is presented via full motion video. Research over recent years has repeatedly shown that connecting physically with our study, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.

Find a course where you’re provided with an array of CD and DVD ROM’s - you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, with the facility to hone your abilities through virtual lab’s. Be sure to get a demonstration of the study materials from the school that you’re considering. You should ask for expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

You should avoid purely online training. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where obtainable, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - and not be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

There is no way of over emphasising this: Always get full 24×7 professional support from mentors and instructors. You will have so many problems later if you don’t heed this. Never purchase study programmes that only provide support to students with an out-sourced call-centre message system after office-staff have gone home. Companies will always try to hide the importance of this issue. The simple fact of the matter is - support is required when it’s required - not as-and-when it’s suitable for their staff.

Top training companies utilise several support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, any time of the day or night, help is just seconds away, without any contact issues or hassle. If you opt for less than 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You may not need it during late nights, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

Charging for exams up-front then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status is common for many training course providers. But let’s examine why they really do it:

Certainly it’s not free - you’re still coughing up for it - it’s just been included in your package price. People who go in for their examinations when it’s appropriate, paying for them just before taking them are much more likely to pass. They are conscious of their spending and prepare more appropriately to make sure they’re ready.

Why pay the training course provider early for exams? Find the best exam deal or offer at the time, instead of paying any mark-up - and do it locally - instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call. Buying a course that includes payments for examination fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is a false economy. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with your hard-earned cash simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you don’t even take them all - so they don’t need to pay for them. Also, many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of organisations will not pay for re-takes until you’re able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.

On average, exams cost 112 pounds or thereabouts in the last 12 months when taken at Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So what’s the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to get ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when any student knows that what’s really needed is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

Commercial qualifications are now, very visibly, already replacing the more academic tracks into the IT industry - why then should this be? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has had to move to the specialised training that the vendors themselves supply - in other words companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. Often this saves time and money for the student. Typically, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle objective is to focus on the exact skills required (including a degree of required background) - without attempting to cover a bit about all sorts of other things - in the way that academic establishments often do.

Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. All an employer has to do is know what areas need to be serviced, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.

Massive developments are washing over technology over the next generation - and it becomes more and more thrilling each day. We’ve only just begun to see just how technology is going to shape our lives. The internet will profoundly alter the way we view and interrelate with the entire world over the coming years.

Let’s not ignore salaries either - the usual income across the UK for the usual IT professional is significantly more than in other market sectors. It’s likely you’ll bring in a much greater package than you would in most other jobs. It would appear there is no easing up for IT sector growth throughout this country. The industry continues to grow enormously, and with the skills shortage of over 26 percent that we’re experiencing, it’s not showing any signs that it will even slow down for the significant future.

Congratulate yourself that you’ve already got this far! A small number of workers enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers complain to each other and take no action. The fact that you’re here means it’s probable that you’ve a personal interest in re-training, so even now you’re ahead of the game. What comes next is find out more and then take action.

On the subject of training, it’s important to first define what you want and don’t want from the job you would like to get. Ensure that the grass actually is greener before you put a lot of energy into taking a new turn. So much better to look at the destination you’re hoping for, to avoid disappointment:

* Do you see yourself dealing with people? Would that be with the same people or with many new people? Maybe working on your own in a task-based situation would give you pleasure?

* Are you thinking carefully about which market sector you maybe could work in? (Post credit crunch, it’s more important than ever to choose carefully.)

* Having completed your retraining, are you hoping your new skills will give you the ability to take you through to retirement?

* Do you feel uncomfortable with regard to the chance of getting new work, and staying employable to the end of your working life?

A predominant industry in this country that fulfils the above criteria is the IT industry. There’s a need for more knowledgeable workers in this market, just search any job site and you’ll discover what we mean. But don’t think it’s full of techie geeks sitting in front ofscreens the whole time - there are many more roles than that. The majority of workers in the industry are ordinary people, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

Reaching the most fitting career development option is very difficult - so where do we need to look and what are the questions we should be seeking the answers to?

Throw out any salesperson who just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation so as to understand your abilities and also your level of experience. Always check they have access to a expansive array of training so they can solve your training issues. Don’t forget, if in the past you’ve acquired any accreditation or direct-experience, then you will often be able to start at a different point than someone who is new to the field. For students beginning IT exams and training for the first time, you might like to start out slowly, by working on some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with any study program.

The classroom style of learning we remember from school, utilising reference manuals and books, is usually pretty hard going. If you’re nodding as you read this, check out study materials that are multimedia based. If we can involve all our senses in the learning process, then we normally see dramatically better results.

Search for a course where you’re provided with an array of CD and DVD ROM’s - you’ll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, and be able to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. You’ll definitely want a look at some courseware examples from any training college. The materials should incorporate slide-shows, instructor-led videos and virtual practice lab’s for your new skills.

It’s folly to go for purely on-line training. Because of the variable quality and reliability of most broadband providers, it makes sense to have physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s.

We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor support. We can tell you that you’ll strongly regret it if you don’t follow this rule rigidly. Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems - with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and want support there and then.

Top training providers opt for an online round-the-clock service pulling in several support offices from around the world. You’ll have a single, easy-to-use interface which switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres any time of the day or night: Support on demand. Find a company that gives this level of learning support. As only true live 24×7 support provides the necessary backup.

If you’re considering a training academy that still provides workshops as a necessary part of their training, then take note of these difficulties met by many students:

* Loads of travelling - lots of trips and quite often over 100 miles a pop.

* Requesting time out of work - most schools can only give Mon-Fri class availability and typically group 2-3 days together. This is generally difficult for those of us who work for a living, even more so if you include the travel time on top.

* Usually, we find twenty days annual leave is not really enough. Sacrifice over half of it for study classes and see your problems doubled.

* Workshop days normally are over-subscribed, so we end up having to take a slot that doesn’t really suit.

* Some trainees are trying to maintain a quick pace, but some need a more gentle learning curve and be allowed to set their own speed. This causes tension in most cases.

* The growing costs associated with travel - travelling to the training college and of course over-night bed and breakfast can mount up over several visits. If you only assumed 5-10 centre-days at a cost of 35 pounds for one night’s accommodation, plus forty pounds for petrol and 15.00 for food, that becomes a minimum of four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs that we now have to fund.

* You should never risk even a small chance of getting side-stepped for potential advancement or pay-rises because of your studies.

* Asking questions in a class full of students sometimes makes us feel awkward. Ever avoided asking a question just because you were worried it might make you look silly?

* Where students have to on occasion live or work away from home, imagine the increased difficulty in making the required events, as time becomes even more scarce.

Surely it makes so much more sense to study when it’s convenient for you - not the company - and exploit videos of instructors with interactive virtual-lab’s. Study from home on your PC or out in the garden on your laptop. If you’ve got questions, then use the provided 24×7 live support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Irrespective of how often you would like to re-take a quiz or test, filmed teachers are never going to run out of patience! Also, with this method, you don’t have to worry about any note-taking. Everything’s laid out there for you to use. The final upshot: Reduced hassle, money saved, and no travelling or long journeys.

There are colossal changes about to hit technology in the near future - and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. We’ve barely started to scrape the surface of how technology will affect our lives in the future. The internet will significantly revolutionise the way we regard and interact with the rest of the world over the coming decades.

Incomes in IT are not a problem moreover - the usual income in Great Britain for the usual man or woman in IT is much greater than average salaries nationally. Odds are you’ll bring in quite a bit more than you’d typically expect to bring in elsewhere. Due to the technological sector growing year on year, it’s likely that the need for certified IT professionals will remain buoyant for a good while yet.

Almost exclusively, Adobe Dreamweaver is the first base for all web designers. It is probably the most used web-development environment in the world. The whole Adobe Web Creative Suite should additionally be understood in-depth. Doing this will familiarise you in Action Script and Flash, (and more), and could lead on to the Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) or an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) qualification.

Knowing how to create the website is just the start. Driving traffic, maintaining content and various programming skills are the next things. Think about courses that also contain modules to include these skills perhaps HTML, PHP and MySQL, along with search engine optimisation (SEO) and E-Commerce skills.

Evidently, the UK IT sector promises incomparable potential. But, to properly investigate, what kind of questions should we pose, and which are the most important considerations?

Potential Students looking to kick off an Information Technology career normally haven’t a clue which path to consider, or even what market to build their qualifications around. Since without any solid background in IT, how should we possibly know what a particular job actually consists of? Arriving at the right answer can only grow via a detailed investigation of several different criteria:

* Our personalities play an important role - what things get your juices flowing, and what tasks you really dislike.

* Is it your desire to realise a closely held goal - like being your own boss as quickly as possible?

* What scale of importance is the salary - is an increase your main motivator, or do you place job satisfaction a little higher on the scale of your priorities?

* With everything that computing covers, you really need to be able to understand how they differ.

* Taking a serious look into the effort, commitment and time you can give.

In actuality, it’s obvious that the only real way to research these areas will be via a meeting with a professional who understands IT (and more importantly it’s commercial requirements.)

Usually, trainers will provide a shelf full of reference manuals. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not ideal for remembering. We see a huge improvement in memory retention with an involvement of all our senses - experts have been clear on this for decades now.

Top of the range study programs now offer self-contained CD or DVD materials. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you’ll take everything in by way of the expert demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by utilising the practice lab’s and modules. You really need to look at the type of training provided by your chosen company. Be sure that they contain full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

You’ll find that many companies will only provide online training only; while you can get away with this much of the time, consider how you’ll deal with it if you lose your internet access or you get a slow connection speed. It is usually safer to have CD and DVD ROM materials that removes the issue entirely.

Many students come unstuck over a single courseware aspect which is often not even considered: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being couriered to your address. Individual deliveries for each training module stage by stage, as you complete each module is the normal way of receiving your courseware. While sounding logical, you must understand the following: What would happen if you didn’t finish every module within the time limits imposed? Often the staged order won’t be as easy as another different route may.

To provide the maximum security and flexibility, it’s normal for most trainees to request that all their modules (now paid for) are couriered out in one package, all at the beginning. It’s then up to you in what order and how fast or slow you’d like to take your exams.

We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor support. You’ll severely regret it if you don’t heed this. Never accept training courses that only support you with a call-centre messaging system after office-staff have gone home. Training companies will always try to hide the importance of this issue. But, no matter how they put it - support is needed when it’s needed - not at their convenience.

Top training providers opt for an online 24×7 service involving many support centres across the globe. You’ll have a single, easy-to-use interface that accesses the most appropriate office irrespective of the time of day: Support available as-and-when you want it. If you accept anything less than 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You might not want to use the service during late nights, but what about weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Be careful that the qualifications you’re studying for will be recognised by employers and are current. Training companies own certificates are often meaningless. Only fully recognised qualifications from the major players like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will have any meaning to employers.

Look at the following facts and pay great regard to them if you believe that over-used sales technique about ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:

You’ll pay for it somehow. It certainly isn’t free - it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole. If you want to qualify first ‘go’, then the most successful route is to fund each exam as you take it, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.

Take your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and find the best exam deal or offer available then. What’s the point in paying early for examinations when you don’t need to? A great deal of money is made because training colleges are charging upfront for all their exams - and hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Many training companies will insist that you take mock exams first and hold you back from re-takes until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass - so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric examinations costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

How can job security truly exist anywhere now? Here in the UK, with industry changing its mind at alarming speeds, we’d question whether it does. In actuality, security now only emerges in a fast rising marketplace, fuelled by a shortage of trained workers. It’s this shortage that creates the right conditions for a secure marketplace - a more attractive situation all round.

The computing Industry skills shortage across the UK falls in at over twenty six percent, as noted by the most recent e-Skills investigation. Meaning that for every four jobs that exist throughout the computer industry, we’ve only got three properly trained pro’s to do them. This distressing idea underpins the requirement for more appropriately certified computing professionals throughout the UK. For sure, now, more than ever, really is a fabulous time to train for Information Technology (IT).

All of us are short of time, and most often if we desire to study for a new career, training in addition to a 40 hour week is our best way forward. Microsoft authorised training could be the answer. It’s a good idea to find advisors with experience of the IT industry, who could offer counsel on what sort of job would suit you, and what sort of duties are suitable for a person with a personality like yours. When you’ve chosen the career track for you, a suitable training program needs to be picked that’s is in line with your skills and abilities. Make sure it’s well designed for your requirements.

Listening to all this debate around IT these days, how are we supposed to recognize what in particular to look for?

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as a lot of students can, on the accreditation program. Training is not an end in itself; this is about gaining commercial employment. Stay focused on what it is you want to achieve. Imagine training for just one year and then end up performing the job-role for decades. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of finding what seems like a program of interest to you only to spend 20 years doing something you don’t even enjoy!

Set targets for how much you want to earn and how ambitious you are. Sometimes, this affects which particular qualifications you’ll need to attain and what’ll be expected of you in your new role. We advise all students to speak with highly experienced advisors before following a particular study program. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the commercially required skills for the chosen career.

Proper support is incredibly important - look for a package offering 24×7 direct access to instructors, as anything else will annoy you and definitely impede your ability to learn. Always avoid study programmes that only provide support to students with an out-sourced call-centre message system after office-staff have gone home. Training companies will always try to hide the importance of this issue. Essentially - support is needed when it’s needed - not at their convenience.

Keep looking and you’ll come across professional companies who provide their students direct-access online support 24×7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. If you opt for less than direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. It may be that you don’t use it during late nights, but what about weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where learning is video-based. If we’re able to involve all our senses in the learning process, our results will often be quite spectacular.

Locate a program where you’ll get a host of CD or DVD ROM’s - you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, and then have the opportunity to practice your skills in interactive lab’s. Every company that you look at should willingly take you through a few samples of their courseware. You should hope for instructor-led videos and interactive areas to practice in.

You should avoid purely online training. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where available, enabling them to be used at your convenience - you don’t want to be reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

Some training schools are still offering the slightly musty old method of classroom lessons. Often sold as a benefit, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, don’t be surprised to be lectured on several if not most of the following problems:

* Periodic travelling - hundreds of miles usually.

* Mon-Fri access with classes is typically the case, and getting two to three days out of work can be difficult for many working people.

* Let us not ignore lost holiday time. Often, we get twenty days annual leave. If half is given up to classes, then it doesn’t leave much for us and our families.

* With the high costs involved, most schools fill the classes up to the brim - which is not ideal (and with less one-on-one time).

* Often trainees hope to push through at quite a pace, but some like to take it easier and be allowed to set their own speed. This will often generate tension and unrest on many workshops.

* The growing costs associated with travel - arranging transport backwards and forwards to the training college plus several days accommodation can start to get expensive with each visit. If we just assume five to ten workshops costing 35 pounds for a single over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and food at 15 pounds, we arrive at 450-900 pounds of hidden costs on top.

* Keeping your training private from your employer can be high on the list of priorities to most students. There’s no need to sacrifice potential advancement, pay-rises or accomplishment with your current employer because of your studies. If your employer knows that you’re undertaking training in another area entirely, how will they regard you?

* Posing questions in front of other class-mates often makes us feel self-conscious. Would you admit that you’ve occasionally avoided posing a question because you were worried it might make you look silly?

* If your work takes you away from home, it’s apparent that days in-centre can often become very hard to attend - but unfortunately, the money has already been paid.

The most elegant solution is to watch a filmed lesson - providing direct instruction at a time that’s convenient to you alone. Whenever you experience difficulties, utilise the 24×7 Support (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) You should remember, if you have a notebook PC, you could study in breaks at work. It really doesn’t matter how frequently you would like to re-take a quiz or test, video tutors can never get frustrated with you! Also, with this method, you can say goodbye to note-taking. Everything is already there for immediate use. What could be simpler: A lot of money is saved and you avoid all the travelling; and you have a far more peaceful training atmosphere.

We can all agree: There really is pretty much no personal job security anymore; there’s really only market or business security - as any company can let anyone go if it meets the business’ trade needs. In times of escalating skills shortages and growing demand however, we always reveal a new kind of market-security; where, fuelled by the conditions of constant growth, businesses find it hard to locate enough staff.

The IT skills shortfall across the United Kingdom is standing at over 26 percent, as noted by the latest e-Skills study. Therefore, for every 4 jobs existing around IT, employers can only locate trained staff for three of the four. Accomplishing full commercial IT exams is as a result a ‘Fast Track’ to achieve a long-lasting as well as worthwhile livelihood. Without a doubt, this really is the very best time for retraining into IT.

If you’re going through this material it’s possible that either you want to get into networking and you fancy taking your MCSE, or you are a knowledgeable person and it’s apparent that the next stage is the MCSE certification.

As you find out about training colleges, steer clear of those who reduce their out-goings by failing to up-grade to the latest Microsoft version. Over time, this will frustrate and cost the student much more because they’ve been taught from an old version of MCSE which inevitably will have to be up-dated pretty much straight away. Don’t be pushed into a training program without the right advice. Look for a computer training company who will make sure that you’re on an appropriate training track for you.

Picking up on the sheer volume of debate covering computing technology at present, how can we understand what in particular to look for?

Students hopeful to build a career in IT normally aren’t sure which route to consider, let alone which sector to build their qualifications around. As with no commercial skills in computing, how can most of us understand what any job actually involves? Contemplation on several factors is required when you want to dig down a solution that suits you:

* Personality plays a significant part - what gets you ‘up and running’, and what tasks put a frown on your face.

* Is your focus to get certified because of a certain motive - i.e. is it your goal to work based from home (self-employment possibly?)?

* Is salary further up on your wish list than other factors.

* Some students don’t fully understand the energy needed to achieve their goals.

* You will need to take in what is different for the myriad of training options.

To completely side-step the industry jargon, and reveal what’ll really work for you, have a good talk with an experienced professional; a person who will cover the commercial realities and truth and of course the accreditations.

You have to make sure that all your exams are what employers want - forget studies that lead to in-house certificates. If the accreditation doesn’t feature a major player like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then you’ll probably find it won’t be commercially viable - as no-one will have heard of it.

Most commercial training providers only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Locate training schools where you can access help at all hours of the day and night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not a message system as this will slow you down - constantly waiting for a call-back - probably during office hours.

The best trainers have many support offices around the globe in several time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, help is just seconds away, without any problems or delays. Never make the mistake of compromise where support is concerned. The majority of trainees who can’t get going properly, just need the right support system.

It’s likely that you’re quite practically minded - a ‘hands-on’ individual. Usually, the painful task of reading endless manuals can be just about bared when essential, but it’s not ideal. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if book-based learning really isn’t your style. Research has constantly confirmed that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Top of the range study programs now offer interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you’ll find things easier to remember via their teaching and demonstrations. Then you test your knowledge by using practice-lab’s. It’s wise to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign on the dotted line. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

It doesn’t make sense to go for purely on-line training. With highly variable reliability and quality from most broadband providers, ensure that you have access to physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s.

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, when you pay for the rest of your course. But before you get taken in by the chance of a guarantee, consider this:

You’ll be charged for it somehow. It certainly isn’t free - they’ve just worked it into the package price. Trainees who enter their exams one by one, paying as they go are much better placed to get through first time. They’re conscious of their spending and prepare more appropriately to ensure they are ready.

Does it really add up to pay your college up-front for exams? Find the best deal you can when you’re ready, instead of paying any mark-up - and sit exams more locally - instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call. Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you’ve paid early for exam fees when you don’t need to? A great deal of money is made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and banking on the fact that many won’t be taken. It’s also worth noting that exam guarantees often have very little value. The majority of companies won’t pay again for an exam until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time.

Exam fees averaged approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months when taken at Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s no secret that the responsible approach is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

Now, why might we choose commercial certification as opposed to traditional academic qualifications taught at schools and Further Education colleges? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, the IT sector has had to move to specialist courses that can only come from the vendors - for example companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay. Academic courses, as a example, become confusing because of a lot of background study - with a syllabus that’s far too wide. Students are then prevented from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Think about if you were the employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. What’s the simplest way to find the right person: Wade your way through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which commercial skills they’ve acquired, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that precisely match your needs, and make your short-list from that. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

Locating job security in the current climate is problematic. Companies can throw us out of the workforce with very little notice - as and when it suits them. However, a sector experiencing fast growth, with huge staffing demands (due to a massive shortage of trained staff), provides a market for true job security.

Using the computing business as an example, the most recent e-Skills survey highlighted a skills shortage around the United Kingdom of around 26 percent. Showing that for each 4 job positions that exist around the computer industry, we have only 3 certified professionals to fill that need. This single reality alone reveals why the country requires a lot more people to join the IT industry. In actuality, acquiring professional IT skills during the coming years is almost definitely the best choice of careers you could make.

The CCNA certification is where it all starts for training in Cisco. With it, you’ll learn how to handle the maintenance and installation of routers. Fundamentally, the internet is based upon huge numbers of routers, and commercial ventures that have various regional departments need them to keep their networks in touch.

Because routers are linked to networks, find a course that covers networking fundamentals (CompTIA Network+ as an example - maybe with the A+ as well) and then do a CCNA course. It’s vital that you’ve got some knowledge of how networks operate before you start a Cisco course or you could find yourself a little lost. When you’ve qualified and are on the job market, companies will expect good networking skills to complement your CCNA.

If routers are a new thing for you, then qualifying up to the CCNA level is the right level to aim for - don’t be pushed into attempting your CCNP. Once you’ve worked for a few years, you will have a feel for if it’s appropriate for you to go to the level of CCNP.

We’d all like to believe that our jobs are safe and our work futures are protected, but the growing reality for the majority of jobs throughout the UK right now seems to be that there is no security anymore. In times of growing skills shortages coupled with escalating demand though, we almost always hit upon a fresh type of market-security; as fuelled by conditions of continuous growth, employers struggle to find the staff required.

Looking at the IT sector, a recent e-Skills study showed a more than 26 percent shortfall of skilled workers. Put simply, we can’t properly place more than three out of every four jobs in Information Technology (IT). This one fact on its own shows why the country desperately needs so many more trainees to enter the IT sector. As the Information Technology market is increasing at such a quick pace, could there honestly be a better area of industry worth investigating as a retraining vehicle.

Arriving at a sensible career choice can be very hard - so which areas should we be checking out and what questions do we need to raise?

Don’t forget: the actual training program or a qualification isn’t what this is about; a job you’re training for is. Many trainers unfortunately place too much importance on the piece of paper. It’s possible, in many cases, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study only to end up putting 20 long years into something completely unrewarding, entirely because you stumbled into it without the correct level of soul-searching at the outset.

Take time to understand your leanings around career progression and earning potential, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. It’s vital to know what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what qualifications are required and in what way you can develop commercial experience. Sense dictates that you take advice from a skilled advisor before making your final decision on some particular training program, so you can be sure that a program provides the skill-set required for your career choice.

Most training companies will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Look for training with help available at any time of the day or night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back at a convenient time for them.

It’s possible to find the top providers which offer direct-access online support around the clock - even in the middle of the night. Never compromise where support is concerned. Many students who fall by the wayside, just need the right support system.

The age-old way of teaching, using textbooks and whiteboards, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, dig around for more practical courses which feature interactive and multimedia modules. If we’re able to get all of our senses involved in our learning, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab’s will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And they’re a lot more fun to do. Be sure to get a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. The package should contain instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

You should avoid purely online training. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where offered, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - you don’t want to be reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

A lot of trainees think that the state educational system is the right way even now. So why is commercial certification slowly and steadily replacing it? Key company training (to use industry-speak) is far more specialised and product-specific. Industry is aware that this level of specialised understanding is vital to meet the requirements of a technically advancing workplace. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe are the big boys in this field. The training is effectively done by focusing on the particular skills that are needed (alongside a proportionate degree of related knowledge,) instead of trawling through all the background ‘padding’ that degree courses can get bogged down in - to pad out the syllabus.

It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they’re assured that a potential employee can do exactly what’s required.

Accredited simulation materials and exam preparation packages are a must - and must be offered by your training supplier. Confirm that your practice exams aren’t just asking you the right questions in the right areas, but additionally ask them in the way the real exams will structure them. It throws trainees if the questions are phrased in unfamiliar formats. Ensure that you ask for exam preparation tools that will allow you to test your understanding along the way. Practice exams add to your knowledge bank - then you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

The sometimes daunting task of finding your first IT job can be relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don’t get caught up in this feature - it’s easy for companies marketing departments to make it sound harder than it is. Ultimately, the need for well trained IT people in the United Kingdom is the reason you’ll find a job.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV might be provided (if it isn’t, consult one of our sites). It’s essential that you polish up your CV straight away - don’t leave it till you pass the exams! Getting onto the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior support jobs are given to trainees who are still at an early stage in their studies. If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you’ll probably find that a specialist locally based employment agency could be of more use than a national service, for they’re far more likely to know the local job scene.

A big aggravation of a number of training companies is how much people are prepared to study to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the job they’ve qualified for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it’s fun.

Computer and network support technicians are increasingly in demand in the United Kingdom, as organisations are becoming more reliant upon their knowledge and fixing and repairing abilities. Our desire for such qualified and commercially astute people is growing at an impressive rate, as everywhere we work becomes vastly more dependent upon technology.

Understanding the right career choice is fraught with stress - so which areas should we be checking out and what kind of questions should we pose?

It’s important to understand: the training itself or the accreditation is not the ultimate goal; a job you’re training for is. Too many training companies over-emphasise the actual accreditation. Don’t be one of those unfortunate students who select a program that seems ‘fun’ or ‘interesting’ - and end up with a plaque on the wall for a job they hate.

It’s well worth a long chat to see the expectations of your industry. Which precise exams you’ll be required to have and how to gain experience. Spend some time assessing how far you think you’ll want to build your skill-set as often it can force you to choose a particular set of certifications. Seek out help from a professional advisor that has commercial knowledge of your chosen market-place, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis of what you’ll actually be doing with each working day. It’s good sense to know if this change is right for you before you commence your studies. There’s really no point in starting to train and then find you’ve taken the wrong route.

Each programme of learning really needs to work up to a nationally accepted qualification as an end-goal - not a useless ‘in-house’ piece of paper. All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco have internationally renowned skills programs. Huge conglomerates such as these will give some sparkle to your CV.

It’s so important to understand this key point: Always get full 24×7 instructor and mentor support. We can tell you that you’ll strongly regret it if you don’t adhere to this. Beware of institutions who use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ - with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and want support there and then.

Top training providers opt for a web-based 24 hours-a-day system involving many support centres from around the world. You get an interface which seamlessly accesses whichever office is appropriate any time of the day or night: Support on demand. Never make the mistake of compromise where support is concerned. Many trainees who drop-out or fail, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.

We can guess that you’re quite practically minded - a ‘hands-on’ personality type. If you’re like us, the painful task of reading endless manuals is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but it’s not ideal. You should use video and multimedia based materials if books just don’t do it for you. Research over recent years has repeatedly shown that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Fully interactive motion videos with demonstrations and practice sessions beat books hands-down. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. All companies must be able to demonstrate a few examples of the materials provided for study. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and interactive areas to practice in.

Often, companies will only use training that is purely available online; sometimes you can get away with this - but, imagine the problems if internet access is lost or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. A safer solution is the provision of actual CD or DVD ROMs that will solve that problem.

Incorporating exam fees as an inclusive element of the package price and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is a popular marketing tool with a good many training companies. Consider the facts:

They’ve allowed costings for it one way or another. You can be assured it’s not a freebie - they’ve just worked it into the package price. Qualifying on the first ‘go’ is what everyone wants to do. Going for exams in order and paying for them just before taking them has a marked effect on pass-rates - you take it seriously and think carefully about the costs.

Isn’t it in your interests to not pay up-front, but at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the training college, and also to sit exams more locally - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying in advance for exam fees (plus interest - if you’re financing your study) is madness. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with extra money of yours just to give them a good cash-flow! There are those who hope that you will never make it to exams - so they get to keep the extra funds. The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and not allow you to re-take an exam until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing - so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Exam fees averaged around the 112 pounds mark in the last 12 months through VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s obvious that what’s really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

A lot of trainees assume that the traditional school, college or university path is the right way even now. So why then is commercial certification becoming more in demand? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, the IT sector has been required to move to the specialised core-skills learning that can only come from the vendors - for example companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. Often this saves time and money for the student. Essentially, only that which is required is learned. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (including a degree of required background) - without overdoing the detail in every other area (as degree courses are known to do).

As long as an employer knows what work they need doing, then all they have to do is advertise for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Vendor-based syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don’t change between schools (in the way that degree courses can).

We’d all like to believe that our jobs will remain safe and our work futures are protected, however, the truth for most jobs throughout England right now appears to be that security may be a thing of the past. However, a marketplace with high growth, with a constant demand for staff (due to a massive shortage of fully trained workers), creates the conditions for lasting job security.

Taking the Information Technology (IT) industry for instance, the 2006 e-Skills investigation demonstrated a skills gap around the country of over 26 percent. Basically, we only have the national capacity to fill just 3 out of every four jobs in IT. This basic idea clearly demonstrates an urgent requirement for more technically trained computing professionals in the UK. Surely, now really is such a perfect time to consider retraining into IT.

People researching courses for the IT sector will notice the number of diverse options in existence. Before embarking on a course, find a company with a career advice department, so you can get information on the type of work your training will prepare you for. Maybe you’ll find career paths you hadn’t considered before. You can learn anything from Microsoft User Skills to Databases, Programming, Networking and Web Design. There is so much choice and so you’ll probably need to chat to an experienced advisor prior to deciding which way to go: don’t make a guess and get on the wrong course for an area that you don’t enjoy!

By taking advantage of the latest training methods and keeping costs to a minimum, there is a new type of organisation supplying a superior brand of teaching and assistance for hundreds of pounds less.

It’s indisputable, the UK Information Technology (IT) market provides impressive prospects. However, to investigate it properly, which questions do we need to raise, and which elements are the most important?

Make sure you don’t get caught-up, as can often be the case, on the certification itself. Your training isn’t about getting a plaque on your wall; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. Focus on the end-goal. It’s a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but a great many students commence training that sounds marvellous from the syllabus guide, but which delivers a career that doesn’t fulfil at all. Try talking to typical college leavers for examples.

Never let your focus stray from what you want to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that - avoid getting them back-to-front. Keep your eyes on your goals - making sure you’re training for an end-result that’ll reward you for many long and fruitful years. Always seek guidance and advice from an experienced industry professional, even if you have to pay a small fee - as it’s a lot cheaper and safer to find out at the start whether a chosen track will suit, instead of finding out after two full years that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and have to start from the beginning again.

Some training companies only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Don’t accept study programmes that only provide support to trainees with a call-centre messaging system after office-staff have gone home. Training schools will defend this with all kinds of excuses. The simple fact of the matter is - you want support at the appropriate time - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.

The very best training providers use multiple support centres around the globe in several time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, at any time you choose, help is just a click away, without any contact issues or hassle. If you accept anything less than direct-access round-the-clock support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. It may be that you don’t use it late at night, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where you can learn everything on-screen. Studies in learning psychology have shown that much more of what we learn in remembered when we use all our senses, and we get physically involved with the study process.

The latest home-based training features interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you’ll find things easier to remember by way of their teaching and demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by utilising the practice lab’s and modules. Make sure to obtain a training material demonstration from the training company. You’ll want to see instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

It’s folly to choose training that is only available online. With highly variable reliability and quality from most broadband providers, ensure that you have access to physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s.

A big contender for the biggest issue to be got round for IT trainees can be attending multi-day workshops. Many trainers wax lyrical on the so-called ‘benefits’ of these classes, it’s almost certain though that you’ll find them a growing difficulty due to:

* The amount of travel required - frequent trips and often 100’s of miles each time.

* Availability of classes; typically Mon-Fri and usually 2-3 days at a time. This can be difficult to get the work-leave.

* Annual leave lost - the majority of employed people only have 20 days holiday. If over half of it is swallowed up by study events, vacation time is going to be quite short for the family as a whole.

* Training events sometimes are over-subscribed, meaning we have to accept the ‘2nd best’ solution.

* A lot of trainees want to work as quickly as possible, while others are looking to take a more ’steady’ pace and not be pushed beyond their comfort-zone. This brings tension and difficulty a lot of the time.

* Most students speak about the high (and unexpected) costs associated with getting transport to and from the venue while covering the cost of accommodation and food can get very high.

* Do you really want even a small chance of getting overlooked for advancement or wage increases because you’re getting trained in a different area.

* It’s not unusual to find that, at times, it’s uncomfortable to raise questions in a class full of our fellow students - because none of us wants to look like we don’t understand.

* If you on occasion live or work away from home, consider the added problems of getting to the requisite classes, when time-off becomes even harder to obtain.

A more flexible training route is to employ pre-filmed workshops in the comfort of your own home - studying at your own pace, when it suits you - not anyone else. You can study anywhere you want. If your PC is a laptop, you could get a little fresh air outside while you learn. If you have any difficulties then make use of the 24×7 support. You have the ability to do the modules as often as you want or need. There’s also no need to jot down any notes because the class is available whenever you want it. Could it be simpler: No travelling, wasted time or money; and of course you end up with a more stress-free study environment.

There is a tidal wave of change flooding technology over the next generation - and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. We’re barely beginning to get to grips with how all this will mould and change our lives. The way we interrelate with the rest of the world will be profoundly affected by computers and the internet.

If earning a good living is up there on your wish list, you’ll welcome the news that the average salary of the majority of IT staff is a lot better than salaries in the rest of the economy. As the IT industry keeps emerging nationally and internationally, the chances are that the need for well trained and qualified IT technicians will remain buoyant for decades to come.

If you fancy being a web designer, then you need training in Adobe Dreamweaver. For commercial applications you’ll be expected to have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the complete Adobe Web Creative Suite. This is including (but isn’t limited to) Flash and Action Script. If your goal is to become an Adobe Certified Professional or an Adobe Certified Expert then such knowledge is non-negotiable.

Understanding how to make a website is only the beginning. Creating traffic, maintaining content and programming database-driven sites are the next things. Think about training programmes that also contain modules to teach these subjects perhaps HTML, PHP and MySQL, along with Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce.

Bearing in mind all this debate covering computer technology right now, how can we recognize what precisely to look for?

Potential Students hoping to kick off a career in computers and technology often aren’t sure what path they should take, let alone what market to obtain accreditation for. Flicking through long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Most of us have no idea what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so what chance do we have in understanding the subtleties of a specific IT job. To get through to the essence of this, a discussion is necessary, covering a variety of definitive areas:

* Which type of person you reckon you are - what kind of jobs you find interesting, plus of course - what don’t you like doing.

* Are you hoping to get certified for a specific raison d’etre - for example, do you aim to work based at home (working for yourself?)?

* Is salary further up on your wish list than some other areas.

* Learning what the normal IT types and sectors are - and what makes them different.

* How much time you will commit your training.

To completely side-step the industry jargon, and find the best route for you, have a good talk with an experienced professional; an individual that appreciates and can explain the commercial realities whilst covering each qualification.

Often, trainers provide piles of reference manuals and workbooks. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not a very good way of taking things in. Many studies have proved that we remember much more when we involve as many senses as possible, and we put into practice what we’ve been studying.

Programs are now found in the form of CD and DVD ROM’s, where everything is taught on your PC. Video streaming means you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to do something, with some practice time to follow - via the interactive virtual lab’s. You must ensure that you see some example materials from the company you’re considering. You’ll want to see that they include instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s.

Avoid training that is purely online. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where available, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - ISP quality varies, so you don’t want to be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

Some certification companies are still maintaining a now out-dated method of training - classroom days. Quite often pushed as a positive point, if you track down someone who’s been through a few, you’ll most likely hear about many or most of these problems:

* Lots of centre visits - quite often 100’s of miles.

* Asking for constant holidays or time off - many training companies can only give Mon-Fri workshop availability and group several days in a chunk. This isn’t ideal for most people who work, especially when you add the travel time on.

* Usually, we end up feeling 4 weeks annual leave is not really enough. Take away a big chunk of this for training events and see your problems doubled.

* Because of the cost involved, most training companies fill the classes up to the brim - which is not ideal (increasing the ratio of students to teachers).

* A lot of students want to work as quickly as possible, while others are looking to take a more ’steady’ pace and be allowed to set their own speed. This breeds tension on many workshops.

* You can’t overlook the increased cost of driving and over-night accommodation either. This can run to hundreds and even thousands of pounds extra. Work it out - you’ll get a shock.

* Not wanting employers to know about the training will be of paramount importance to a lot of attendees. There’s no need to throw away potential advancement, wage increases or accomplishment at your current job because you’re getting trained in a different area. If your boss finds out that you’re undertaking certification in another sector, what will they think?

* It’s really not that uncommon for trainees to keep a question to themselves - simply down to the fact that they’re in front of other people.

* Usually, workshops become nigh on impossible to attend, if you work elsewhere in the country for part of your week or month.

Surely it makes so much more sense to take classes when it’s convenient for you - not the company - and exploit interactive videos of instructors teaching a class. Study from home on your desktop PC or out in the garden on your laptop. Any questions; then utilise the 24×7 Support (that should come with any technical program.) Just go back and re-cover all the learning modules as often as you need to prep for an exam. You also don’t need to scribble any notes because the class is available whenever you want it. Whilst this doesn’t remove each and every issue, it certainly vastly reduces stress and simplifies things. You’ve also got less costs, hassle and travel.

Some trainers only provide office hours or extended office hours support; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use call-centres ‘out-of-hours’ - with the call-back coming in during normal office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

The best trainers use multiple support centres from around the world. Online access provides the interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, at any time you choose, help is just seconds away, without any contact issues or hassle. Seek out an educator that goes the extra mile. As only round-the-clock 24×7 support truly delivers for technical programs.

Lately, do you find yourself questioning how safe your job is? Typically, we only think of this after we get some bad news. But really, the painful truth is that our job security is a thing of the past, for nearly everyone now. Now, we only experience security via a fast growing market, pushed forward by work-skills shortages. It’s this shortage that creates just the right background for market-security - definitely a more pleasing situation.

Using the IT industry for example, a recent e-Skills analysis showed a skills deficit in the UK of around 26 percent. Showing that for every 4 jobs that exist across Information Technology (IT), we have only 3 certified professionals to fill that need. This one concept in itself shows why the UK desperately needs a lot more people to become part of the industry. Actually, retraining in Information Technology throughout the years to come is very likely the greatest career direction you could choose.

In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and sections to study, but you’re just expected to get your exams in 2 of them to qualify for your A+. For this reason, most training colleges stick to just two options. But giving you all four options will give you a more confident perspective of it all, something you’ll discover is essential in professional employment.

CompTIA A+ training programs are about fault finding and diagnosing - both through hands-on and remote access, alongside building computers and repairing them and working in antistatic conditions. It could be a good idea to consider supplementing the A+ with Network + as it will give you the knowledge to take care of computer networks, and become a more senior IT professional.

Sometimes, individuals don’t understand what IT is doing for all of us. It is ground-breaking, exciting, and means you’re doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. Many people are of the opinion that the technological advancement we’ve been going through is easing off. This couldn’t be more wrong. Terrific advances are ahead of us, and the internet significantly is going to dominate how we conduct our lives.

And don’t forget that on average, the income of a person in the IT sector in Great Britain is considerably greater than in the rest of the economy, so you’ll probably receive much more once qualified in IT, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. Experts agree that there’s a great national demand for certified IT specialists. Also, with the constant growth in the marketplace, it looks like this pattern will continue for quite some time to come.

Picking up on the sheer volume of talk about IT currently, how are we supposed to know what in particular to look for?

Many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget why you’re doing this - which is of course employment. Always begin with the end in mind - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. It’s a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but a great many students start out on programs that sound magnificent from the sales literature, but which gets us a career that is of no interest. Try talking to typical college students for examples.

Spend some time thinking about how much you want to earn and what level of ambition fits you. Sometimes, this affects what qualifications will be required and what industry will expect from you in return. You’d also need help from an advisor who knows the commercial realities of the market you’re considering, and who can give you ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis for each job considered. All of these things are absolutely essential as you’ll need to know if you’re going down the right road.

Please understand this most important point: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 instructor support. You’ll definitely experience problems if you don’t. Find a good quality service with help available at any time you choose (even if it’s early hours on Sunday morning!) You want 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not simply some messaging service that means you’re consistently being held in a queue for a call-back during office hours.

Top training companies have many support offices around the globe in several time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, no matter what time you login, there is always help at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems. Unless you insist on online 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You might not want to use the service late at night, but what about weekends, late evenings or early mornings.

Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, go for more modern interactive training, where you can learn everything on-screen. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that much more of what we learn in remembered when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we take action to use what we’ve learned.

Study programs now come in the form of CD and DVD ROM’s, so you can study at your own computer. Video streaming means you can watch instructors demonstrating how to do something, and then have a go at it yourself - with interactive lab sessions. All companies must be able to demonstrate some samples of their training materials. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and many interactive sections.

Seek out physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s every time. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

An important area that is sometimes not even considered by those considering a training program is that of ‘training segmentation’. Basically, this means the breakdown of the materials for timed release to you, which vastly changes how you end up. Students often think it makes sense (with training often lasting 2 or 3 years for a full commercial certification,) for a training company to release one module at a time, as you pass each element. Although: Often, the staged breakdown offered by the provider doesn’t suit. You may find it a stretch to finalise each and every section at the speed required?

For future safety and flexibility, it’s normal for most trainees to have all their training materials (which they’ve now paid for) sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. It’s then your own choice in which order and at what speed you want to go.

Consider the following points in detail if you’ve been persuaded that that over-used sales technique about ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:

Certainly it isn’t free - you are paying for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. Qualifying on the first ‘go’ is what everyone wants to do. Entering examinations in order and funding them one at a time has a marked effect on pass-rates - you put the effort in and are conscious of what you’ve spent.

Look for the very best offer you can when you take the exam, and hang on to your cash. You’ll also be able to choose where to sit the exam - which means you can stay local. Many unscrupulous training course providers net big margins because they’re charging for examinations upfront and hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Pay heed to the fact that, in the majority of cases of ‘exam guarantees’ - the company controls how often and when you are allowed to have another go. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.

VUE and Prometric examinations are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in Britain at the time of writing. Why spend so much more on ‘Exam Guarantee’ fees (often hidden in the cost) - when good quality study materials, the proper support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

The somewhat scary thought of getting your first role in IT can be made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Because of the great need for more IT skills in the United Kingdom at the moment, there isn’t a great need to place too much emphasis on this feature however. It’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to find your first job once you’re properly qualified.

However, what is relevant is to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we’d recommend everyone to update their CV right at the beginning of their training - don’t put it off for when you’re ready to start work. Quite often, you will be offered your initial job whilst still on the course (sometimes when you’ve only just got going). If you haven’t updated your CV to say what you’re studying (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you don’t stand a chance! The most efficient companies to help get you placed are usually independent and specialised local recruitment services. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they have more incentive to get on with it.

Not inconsiderable numbers of students, it would appear, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to finding a good job. Promote yourself… Work hard to get in front of employers. Don’t expect a job to just fall into your lap.