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If you’re interested in Cisco training but you’ve no working knowledge of routers, then the qualification you require is a CCNA. This course is designed to instruct students who need practical know how on routers. Large companies that have different locations use them to connect their various different networks of computers to keep in contact with each other. The Internet is also built up of hundreds of thousands of routers.

You may find yourself employed by an internet service provider or a large commercial venture which is located on multiple sites but still wants secure internal data communication. This career path is very well paid and quite specialised.

The CCNA qualification is what you should be aiming for - you’re not ready for your CCNP straight away. Get a couple of years experience behind you first, then you can decide if it’s relevant for you to have this next level up. If so, you’ll be much more capable to succeed at that stage - because you’ll have so much more experience.

One crafty way that training providers make extra profits is through up-front charges for exams and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. This looks like a great idea for the student, but is it really:

Obviously it’s not free - you are paying for it - it’s just been included in your package price. Students who take exams one at a time, funding them one at a time are much more likely to pass. They’re thoughtful of their investment and so are more inclined to be ready for the task.

Take your exams somewhere close to home and find the best deal for you at the time. 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 charging upfront for all their exams - and banking on the fact that many won’t be taken. Many training companies will insist on pre-tests and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is foolish - when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will get you through.

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; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Locate training schools where you can receive help at any time you choose (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you’re consistently being held in a queue for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.

It’s possible to find professional companies that provide their students direct-access online support 24×7 - at any time of day or night. If you fail to get yourself 24×7 support, you’ll regret it very quickly. You might not want to use the service in the middle of the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

Most people don’t even think to ask about something that can make a profound difference to their results - how their training provider divides up the courseware, and into how many parts. Many think it logical (with a typical time scale of 1-3 years to gain full certified status,) for many training providers to send out the training stage by stage, as you achieve each exam pass. Although: Sometimes the steps or stages offered by the provider doesn’t suit. It may be difficult to get through all the sections at the speed required?

For future safety and flexibility, it’s not unusual for students to insist that all study materials are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. You can then decide in which order and at what speed you’d like to take your exams.

Coming across job security nowadays is problematic. Businesses often drop us out of the workforce at a moment’s notice - whenever it suits. In actuality, security now only emerges through a swiftly increasing market, driven by work-skills shortages. It’s this shortage that creates the appropriate background for market-security - a much more desirable situation.

Offering the Information Technology (IT) business for example, the 2006 e-Skills investigation demonstrated major skills shortages in the United Kingdom in excess of 26 percent. Essentially, we only have the national capacity to fill just 3 out of each four job positions in the computer industry. This single notion alone underpins why the country urgently requires so many more workers to get trained and enter the industry. Because the IT sector is expanding at such a rate, could there honestly be a better sector worth investigating for retraining.

A question; why might we choose commercial qualifications and not familiar academic qualifications obtained from schools, colleges or universities? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs increasing year on year, alongside the IT sector’s increasing awareness that vendor-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there has been a large rise in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe based training courses that educate students for much less time and money. Patently, a necessary portion of background information needs to be taught, but core specialised knowledge in the required areas gives a commercially trained person a massive advantage.

It’s rather like the advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. The company just needs to know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they’re assured that a potential employee can do exactly what’s required.

What can a student looking for certified training from Microsoft expect to come across? Obviously, training providers ought to have a number of routes that cover the range of Microsoft authorised training routes. Perhaps you’d like to talk through what you’re looking to do with a person who’s got industry experience - and if you haven’t come to a decision, then have some guidance on what sort of job would be right for you, based on your personality and ability level. Having selected the career path you want, a suitable training program needs to be chosen that’s reflects your needs. This can be personally tailored for your requirements.

A successful package of training will undoubtedly also offer Microsoft (or key company) exam simulation and preparation packages. Make sure that the practice exams aren’t just asking you the right questions from the right areas, but are also posing them in the way that the actual final exam will structure them. This throws people if the questions are phrased in unfamiliar formats. As you can imagine, it’s very important to know that you are completely prepared for your commercial exam before taking it. Rehearsing mock-up tests logs the information in your brain and saves you time and money on failed exams.

Sometimes people are under the impression that the tech college or university route is the way they should go. So why then are commercial certificates slowly and steadily replacing it? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has been required to move to the specialised training that can only be obtained from the actual vendors - in other words companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Patently, a certain quantity of relevant additional information has to be learned, but essential specialised knowledge in the exact job role gives a commercially trained student a huge edge.

In simple terms: Authorised IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - it says what you do in the title: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Windows XP Administration and Configuration’. Consequently an employer can identify just what their needs are and what certifications are needed for the job.

Get rid of the typical salesman that just tells you what course you should do without a thorough investigation so as to understand your abilities as well as level of experience. They should be able to select from a wide-enough range of products so they’re actually equipped to provide you with what’s right for you. It’s worth remembering, if you have some relevant previous certification, then it’s not unreasonable to expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to a student who’s starting from scratch. If you’re a new trainee beginning IT exams and training anew, it can be useful to start out slowly, beginning with a user-skills course first. This is often offered with most accreditation programs.

Many commercial training providers will only offer basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Many only provide email support (too slow), and phone support is usually just a call-centre that will take the information and email an instructor - who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it’s convenient to them. This isn’t a lot of good if you’re stuck with a particular problem and only have certain times available in which to do your studies.

The best training colleges offer an internet-based 24 hours-a-day service utilising a variety of support centres throughout multiple time-zones. You’ll have a single, easy-to-use interface that seamlessly selects the best facility available irrespective of the time of day: Support on demand. Find a training provider that goes the extra mile. Because only live 24×7 support truly delivers for technical programs.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget the reasons for getting there - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Your focus should start with where you want to get to - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. You could be training for only a year and end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don’t make the mistake of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ course only to spend 20 years doing a job you hate!

Prioritise understanding the exact expectations industry will have. Which qualifications they’ll want you to gain and how you’ll build your experience level. It’s also worth spending time considering how far you’d like to get as it may affect your choice of accreditations. Have a chat with someone that has a commercial understanding of the realities faced in the industry, and who can give you a detailed run-down of what tasks are going to make up a typical day for you. Getting to the bottom of all this before you start on any training program has obvious benefits.

Because you’re looking at information about courses for MCSE, you’re most likely in one of the following categories: You might be wondering about completely changing your working life to get into the IT field, and research demonstrates there’s a growing demand for men and women who are commercially qualified. Alternatively you’re someone with a certain amount of IT knowledge - and you’d like to consolidate your skill-set with the MCSE accreditation.

Always make sure you check that the training provider you’re using is supplying you with the latest level of Microsoft development. Many students become very demoralised when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated MCSE course which will have to be revised. Training colleges should be dedicated to establishing the best direction for their trainees. Directing learning is equally concerned with helping people to work out which way to go, as much as giving them help to get there.

How can job security truly exist anymore? In the UK for instance, where business constantly changes its mind whenever it suits, it seems increasingly unlikely. In actuality, security now only emerges in a quickly increasing marketplace, driven by a shortfall of trained staff. This shortage creates the appropriate setting for a secure marketplace - a much more desirable situation.

Offering the IT industry as an example, a recent e-Skills investigation brought to light a skills deficit throughout the country of around 26 percent. Showing that for every 4 jobs that exist in the computer industry, we’ve only got three properly trained pro’s to fulfil that role. This single fact alone reveals why the UK is in need of a lot more new trainees to get into the industry. In reality, gaining new qualifications in IT throughout the next year or two is almost definitely the best career direction you could choose.

The way in which your courseware is broken down for you is usually ignored by most students. How is the courseware broken down? What is the order and at what speed is it delivered? Training companies will normally offer some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and courier the materials in pieces as you get to the end of each exam. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts: What if there are reasons why you can’t finish each and every exam? What if you don’t find their order of learning is ideal for you? Without any fault on your part, you may go a little slower and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for.

In a perfect world, you’d ask for every single material to be delivered immediately - enabling you to have them all for the future to come back to - as and when you want. This also allows you to vary the order in which you complete each objective where a more intuitive path can be found.

Commencing with the understanding that we have to find the employment that excites us first, before we can even consider which training course meets that requirement, how are we supposed to find the right path? Reading lists of IT career possibilities is just a waste of time. The majority of us don’t even know what the neighbours do for a living - so what chance do we have in understanding the complexities of a specific IT job. Contemplation on many factors is most definitely required when you need to uncover the right answers:

* Your personality can play a starring role - what things get your juices flowing, and what tasks you really dislike.

* What length of time can you allocate for your training?

* Where do you stand on salary vs job satisfaction?

* Learning what the main job areas and markets are - plus how they’re different to each other.

* You have to appreciate the differences between the myriad of training options.

To completely side-step the industry jargon, and reveal the best route for you, have an informal chat with an industry-experienced advisor; an individual who will cover the commercial realities and truth and of course the accreditations.

It only makes sense to consider study programs that’ll progress to industry acknowledged qualifications. There are far too many small companies pushing ‘in-house’ certificates which aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on when you start your job-search. From the viewpoint of an employer, only top businesses such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (for example) will get you into the interview seat. Nothing else hits the mark.

One fatal mistake that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, rather than starting with the end result they want to achieve. Schools are brimming over with unaware students that chose an ‘interesting’ course - in place of something that could gain them an enjoyable career or job. Avoid becoming one of the unfortunate masses who set off on a track that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for a career they’ll never really get any satisfaction from.

Get to grips with how much you want to earn and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. Sometimes, this affects what exams will be expected and what’ll be expected of you in your new role. We advise all students to chat with a professional advisor before they make a decision on a particular retraining path. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the commercially required skills for the career that is sought.

Were it not for a continuous flood of trained network and PC support staff, commerce in the UK (and indeed in most countries) could well grind to a halt. There is a constantly increasing demand for men and women with technical ability to support both users and the systems they work with. Our requirement for increasing numbers of skilled and qualified individuals grows, as society becomes significantly more beholden to PC’s in these modern times.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, using textbooks and whiteboards, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If you’re nodding as you read this, find training programs that are on-screen and interactive. Where possible, if we can involve all our senses in the learning process, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab’s will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And they’re far more fun. Don’t take any chances and look at examples of the courseware provided before you hand over your cheque. Always insist on instructor-led video demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

You’ll find that many companies will only provide 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 intermittent problems and speed issues. A safer solution is the provision of CD and DVD ROM materials that will not have these problems.

Many people question why qualifications from colleges and universities are less in demand than the more commercial certifications? With university education costs climbing ever higher, along with the IT sector’s growing opinion that accreditation-based training is often far more commercially relevant, we’ve seen a big surge in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe authorised training paths that create knowledgeable employees for considerably less. Higher education courses, as a example, often get bogged down in vast amounts of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. This prevents a student from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

In simple terms: Authorised IT qualifications let employers know exactly what you’re capable of - the title says it all: as an example - I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure’. So employers can identify just what their needs are and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

Ignore any salesperson that pushes one particular program without an in-depth conversation to gain understanding of your current abilities and also your experience level. Ensure that they have a wide-enough choice of training products so they’re actually equipped to solve your training issues. If you have a strong background, or perhaps a bit of work-based experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then obviously your starting point will vary from a student that is completely new to the industry. If you’re a student starting IT studies and exams anew, it can be helpful to start out slowly, kicking off with some basic user skills first. This can be built into most types of training.

Student support is absolutely essential - find a program that provides 24×7 direct access, as anything less will frustrate you and could hamper your progress. Look for training where you can receive 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 call-centre that will take messages so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back - probably during office hours.

We recommend looking for study programmes that use several support centres across multiple time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface as well as round-the-clock access, when it’s convenient for you, without any problems. Never settle for anything less. Support round-the-clock is the only kind that ever makes the grade for IT study. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; usually though, we’re working during the provided support period.

Being at the forefront of the leading edge of new technology really is electrifying. You become one of a team of people shaping the next few decades. We’ve only just begun to get an inclination of how technology is going to shape our lives. The internet will profoundly transform how we see and interrelate with the world as a whole over the years to come.

If money is around the top on your scale of wants, then you will appreciate the fact that the usual remuneration of IT employees in general is much higher than salaries in the rest of the economy. The need for certified IT specialists is a fact of life for quite some time to come, due to the continuous increase in the technology industry and the huge skills gap that remains.

Should you fancy being a web designer, you will need to study Adobe Dreamweaver. We also advise that you gain an in-depth and thorough understanding of the complete Adobe Web Creative Suite, which incorporates Flash and Action Script, in order to take advantage of Dreamweaver commercially as a web-designer. These skills can mean later becoming an ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) or an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert).

To become a well-rounded web professional however, there’s a lot more to learn. You will need to learn certain programming skills like PHP, HTML, and MySQL. A practical knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce will also give you a distinct advantage in the marketplace.

OK, why should we consider commercially accredited qualifications and not traditional academic qualifications gained through schools, colleges or universities? Industry now acknowledges that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, the right accreditation from the likes of CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field - saving time and money. University courses, for example, become confusing because of vast amounts of background study - and much too wide a syllabus. This prevents a student from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for - the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network’. Consequently companies can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are required to perform the job.

Being a part of the information technology industry is amongst the most exciting and ground-breaking industries to be involved in today. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology means you’re a part of the huge progress that will affect us all over the next generation. We’re at the dawn of starting to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be significantly affected by computers and the internet.

The money in IT isn’t to be sniffed at also - the average salary over this country as a whole for the usual person working in IT is a lot better than in the rest of the economy. It’s a good bet that you’ll receive a much better deal than you would in most other jobs. The search for appropriately qualified IT professionals is certain for quite some time to come, thanks to the continuous expansion in the technology industry and the huge deficiency still present.

Every program under consideration should always lead to a commercially valid exam as an end-goal - and not some unimportant ‘in-house’ piece of paper. You’ll find that only recognised qualifications from companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco and CompTIA will have any meaning to employers.

Incorporating exam fees as an inclusive element of the package price then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status is a common method with a number of training colleges. However, let’s consider what’s really going on:

Thankfully, today we are a bit more aware of hype - and usually we cotton on to the fact that it is actually an additional cost to us (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Qualifying on the first ‘go’ is what everyone wants to do. Going for exams one by one and paying as you go puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you prepare appropriately and think carefully about the costs.

Look for the very best offer you can when you’re ready, and hang on to your cash. You also get more choice of where you do your exams - meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Buying a course that includes payments for exams (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is bad financial management. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with extra money of yours just to give them more interest! A lot bank on the fact that you don’t even take them all - so they get to keep the extra funds. Re-takes of any failed exams via organisations who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ inevitably are heavily regulated. They will insist that you take pre-tests first to make sure they think you’re going to pass.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE tests in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Don’t forget: a actual training program or a certification isn’t the end-goal; the particular job that you want to end up in is. Too many training companies put too much weight in the piece of paper. You could be training for only a year and end up doing the job for 20 years. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ training program and then spend decades in a job you hate!

Prioritise understanding what industry will expect from you. Which particular certifications they’ll want you to gain and in what way you can gain some industry experience. It’s also worth spending time setting guidelines as to how far you think you’ll want to go as it will often present a very specific set of certifications. We’d recommend you take guidance from an experienced industry professional before embarking on a study programme, so there’s no doubt that the chosen route will give you the skill-set required for your career choice.

In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and specialised sectors, but you only have to get certified in 2 to be thought of as qualified. This is why the majority of training providers simply offer two. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will provide you with a far deeper level of understanding of it all, something you’ll discover is vital in professional employment.

A+ computer training courses are about fault finding and diagnosing - via hands on and remote access, in addition to learning to build, repair and fix and having knowledge of antistatic conditions. In addition, you could look to consider adding the CompTIA Network+ training as you can then also take care of computer networks, and become a more senior IT professional.

One interesting way that training companies make a big mark-up is via an ‘exam inclusive’ package and offering an exam guarantee. This looks like a great idea for the student, until you think it through:

We all know that we’re still paying for it - it’s not so hard to see that it’s already been included in the full cost of the package supplied by the course provider. It’s certainly not free - don’t think these companies are so generous with their money! Should you seriously need to pass first time, evidence suggests you must fund each exam as you take it, prioritise it appropriately and be ready for the task.

Why should you pay a training company at the start of the course for exams? Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, rather than pay marked up fees - and take it closer to home - rather than possibly hours away from your area. A lot of extra profit is secured by many companies who get money upfront for exam fees. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but no refunds are given. Amazingly, providers exist who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. Don’t forget, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ - the company controls how often and when you can re-take the exam. You will have to demonstrate an excellent pass-rate before they’ll approve a re-take.

Exams taken at VUE and Prometric centres are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in this country. Students should be very wary of forking out hundreds of pounds extra in ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when the best course materials, the right level of support and study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

Being at the forefront of the cutting-edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You become one of a team of people creating a future for us all. Technological changes and connections through the internet is going to spectacularly alter the way we live our lives in the near future; overwhelmingly so.

Should lifestyle be high on your goal sheet, then you’ll welcome the news that the income on average for a typical IT worker is significantly better than with most other jobs or industries. Because the IT market sector is still increasing nationally and internationally, one can predict that the search for certified IT professionals will remain buoyant for the significant future.

Many commercial training providers will only offer support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is often to a call-centre which will take the information and email an instructor - who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a suitable time to them. This is not a lot of use if you’re stuck with a particular problem and only have certain times available in which to do your studies.

Be on the lookout for training schools that utilise many support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to provide a single interface together with 24×7 access, when it suits you, with the minimum of hassle. Never ever take second best when you’re looking for the right support service. Many trainees who can’t get going properly, just need the right support system.

We’d hazard a guess that you’re a practical sort of person - a ‘hands-on’ personality type. Usually, the painful task of reading endless manuals is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but you really wouldn’t enjoy it. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if books just don’t do it for you. Research over recent years has always shown that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.

Find a course where you’ll receive a library of CD and DVD ROM’s - you’ll start with videos of instructor demonstrations, with the facility to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. You really need to look at some example materials from each company you’re contemplating. Be sure that they contain instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s.

Select physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s wherever available. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

Watch out that all qualifications that you’re considering are commercially relevant and are the most recent versions. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment. If your certification doesn’t come from a company like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then it’s likely it won’t be commercially viable - as no-one will have heard of it.

You should feel pleased that you’ve already got this far! Just ten percent of people are happy and satisfied by their jobs, but a huge number just bitch about it and that’s it. Because you’ve done research it’s likely that you’re finding out about training, so you’ve already stood out from the crowd. Now you just need to research and follow-through.

With regard to individual training courses, find an expert who can help you sort out the right type of training for you. A person who will get an understanding of your personality, and find out the best career for you to work towards:

* Are you happier left to your own devices at work or do you find company is an essential criteria for you?

* Are you considering which sector you choose to work in? (In this economy, it’s vital to choose carefully.)

* Is it important that this should be a one off time that you will need more qualifications?

* Do you think being qualified will give you the opportunity to discover new employment possibilities, and be gainfully employed until your retirement plans kick in?

The biggest industry in this country to meet the above criteria is Information Technology. There’s a demand for more qualified staff in IT, simply have a look at a local jobs website and you’ll see for yourself. Don’t let people tell you it’s full of techie geeks sitting in front ofscreens all day - there are loads more jobs than that. Most of staff in IT are people of average intelligence, with well paid and stimulating jobs.

A service that several companies offer is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is to help you find your first job in the industry. At the end of the day it’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to secure your first job - assuming you’re well trained and qualified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don’t wait till you’ve finished your exams. Quite frequently, you’ll land your first position while you’re still a student (even when you’ve just left first base). If your CV doesn’t say what you’re learning (and it’s not being looked at by employers) then you don’t stand a chance! The best services to help you land that job are usually local IT focused employment agencies. Because they make their money when they’ve found you a job, they’re perhaps more focused on results.

Not inconsiderable numbers of people, it would appear, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (sometimes for years), and just give up when it comes to trying to get their first job. Sell yourself… Do your best to let employers know about you. A job isn’t just going to bump into you.

A lot of training providers will 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. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is usually just a call-centre that will make some notes and then email an advisor - who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you’re there), when it suits them. This is no good if you’re lost and confused and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers which recommend and use direct-access support 24×7 - at any time of day or night. If you opt for less than support round-the-clock, you’ll very quickly realise that you’ve made a mistake. You may not need it late in the night, but consider weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Commercial qualifications are now, without a doubt, starting to replace the older academic routes into the IT industry - so why is this? Industry now acknowledges that for an understanding of the relevant skills, certified accreditation from companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is closer to the mark commercially - at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Typically, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) - without going into too much detail in everything else (as academia often does).

Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the label’. All an employer has to do is know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they’re assured that a potential employee can do exactly what’s required.

The market provides a glut of jobs and positions available in the IT industry. Arriving at the correct choice out of this complexity often proves challenging. Since without any solid background in Information Technology, in what way could we be expected to know what anyone doing a particular job actually does? The key to answering this predicament in the best manner comes from a deep talk over a variety of topics:

* The kind of person you think yourself to be - the tasks that you really enjoy, and conversely - what don’t you like doing.

* For what reasons you’re getting involved with computing - is it to triumph over a particular goal such as being your own boss for example.

* Where do you stand on salary vs the travel required?

* Always think in-depth about the level of commitment needed to get fully certified.

* You need to understand the differences across each area of training.

The best way to avoid the industry jargon, and uncover the best route for you, have a good talk with an experienced professional; an individual who understands the commercial reality while explaining the accreditations.

You have to make sure that all your accreditations are current and also valid commercially - forget courses which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. All the major commercial players such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA each have internationally recognised skills programmes. These heavyweights will ensure your employability.

If you’re looking for an MCSA study program, you should know that companies offer quite diverse courses; and you’ll relate to some more than others. You will be able to choose from a selection of programs, whether you’re a beginner, or a professional ready to polish up your CV. Each of these categories needs a different solution, so ensure you’ve got the right course before investing your cash. Look for a company that’s eager to get to know you, and what you’d like to do, and is able to furnish you with enough facts to decide.

We can guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the ‘hands-on’ individual. If you’re anything like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but it’s not really your thing. Consider interactive, multimedia study if learning from books is not your thing. Research over recent years has repeatedly confirmed that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Learning is now available via DVD-ROM discs, so you can study at your own computer. Using video-streaming, 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. It makes sense to see some of the typical study materials provided before you sign on the dotted line. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.

Some companies only have access to purely on-line training; and while this is acceptable much of the time, consider how you’ll deal with it if you lose your internet access or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. A safer solution is the provision of CD and DVD ROM materials which don’t suffer from these broadband issues.

Often, people don’t really get what information technology is all about. It is electrifying, revolutionary, and means you’re a part of the huge progress of technology that will change our world over the next few decades. It’s a common misapprehension that the technological revolution we’ve been going through is cooling down. Nothing could be further from the truth. Terrific advances are ahead of us, and the internet significantly will become an increasingly dominant part of our lives.

The money in IT isn’t to be sniffed at either - the income on average over this country as a whole for a typical IT employee is significantly more than in the rest of the economy. Chances are that you’ll receive a much better deal than you’d expect to earn doing other work. It seems there’s not a hint of a downturn for IT sector increases in the United Kingdom. The market continues to grow enormously, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it’s not showing any signs that things will be any different for a good while yet.

One interesting way that training companies make extra profits is through up-front charges for exams and offering an exam guarantee. It looks impressive, till you look at the facts:

These days, we are a bit more aware of hype - and usually we grasp that it is something we’re paying for (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Should you seriously need to get a first time pass, evidence suggests you must pay for each exam as you go, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.

Take your exams as locally as possible and go for the best offer you can find when you’re ready. Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you’ve paid early for examination fees when you didn’t need to? Huge profits are netted by organisations getting paid upfront for exams - and then cashing in when they’re not all taken. Many training companies will require you to do mock exams 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.

The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months when taken at local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s obvious that the responsible approach is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

Proper support should never be taken lightly - look for a package that includes 24×7 access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely put a damper on the speed you move through things. Many only provide email support (too slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre who will take the information and email an instructor - who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a suitable time to them. This is all next to useless if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and only have a specific time you can study.

Be on the lookout for colleges that have multiple support offices from around the world. Each one should be integrated to offer a simple interface together with 24 hours-a-day access, when it’s convenient for you, with the minimum of hassle. If you opt for less than support round-the-clock, you’ll regret it. You might not want to use the service late in the night, but you may need weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Any advisor who doesn’t dig around with lots of question - the likelihood is they’re actually nothing more than a salesman. If they push a particular product before looking at your personality and experience, then it’s definitely the case. An important point to note is that, if you’ve got any accreditation or direct-experience, then it’s not unreasonable to expect to start at a different point than someone who is new to the field. Opening with a foundation module first will sometimes be the most effective way to start into your computer training, depending on your skill level at the moment.

A Cisco training course is designed for people who wish to understand and work with network switches and routers. Routers connect networks of computers via dedicated lines or the internet. It’s a good idea that you should start with CCNA. It’s not advisable to launch directly into your CCNP for it’s full of complexities - and you really need experience before you take this on.

The sort of jobs available with this kind of skill mean you’ll be more likely to work for big organisations that have various different locations but need their computer networks to talk to each other. The other possibility is joining an internet service provider. These jobs are well paid and in demand.

We’d recommend a tailored route that covers everything you need to know before getting going on the Cisco CCNA.

Commencing with the idea that we have to find the area of most interest first, before we’re able to chew over what training program fulfils our needs, how do we decide on the right path? Scanning lists of IT career possibilities is a complete waste of time. The majority of us have no concept what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so we have no hope of understanding the complexities of any specific IT role. Deliberation over these different points is imperative when you need to expose a solution that suits you:

* What nature of person you consider yourself to be - the tasks that you get enjoyment from, and on the other side of the coin - what don’t you like doing.

* Are you driven to re-train because of a particular raison d’etre - e.g. are you looking at working from home (self-employment?)?

* The income needs that are important to you?

* Because there are so many ways to train in Information Technology - there’s a need to achieve some background information on what differentiates them.

* How much time you’ll have available to commit obtaining your certification.

For the majority of us, dissecting each of these concepts requires a good chat with a professional that can explain things properly. And not just the qualifications - but the commercial needs and expectations of industry too.

Now, why ought we to be looking at qualifications from the commercial sector rather than more traditional academic qualifications taught at the state educational establishments? Key company training (in industry terminology) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry is aware that such specialised knowledge is essential to service the demands of a technically advancing commercial environment. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe dominate in this arena. Obviously, a certain quantity of relevant additional detail must be learned, but essential specifics in the required areas gives a commercially trained person a huge edge.

As long as an employer knows what areas need to be serviced, then they just need to look for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Vendor-based syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and do not vary between trainers (as academic syllabuses often do).

A major candidate for the biggest issue to be got round for IT students is usually having to turn up to ‘In Centre’ days or workshops. Many training companies wax lyrical on the plus points of attending, it’s almost certain though that you’ll find them a growing difficulty due to:

* All that travelling - frequent visits and sometimes hundreds of miles a time.

* Weekday accessibility for classes can be usual, and with two or three days required at a time, this is usually problematic for the majority of students who work.

* Don’t disregard the lost holiday days. Usually we’re lucky to have 4 weeks annual leave. If at least half is sacrificed to learning, then there’s very little left over for us.

* Taking into account the costs associated with delivering a workshop, most training providers have to put on larger classes - certainly not ideal (giving less time per student).

* Many students want to study at a slower or quicker pace than the rest of the class. Sometimes this causes tension in the class.

* You shouldn’t overlook the extra financial outlay of arranging transport or several days bed and breakfast either. Don’t be surprised to find this become many hundreds of pounds more - sometimes thousands. Take some time to add it all up - it’ll shock and surprise you.

* The majority of students would like to keep their training completely private and therefore avoiding all management questions at work.

* Don’t think it’s unusual for trainees not to put a question forward that they would like answered - just down to the fact that they’re with their peers.

* It’s a fact; days in-centre frequently become simply unreachable, if you work elsewhere in the country for some of the month.

To find a more flexible route, make use of filmed classes wherever you want to take them - at a time that’s convenient to you - not some other person. Consider… With a laptop then you could learn absolutely anywhere you want (within reason!) And live 24×7 support is just a web-browser away in case you get challenged. Irrespective of how regularly you want to re-do a section, video-based instructors aren’t ever likely to rush you! And remember, as an added bonus, you don’t have to worry about any note-taking. Everything’s laid out there for immediate use. The final upshot: Much less stress and hassle, money saved, and you’ve avoided all travel.

What could a trainee searching for certified training from Microsoft expect to discover? Patently, companies ought to have a variety of routes that meet the requirements of training tracks certified by Microsoft. Maybe you’d choose to look for a person who’s got industry experience, who could offer counsel on which area of the industry would be right for you, and what sort of tasks are a good match for somebody with your personality. Once you’ve decided on the area you want to get into, you’ll need a relevant course customised to go with your skills and abilities. Your course material should leave no room for complaints.

It’s essential to have an authorised exam preparation system as part of your course package. Students regularly can find themselves confused by going through practice questions that are not from official boards. It’s not uncommon that the way questions are phrased can be quite different and it’s vital that you know this. It’s a good idea to request some practice exams in order to verify your understanding at all times. Simulated or practice exams prepare you properly - then you’re much more at ease with the real thing.

The age-old way of teaching, involving piles of reference textbooks, can be pretty hard going sometimes. If you’re nodding as you read this, look for learning programmes which feature interactive and multimedia modules. Research has consistently shown that getting into our studies physically, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.

Fully interactive motion videos utilising video demo’s and practice lab’s beat books hands-down. And they’re a lot more fun to do. Any company that you’re considering should be able to show you some simple examples of their courseware. You should hope for instructor-led videos and interactive areas to practice in.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where possible, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - you don’t want to be reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

Some training providers will only provide office hours or extended office hours support; very few go late in the evening or at weekends. Be wary of any training providers which use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres - with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

The best trainers utilise several support facilities from around the world. They use an online interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, help is just a click away, with no hassle or contact issues. Never make do with less than this. 24×7 support is the only viable option when it comes to computer-based learning. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; usually though, we’re working while the support is live.

A lot of people presume that the school and FE college route is the way they should go. So why are commercially accredited qualifications becoming more in demand? Corporate based study (to use industry-speak) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry has acknowledged that such specialised knowledge is necessary to service the demands of a technologically complex world. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the big boys in this field. They do this through honing in on the skill-sets required (along with an appropriate level of related knowledge,) rather than trawling through all the background detail and ‘fluff’ that degree courses often do (to fill up a syllabus or course).

The bottom line is: Recognised IT certifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - the title says it all: as an example - I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. Consequently companies can look at their needs and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

Being a part of the information technology industry is one of the more stimulating and innovative industries that you can get into right now. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology is to be a part of the massive changes affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. Computing technology and communication through the internet is going to radically shape the direction of our lives in the future; remarkably so.

And it’s worth remembering that typical remuneration in the IT market across the UK is noticeably better than the national average salary, so you will probably receive a lot more with professional IT knowledge, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. The search for appropriately qualified IT professionals is guaranteed for many years to come, due to the constant expansion in IT dependency in commerce and the vast shortage that remains.