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If you think Cisco training might be for you, and you haven’t worked with switches and routers, you should start with the Cisco CCNA qualification. This teaches you the knowledge you need to understand routers. The world wide web is built up of many routers, and big organisations with several locations also use them to allow their networks to keep in touch.

Successfully achieving this qualification will mean it’s likely you’ll end up working for national or international corporations that have several locations, but still need contact. The other possibility is working for internet service providers. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

Start with a specially designed course that will take you through a specific training path in advance of getting going on the Cisco CCNA.

So, what are the questions we need to pose if we’d like to take onboard the understanding required? Because it’s apparent there are many fairly dazzling possibilities for us all to consider.

A proficient and specialised advisor (as opposed to a salesman) will cover in some detail your current experience level and abilities. This is useful for establishing your starting point for training. If you’ve got a strong background, or even a touch of live experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it’s likely the point from which you begin your studies will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever. It’s wise to consider some basic PC skills training first. This can set the scene for your on-going studies and make the slope up to the higher-levels a bit more manageable.

Many commercial training providers only provide office hours or extended office hours support; very few go late in the evening or at weekends. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations who use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ - with the call-back coming in during normal office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and want support there and then.

The very best training providers utilise several support facilities across multiple time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, no matter what time you login, help is just seconds away, with no hassle or contact issues. If you accept anything less than online 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You may avoid using the support during the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, utilising reference manuals and books, is usually pretty hard going. If this sounds like you, check out study materials which feature interactive and multimedia modules. If we’re able to study while utilising as many senses as possible, then we normally see dramatically better results.

Locate a program where you’ll receive a library of CD or 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. All companies should be able to show you some samples of the type of training materials they provide. You should hope for instructor-led videos and many interactive sections.

Often, companies will only use training that is purely available online; while you can get away with this much of the time, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get a slow connection speed. It’s much safer to rely on CD and DVD ROM materials which will solve that problem.

Students will sometimes miss checking on something of absolutely vital importance - the way the company actually breaks down and delivers the courseware sections, and into what particular chunks. Typically, you will purchase a course taking 1-3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. This may seem sensible until you think about these factors: Sometimes the steps or stages insisted on by the company won’t suit you. It may be difficult to get through every element inside their defined time-scales?

In a perfect world, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - so you’ll have them all to come back to in the future - at any time you choose. You can also vary the order in which you complete your exams as and when something more intuitive seems right for you.

Consider the points below carefully if you’ve been persuaded that that old marketing ploy of ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:

We all know that we’re still paying for it - it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already in the overall figure from the college. It’s absolutely not free (it’s just marketing companies think we’ll fall for anything they say!) It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Taking your exams progressively one by one and funding them one at a time puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you take it seriously and are aware of the costs involved.

Isn’t it in your interests to go for the best offer at the time, not to pay any mark-up to the training course provider, and to do it in a local testing office - instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call? A lot of extra profit is netted by many companies who take the exam money up-front. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don’t get to do their exams and so the company is quids-in. Amazingly, there are providers who rely on that fact - as that’s how they make a lot of their profit. Most companies will require you to do mock exams and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass - which makes an ‘Exam Guarantee’ frankly useless.

With average Prometric and VUE tests coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, it’s common sense to fund them one by one. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but getting your first IT job is often made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don’t get overly impressed with this service - it’s easy for companies marketing departments to overstate it’s need. Ultimately, the massive skills shortage in this country is why employers will be interested in you.

Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate and wait until you have qualified before getting your CV updated. As soon as you start studying, enter details of your study programme and get it out there! Having the possibility of an interview is far better than not even being known about. Many junior jobs are offered to people who are still at an early stage in their studies. In many cases, a specialist locally based recruitment consultancy (who will get paid commission to place you) will perform better than any division of a training company. Also of course they should know the local area and commercial needs.

Various trainees, it seems, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to looking for their first job. Promote yourself… Do everything you can to let employers know about you. Good jobs don’t just knock on your door.

Being a part of the leading edge of new technology really is electrifying. You’re involved with creating a future for us all. We’re only just beginning to get to grips with how all this change will affect us. How we interact with the world will be significantly affected by technology and the web.

Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored either - the average salary over this country as a whole for a typical IT employee is noticeably more than the national average. Chances are that you’ll receive quite a bit more than you would in most other jobs. As the IT industry keeps developing with no sign of a slow-down, it’s looking good that demand for well trained and qualified IT technicians will continue to boom for quite some time to come.

Does an MCSE appeal to you? If the answer’s ‘yes’, there’s a good chance that you’re in one of two situations: You’re someone with a certain amount of knowledge and you should formalise your skills with an MCSE. Instead this could be your first step into commercial IT, but it’s apparent to you that there’s a growing demand for men and women who are commercially qualified.

As you try to find out more, you will notice colleges that compromise their offerings by failing to provide the latest version from Microsoft. Steer clear of training companies like these as it will create challenges for you with the present exams. If you’re learning from an old version, it will be hard to pass. Computer training companies must be devoted to discovering the ultimate program for their trainees. Directing study is as much about helping people to work out where to go, as it is giving them help to reach their destination.

Can job security truly exist anywhere now? In the UK for example, with businesses changing their mind at alarming speeds, we’d question whether it does. In actuality, security now only emerges through a fast growing marketplace, pushed forward by a shortfall of trained staff. It’s this shortage that creates the correct environment for a secure market - a more attractive situation all round.

The Information Technology (IT) skills deficit throughout the UK clocks in at approx 26 percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills survey. To put it another way, this reveals that the country is only able to source three qualified staff for each 4 positions that exist today. Attaining full commercial Information Technology certification is therefore an effective route to succeed in a long-term and enjoyable profession. Quite simply, acquiring professional IT skills throughout the next year or two is most likely the best career choice you could ever make.

How can we reach a good choice then? With such prospects, we’ll need to know where to be looking - and what to be looking for.

Frequently, a average IT hopeful has no idea what way to go about starting in the IT industry, let alone what market to focus their retraining program on. How can most of us possibly understand what is involved in a particular job if we’ve never been there? We normally don’t know someone who performs the role either. Often, the key to unlocking this problem in the best manner comes from a full talk over a number of areas:

* Personalities play a starring role - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the activities that ruin your day.

* Do you want to get certified for a precise reason - e.g. do you aim to work at home (maybe self-employment?)?

* What salary and timescale needs you have?

* Many students don’t properly consider the work needed to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* It’s wise to spend some time thinking about the amount of time and effort you’ll put into your education.

In all honesty, it’s obvious that the only real way to research these areas is through a chat with an experienced advisor who has a background in IT (and chiefly it’s commercial needs.)

Most trainers typically provide a big box of books. This isn’t very interesting and not a very good way of remembering. Where we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we normally see dramatically better results.

The latest audio-visual interactive programs utilising video demo’s and practice lab’s will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. It would be silly not to view some of the typical study materials provided before you make your decision. Always insist on instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

You should avoid purely online training. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you - it’s not wise to be held hostage to a quality and continuous internet connection.

Considering how a program is ‘delivered’ to you can often be overlooked. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what sequence and do you have a say in when you’ll get each part? A release of your materials stage by stage, as you complete each module is the normal way of receiving your courseware. While seeming sensible, you might like to consider this: It’s not unusual for trainees to realise that their providers typical path to completion isn’t as suitable as another. They might find a slightly different order suits them better. And what if you don’t get to the end in the allotted time?

An ideal situation would be to have all the learning modules posted to your home before you even start; the entire package! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your capability of finishing.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always 24×7 round-the-clock support with expert mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). Beware of institutions that use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ - where an advisor will call back during typical office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and want support there and then.

It’s possible to find the very best companies that provide their students online direct access support around the clock - even in the middle of the night. Unless you insist on direct-access round-the-clock support, you’ll regret it very quickly. It may be that you don’t use it during the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package - inevitably that means paying for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. Before you jump at guaranteed exams, be aware of the facts:

These days, we tend to be a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ - and the majority of us ought to grasp that we’re actually paying for it - it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away! Passing first time is everyone’s goal. Progressively working through your exams one by one and paying for them just before taking them makes it far more likely you’ll pass first time - you revise thoroughly and are conscious of what you’ve spent.

Why should you pay your college at the start of the course for examinations? Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you’re ready, rather than pay marked up fees - and do it in a local testing centre - rather than possibly hours away from your area. A great deal of money is secured by many training colleges who get money upfront for exam fees. For various reasons, many students don’t take their exams and so the company is quids-in. Surprising as it sounds, there are training companies who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. The majority of companies will require you to do mock exams and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.

Average exam fees were approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months via VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s no secret that what’s really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

You have to be sure that all your qualifications are commercially valid and current - don’t bother with programs which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you’d printed it yourself). From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (for instance) will get you into the interview seat. Anything less just doesn’t cut the mustard.

With hundreds of computer courses to be had, it can be difficult to find the right one. Choose one that matches up with your character and abilities, and one that is in demand in the working environment. If you’re thinking about upgrading your IT skill-set, perhaps with some Microsoft Office skills, or even becoming an IT professional, you have a choice of how to study.

Modern training methods currently enable students to be instructed on a new style of course, that is much cheaper than traditional courses. The great value of these courses means anyone can afford them.

Sometimes, folks don’t really get what IT is doing for all of us. It is stimulating, innovative, and puts you at the fore-front of developments in technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We’re at the dawn of beginning to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. How we interact with the world will be significantly affected by technology and the internet.

A usual IT man or woman in the United Kingdom is likely to earn noticeably more money than equivalent professionals in another industry. Average incomes are hard to beat nationally. It would appear there is a lot more room for IT jobs increases throughout this country. The industry is continuing to expand quickly, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it’s highly unlikely that things will be any different for a good while yet.

How do we arrive at the right choice then? With such prospects, it’s essential to be guided as to where to investigate - and of course, what to actually be searching for.

Students hopeful to kick off a career in computers and technology generally aren’t sure what path to consider, or what market to build their qualifications around. How can most of us possibly understand the tasks faced daily in an IT career when we’ve never done it? Maybe we haven’t met someone who performs the role either. Achieving an informed resolution can only grow through a methodical analysis across many unique factors:

* Personality plays a significant role - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the things that really turn you off.

* What time-frame are you looking at for the retraining?

* Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is an increase your main motivator, or does job satisfaction rate further up on your priority-list?

* Often, trainees don’t consider the energy demanded to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* It makes sense to appreciate the differences between each individual training area.

For the average person, getting to the bottom of these areas needs a long talk with an advisor who has direct industry experience. And we don’t just mean the qualifications - but also the commercial needs and expectations of the market as well.

A lot of 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. Find a good quality service where you can receive help at any time of day or night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get access directly to professional tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down - waiting for tutors to call you back when it’s convenient for them.

World-class organisations opt for a web-based 24 hours-a-day package pulling in several support offices throughout multiple time-zones. You’re offered an easy to use environment which seamlessly accesses whichever office is appropriate no matter what time of day it is: Support when you need it. If you fail to get yourself 24×7 support, you’ll very quickly realise that you’ve made a mistake. You might not want to use the service throughout the night, but what about weekends, late evenings or early mornings.

Those that are drawn to this type of work are usually quite practically-minded, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and slogging through piles of books. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where you can learn everything on-screen. Learning psychology studies show that memory is aided when we involve as many senses as possible, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.

Start a study-program in which you’ll get a host of CD and DVD based materials - you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, with the facility to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. It’s imperative to see examples of the study materials provided by your chosen company. It’s essential they incorporate full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

It doesn’t make sense to select online only courseware. Due to the variable nature of connection quality from all internet service providers, you should always obtain CD or DVD ROM based materials.

It’s quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on a painfully important area - how their company actually breaks down and delivers the courseware, and into what particular chunks. Many companies enrol you into a program spread over 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you complete each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: What if there are reasons why you can’t finish each and every exam? And what if you find the order of the modules counter-intuitive? Due to no fault of yours, you may not meet the required timescales and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for.

Ideally, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - enabling you to have them all to return to any point - as and when you want. Variations can then be made to the order that you complete each objective if another more intuitive route presents itself.

You’ll come across courses which guarantee examination passes - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, at the start of your training. But before you get taken in by a course with such a promise, why not consider this:

Everybody’s aware that they’re still paying for it - it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already been included in the overall figure from the training company. It’s definitely not free - don’t think these companies are so generous with their money! We all want to pass first time. Going for exams one at a time and paying for them just before taking them has a marked effect on pass-rates - you take it seriously and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.

Find the best exam deal or offer available when you’re ready, and keep hold of your own money. You’ll also be able to choose where to do your exams - so you can find somewhere local. Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you’ve paid early for exams when there’s absolutely nothing that says you have to? A great deal of money is secured by training companies getting money in early for exam fees - and hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Most companies will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass - so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, 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.

A service that several companies offer is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is designed to help you get your first commercial position. At the end of the day it isn’t so complicated as you might think to secure a job - assuming you’re well trained and qualified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you work on your old CV right away - not after you’ve qualified! Many junior support roles have been offered to students who’re still on their course and haven’t even passed a single exam yet. At least this will get you on your way. The best services to help you land that job are usually specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they have more incentive to get on with it.

In a nutshell, as long as you focus the same level of energy into securing a position as into studying, you won’t have any problems. A number of students inexplicably spend hundreds of hours on their training course and do nothing more once certified and seem to expect employers to find them.

If we didn’t have a constant influx of qualified network and computer support workers, commerce in the United Kingdom (as elsewhere) would inevitably be brought to its knees. There is an ever growing requirement for technicians to support both users and the systems they work with. The nation’s requirement for better skilled and qualified individuals grows, as human beings become consistently more dependent upon computers in these modern times.

Making the most fitting career development choice is hard enough - so which sectors are important to investigate and which questions should we pose?

You should remember: the training itself or the accreditation isn’t what this is about; the job or career that you’re getting the training for is. Too many training companies place too much importance on just the training course. Imagine training for just one year and then end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Avoid the mistake of choosing what sounds like a very ‘interesting’ program and then spend decades in a job you hate!

Get to grips with what you want to earn and how ambitious you are. Sometimes, this affects what precise exams will be required and what industry will expect from you in return. Sense dictates that you look for advice and guidance from an experienced industry professional before settling on a training path, so there’s no doubt that the chosen route will give you the skill-set required for your career choice.

Consider only study courses that’ll lead to industry accepted accreditations. There are way too many trainers suggesting their own ‘in-house’ certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. You’ll discover that only industry recognised accreditation from the likes of Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe and Cisco will have any meaning to employers.

Many trainers provide a bunch of books and manuals. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and isn’t the best way to go about achieving retention. Where possible, if we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Courses are now available on CD and DVD discs, so you can study at your own computer. Through video streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how something is done, and then practice yourself - in a virtual lab environment. You really need to look at courseware examples from the company you’re considering. They have to utilise full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you - it’s not wise to be held hostage to a good broadband connection all the time.

It’s so important to understand this key point: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock support from professional instructors. Later, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t adhere to this. Locate training schools with help available at all hours of the day and night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it’s always access directly to professional 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.

We recommend looking for training programs that utilise many support facilities active in different time-zones. All of them should be combined to offer a simple interface together with 24×7 access, when you need it, with no fuss. Never compromise where support is concerned. The majority of students who throw in the towel, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.

Review the following points very carefully if you’re inclined to think the sales ploy of an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value:

They’ve allowed costings for it one way or another. One thing’s for sure - it isn’t free - they’ve simply charged more for the whole training package. Students who take each progressive exam, funding them as they go are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They’re thoughtful of the cost and revise more thoroughly to ensure they are ready.

Don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you’re ready, and hang on to your cash. In addition, it’s then your choice where to sit the exam - so you can choose somewhere closer to home. Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when you don’t need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and then cashing in when they’re not all taken. The majority of organisations will require you to sit pre-tests and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass - so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Prometric and VUE exams are in the region of 112 pounds in Britain at the time of writing. What’s the point of paying huge ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) - 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.

Commercial qualifications are now, most definitely, starting to replace the older academic routes into the IT industry - but why is this happening? Vendor-based training (as it’s known in the industry) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector has acknowledged that this level of specialised understanding is necessary to handle an acceleratingly technical workplace. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the dominant players. Of course, a necessary portion of background detail must be taught, but essential specialised knowledge in the particular job function gives a vendor trained person a massive advantage.

The bottom line is: Authorised IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - the title is a complete giveaway: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure’. Therefore companies can look at the particular needs they have and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

The world of information technology is amongst the most stimulating and innovative industries you could be involved with. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology is to do your bit in the gigantic changes shaping life over the next few decades. Technological changes and connections via the internet is going to spectacularly alter the direction of our lives over future years; remarkably so.

A average IT technician over this country as a whole can demonstrate that they earn significantly more money than equivalent professionals in other market sectors. Typical wages are hard to beat nationally. It’s no secret that there is a significant national requirement for professionally qualified IT workers. In addition, as the industry constantly develops, it appears this will be the case for a good while yet.