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Congratulations! By landing here it’s likely you’re thinking about learning new skills to change career – that puts you way ahead of the crowd. Only one in ten of us are content with our jobs, but no action is ever taken. So, why not be one of the few who make a difference in their lives.

Before embarking on a course, look for some advice – find an industry expert; someone who’ll give you career advice based on what works best for you, and offer only the courses which will get you there:

* Would you like to work with others? If the answer’s yes, would you enjoy being part of a team or are you more comfortable dealing with strangers? Or would you rather work alone with a task?

* Building and Banking are not coping well at the moment, so which sector would give you the most options?

* After re-training, how long a career do you hope for, and will the market sector provide you with that possibility?

* Do you have niggles about the possibility of getting another job, and being in demand in the employment market right up to retirement?

We would advise that you consider the IT sector – it’s common knowledge that it is one of the few growth sectors. IT isn’t all techie people gazing at their PC’s every day – of course those jobs exist, but most jobs are carried out by ordinary people who are earning rather well.

Some trainers will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Always avoid training that only supports you with a call-centre messaging service outside of normal office hours. Companies will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. The bottom line is – you need support when you need support – not when it suits them.

The most successful trainers use multiple support centres active in different 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. Don’t ever make the mistake of taking second best with the quality of your support. Most would-be IT professionals who fall by the wayside, are in that situation because of a lack of support.

Lately, do you find yourself questioning how safe your job is? For most people, this only rears its head when we get some bad news. But really, the lesson often learned too late is that true job security doesn’t really exist anymore, for nearly everyone now. Now, we only experience security through a swiftly rising marketplace, driven forward by a shortfall of trained staff. It’s this alone that creates the correct setting for a secure market – a much more desirable situation.

Recently, a UK e-Skills investigation demonstrated that twenty six percent of IT jobs are unfilled due to an appallingly low number of trained staff. Therefore, for each 4 job positions that exist around Information Technology (IT), employers can only source certified professionals for 3 of the 4. Acquiring proper commercial computing certification is therefore a ‘Fast Track’ to succeed in a long-term as well as satisfying occupation. As the Information Technology market is developing at such a quick pace, there really isn’t any other area of industry worth considering as a retraining vehicle.

Your training program should always include the latest Microsoft (or any other key organisation’s) authorised exam preparation packages. Don’t fall foul of depending on unofficial exam preparation questions. Their phraseology is sometimes startlingly different – and sometimes this can be a real headache once in the actual exam. Ensure that you have some simulated exam questions in order to check your knowledge at all times. Practice or ‘mock’ exams will help to boost your attitude – so you’re much more at ease with the real thing.

The age-old way of teaching, utilising reference manuals and books, is often a huge slog for most of us. If this describes you, find training programs that are on-screen and interactive. If we’re able to study while utilising as many senses as possible, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Through video streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to perform the required skill, with some practice time to follow – via the interactive virtual lab’s. It would be silly not to view some of the typical study materials provided before you make your decision. You should expect videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive modules with audio-visual elements.

Some companies only have access to online training only; sometimes you can get away with this – but, imagine the problems if internet access is lost or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It’s preferable to have actual CD or DVD ROMs that removes the issue entirely.

Students often end up having issues because of one aspect of their training very rarely considered: The way the training is divided into chunks and couriered to your address. Many think it logical (when study may take one to three years to gain full certified status,) for a training company to release a single section at a time, as you achieve each exam pass. Although: With thought, many trainees understand that their training company’s ‘standard’ path of training isn’t the easiest way for them. Sometimes, it’s more expedient to use an alternative order of study. Perhaps you don’t make it inside of the expected timescales?

To provide the maximum security and flexibility, most students now choose to request that all their modules (now paid for) are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. You can then decide at what speed and in which order you’d like to work.

Should you be aspiring to become Cisco accredited, and you’ve not yet worked with routers or network switches, it’s likely you’ll need CCNA certification. This teaches you skills for setting up and maintaining routers. The internet is made up of hundreds of thousands of routers, and large companies with several locations also need routers to connect their computer networks.

Routers are linked to networks, therefore it’s essential to have an understanding of how networks work, or you’ll struggle with the program and be unable to do the work. Seek out a program that includes basic networking skills (for example CompTIA) before you start the CCNA.

Start with a tailored route that will take you through a specific training path in advance of commencing your Cisco training.

Commencing with the understanding that it’s good to home-in on the market that sounds most inviting first, before we can even ponder which career development program ticks the right boxes, how do we know the right direction? Flicking through a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is just a waste of time. Most of us have no concept what our own family members do for a living – so we’re in the dark as to the subtleties of any specific IT role. The key to answering this question properly flows from an in-depth talk over several different topics:

* Your individual personality as well as your interests – what kind of work-oriented areas you love or hate.

* What length of time can you allocate for the training process?

* Where do you stand on salary vs job satisfaction?

* Considering the huge variation that the IT industry encompasses, it’s obvious you’ll need to be able to understand how they differ.

* It makes sense to understand the differences across each individual training area.

In actuality, you’ll find the only real way to gain help on these areas will be via a meeting with an advisor that has years of experience in the IT industry (as well as it’s commercial requirements.)

Ask any proficient advisor and they’ll regale you with many horror stories of salespeople ripping-off unsuspecting students. Only deal with an experienced industry advisor that quizzes you to find out what’s appropriate to you – not for their pay-packet! It’s very important to locate the right starting point of study for you. With a bit of work-based experience or certification, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is very different to someone completely new. Working through a basic PC skills module first can be the best way to get into your computer studies, depending on your skill level at the moment.

One of the most important things to insist on has to be full 24×7 support through trained professional instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is usually just a call-centre who will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, 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.

Be on the lookout for training programs that use several support centres across multiple time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to enable simple one-stop access as well as round-the-clock access, when it’s convenient for you, without any problems. Don’t ever make the mistake of taking second best when it comes to your support. The vast majority of would-be IT professionals who throw in the towel, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

At times folks don’t catch on to what IT 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. We’re barely starting to get a handle on how all this will mould and change our lives. How we interrelate with the rest of the world will be massively affected by computers and the web.

And don’t forget salaries also – the usual income in Great Britain for the usual IT worker is a lot higher than average salaries nationally. Chances are that you’ll earn a whole lot more than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries. With the IT marketplace growing at an unprecedented rate, it’s likely that the search for certified IT specialists will continue to boom for decades to come.

Every program under consideration should always lead to a fully recognised major accreditation at the end – not a useless ‘in-house’ plaque for your wall. The top IT companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe all have internationally recognised skills programmes. Major-league companies like these will make your CV stand-out.

What are the sort of things you’d expect the top of the range training organisations accredited by Microsoft to give a student in the United Kingdom at present? Obviously, the finest Microsoft authorised training routes, supplying a selection of courses to take you to a variety of careers in the IT workplace. Additionally you might like to get advice on the sort of careers to be had when you’ve finished studying, and the type of individual that work may be appropriate for. Most students like to discuss what they might be good at. Confirm that your training course is tailored to your skills and abilities. A reputable training company will always guarantee that your training program is appropriate for the status you wish to achieve.

Many training companies offer a Job Placement Assistance program, to help you into your first commercial role. But don’t place too much emphasis on it – it isn’t unusual for training companies to overplay it. The fact of the matter is, the still growing need for IT personnel in the United Kingdom is why employers will be interested in you.

However, what is relevant is to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; also we would encourage any student to get their CV updated the day they start training – don’t delay till you’ve finished your exams. Getting your CV considered is better than being rejected. Often junior positions are given to people (who’ve only just left first base.) You can usually expect better performance from a specialist locally based employment agency than you’ll get from a training company’s national service, because they will understand the local industry and employment needs.

To bottom line it, as long as you focus the same level of energy into finding your first IT position as into studying, you’re not going to hit many challenges. A number of people inexplicably put hundreds of hours into their training course and do nothing more once certified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

Ensure all your exams are current and commercially required – you’re wasting your time with programs which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then chances are it won’t be commercially viable – because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and avoid focusing on why you’re doing this – which is a commercial career or job. You should always begin with where you want to get to – don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. Avoid becoming one of those unfortunate students who choose a training program that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – and end up with a certification for something they’ll never enjoy.

Stay focused on what it is you’re trying to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that – don’t do it the other way round. Stay on target and begin studying for a job you’ll still be enjoying many years from now. Your likely to need help from someone that knows the commercial realities of the sector you’re considering, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis for that career-path. These things are incredibly important as you’ll need to fully understand if this change is right for you.

It’s essential to have accredited simulation materials and an exam preparation system as part of your course package. Due to the fact that many IT examination boards tend to be American, you’ll need to be used to the correct phraseology. It’s no use merely answering any old technical questions – it’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format. Ensure that you ask for exam preparation tools so you’ll be able to verify your comprehension along the way. Simulated or practice exams add to your knowledge bank – so you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

Many training providers only give 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. Many only provide email support (too slow), and phone support is often to a call-centre that will make some notes and then email an advisor – 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 and can’t continue and only have certain times available in which to do your studies.

The best trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, at any time you choose, help is at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. If you accept anything less than online 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You might not want to use the service throughout the night, but what about weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Because you’re looking at information about Microsoft MCSE’s, the chances are you’re in one of the following categories: You could be considering a radical change of career to the IT sector, and you’ve discovered a massive need for qualified people. Alternatively maybe you’re an IT professional already – and you need to formalise your skill-set with the Microsoft qualification.

As you try to find out more, you will discover training providers that short-change you by not providing the current Microsoft version. Stay away from such training providers as it will create challenges for you with the present exams. If you are studying an out-of-date syllabus, it is going to be hugely difficult to get qualified. Avoid businesses that are just interested in your money. You deserve time, expertise and advice to verify that you are registering on the correct course. Guard against being rushed into their standard course by some pushy sales person.

It only makes sense to consider learning programs that’ll grow into commercially acknowledged qualifications. There are far too many small companies offering ‘in-house’ certificates which aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on in today’s commercial market. From the perspective of an employer, only the major heavyweights like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (for instance) will get you into the interview seat. Anything less won’t make the grade.

Many companies 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. Always start with the final destination in mind – too many people focus on the journey. It’s quite usual, for instance, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a job you hate, entirely because you stumbled into it without the correct level of soul-searching at the outset.

Stay tuned-in to what it is you’re trying to achieve, and create a learning-plan from that – not the other way round. Keep on track and ensure that you’re training for something you’ll still be enjoying many years from now. The best advice for students is to talk with a skilled advisor before they embark on a learning program. This is required to ensure it contains the relevant skills for the career that is sought.

Many trainees are under the impression that the school and FE college path is the right way even now. So why then are qualifications from the commercial sector slowly and steadily replacing it? Industry now acknowledges that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, proper accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is closer to the mark commercially – for considerably less. Essentially, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It’s slightly more broad than that, but the principle objective is to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (including a degree of required background) – without going into too much detail in all sorts of other things (as academia often does).

Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

One of the most important things to insist on has to be proper direct-access 24×7 support with trained professional instructors and mentors. Too many companies only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Always avoid training courses that only support students with an out-sourced call-centre message system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. The bottom line is – you want to be supported when you need the help – not as-and-when it’s suitable for their staff.

As long as you look hard, you will find the top providers who recommend and use online support 24×7 – at any time of day or night. Don’t ever make the mistake of taking second best with the quality of your support. The vast majority of would-be IT professionals who drop-out or fail, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.

Often, trainers provide a shelf full of reference manuals. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and isn’t the best way to go about taking things in. Research into the way we learn shows that much more of what we learn in remembered when we involve as many senses as possible, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.

Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Using video-streaming, you can watch instructors demonstrating how to do something, with some practice time to follow – via the interactive virtual lab’s. You really need to look at the type of training provided by the company you’re considering. You’ll want to see that they include 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 just online versions of their training packages; and while this is acceptable much of the time, think what will happen if you lose your internet access or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It is usually safer to have CD and DVD ROM materials that don’t suffer from these broadband issues.

When thinking of a computer training program it’s crucial that the certification you’ll be working towards is one that is current with the working world. Additionally, you should make sure that your training suits you, your abilities and your personality. There’s a big selection with these courses – starting with user skills and going up to training for programmers, web designers, networkers etc. Get help before you take the plunge – talk to an advisor with knowledge of the industry. Someone who can help you choose the right direction for you – that’s both relevant to industry and something you’ll enjoy.

By using modern training methods and getting rid of wasteful procedures, there’s a new style of training provider supplying a better brand of teaching and assistance for considerably less than the more out-dated colleges.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always proper direct-access 24×7 support from professional mentors and instructors. Too many companies 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 which use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ – with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

We recommend looking for colleges that use several support centres active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface as well as round-the-clock access, when you need it, with the minimum of hassle. Never ever take second best where support is concerned. The majority of IT hopefuls who fall by the wayside, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.

The somewhat scary thought of getting your first computer related job is often made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance service. Ultimately it isn’t a complex operation to get your first job – assuming you’re well trained and qualified; employers in this country need your skills.

Whatever you do, don’t leave it until you have finished your training before updating your CV. As soon as your training commences, mark down what you’re doing and tell people about it! Quite often, you will get your first role 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 isn’t in the hands of someone with jobs to offer) then you don’t stand a chance! If you’d like to get employment in your home town, then you’ll often find that an independent and specialised local employment service might be of more use than some national concern, because they’re going to be familiar with local employment needs.

Various trainees, it seems, invest a great deal of time on their training course (sometimes for years), only to do nothing special when looking for the right position. Introduce yourself… Make an effort to get yourself known. Don’t think a job’s just going to jump out in front of you.

It’s usual for students to get confused with a single training area usually not even thought about: The breakdown of the course materials before being couriered to your address. The majority of training companies will set up some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you finish each section. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts: What could you expect if you didn’t actually complete each section at the required speed? Often the prescribed exam order won’t fit you as well as some other order of studying might.

To provide the maximum security and flexibility, many trainees now want to request that all their modules (now paid for) are posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It’s then your own choice at what speed and in which order you want to work.

One interesting way that course providers make a lot more is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and offering an exam guarantee. It looks impressive, but let’s just examine it more closely:

Clearly it isn’t free – you’re still paying for it – it’s just been included in your package price. Students who take exams one at a time, funding them as they go are far more likely to pass first time. They are conscious of their spending and take the necessary steps to make sure they’re ready.

Take your exams somewhere close to home and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it. Paying in advance for exams (and if you’re financing your study there’ll be interest on that) is insane. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with your money just to give them more interest! Many will hope you won’t get to do them all – so they get to keep the extra funds. It’s worth noting, with ‘Exam Guarantees’ from most places – they control when and how often you are allowed to have another go. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.

Exam fees averaged around the 112 pounds mark last year via VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra for ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when common sense dictates that what’s really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

A question; why ought we to be looking at commercial qualifications as opposed to more traditional academic qualifications obtained from schools and Further Education colleges? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, the IT sector has had to move to specific, honed-in training only available through the vendors themselves – for example companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. This is done through focusing on the skill-sets required (along with a relevant amount of background knowledge,) as opposed to covering masses of the background ‘padding’ that degrees in computing often do – to pad out the syllabus.

The bottom line is: Recognised IT certifications provide exactly what an employer needs – everything they need to know is in the title: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure’. Consequently an employer can look at their needs and what certifications are required to perform the job.

Without a steady stream of trained computer and network support staff, commerce throughout the country (as elsewhere) would be likely to be drawn to a standstill. There is an ever growing demand for technicians to support both the users themselves and their networks. The world’s need for such qualified and commercially astute individuals is growing at an impressive rate, as industry becomes progressively more dependent upon technology.

‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, before you’ve even made a start on the course. But before you get taken in by this so-called guarantee, consider this:

You’ll be charged for it ultimately. It’s definitely not free – they’ve simply charged more for the whole training package. We all want to pass first time. Taking your exams progressively one at a time and paying as you go makes it far more likely you’ll pass first time – you take it seriously and are aware of the costs involved.

Sit the exam at a local pro-metric testing centre and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it. Buying a course that includes payments for examination fees (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is insane. Why fill a company’s coffers with additional funds only to please their Bank Manager! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you will never make it to exams – so they get to keep the extra funds. It’s worth noting that exam re-takes with organisations with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ inevitably are heavily regulated. They will insist that you take pre-tests first so you can prove to them you have a good chance of passing.

With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric examinations costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it’s common sense to fund them one by one. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

The somewhat scary thought of securing your first IT job can be eased by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. Because of the huge demand for appropriately skilled people in Britain right now, it’s not too important to become overly impressed with this service however. It really won’t be that difficult to find employment as long as you’re correctly trained and certified.

You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; additionally, we would recommend everyone to bring their CV up to date as soon as training commences – don’t wait until you’ve qualified. It’s possible that you won’t have even got to the exam time when you land your first junior support role; although this can’t and won’t happen unless you’ve posted your CV on job sites. You’ll normally experience better performance from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you’ll experience from any training provider’s centralised service, as they’ll know the area better.

Many trainees, it seems, put a great deal of effort into their studies (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of finding a good job. Promote yourself… Work hard to get yourself known. Good jobs don’t just knock on your door.

Authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages are vital – and absolutely ought to be offered by your course provider. Often students can get thrown by practicing questions for their exams that aren’t recognised by official boards. Quite often, the phraseology can be quite different and it’s vital that you know this. Clearly, it’s very crucial to make sure you’re absolutely ready for your commercial exam prior to going for it. Revising ‘mock’ tests helps build your confidence and saves you time and money on unsuccessful attempts at exams.

Each programme of learning has to build towards a nationally accepted exam as an end-goal – not a useless ‘in-house’ piece of paper. From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (to give some examples) will get you into the interview seat. Nothing else hits the mark.

A question; why ought we to be looking at commercial qualifications instead of more traditional academic qualifications gained through schools, colleges or universities? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, industry has moved to the specialised core-skills learning that can only come from the vendors – namely companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. Often this saves time and money for the student. They do this by concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with an appropriate level of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background non-specific minutiae that academic courses are prone to get tied up in (because the syllabus is so wide).

Assuming a company knows what areas need to be serviced, then they simply need to advertise for someone with a specific qualification. Vendor-based syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don’t change between schools (like academia frequently can and does).

CompTIA A+ computer training comprises of 4 specialised sectors – you’ll have to qualify in 2 different areas to be A+ competent. Because of this, many training establishments only offer two of the four in the syllabus. To us, this isn’t enough – yes you’ll have qualified, but knowing about the others will give you a distinct advantage in industry, where you’ll need a more comprehensive understanding. This is why you should train in all 4 specialities.

Courses in A+ computer training are about fault finding and diagnosing – both remote access and hands-on, in addition to building computers and repairing them and operating in antistatic conditions. It could be a good idea to consider adding Network+ training to your A+ as you’ll then be in a position to look after networks of computers, which is where the bigger salaries are.

Considering how a program is ‘delivered’ to you is often missed by many students. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what order and at what speed is it delivered? Individual deliveries for each training module stage by stage, as you complete each module is the typical way that your program will arrive. This sounds logical, but you should consider these factors: Often, the staged breakdown offered by the provider doesn’t suit. What if you find it hard to complete all the modules at the speed required?

To avoid any potential future issues, many trainees now want to request that all their modules (now paid for) are delivered immediately, and not in stages. It’s then up to you how fast or slow and in what order you want to finish things.

Only consider learning courses which will move onto industry accepted qualifications. There are far too many trainers promoting their own ‘in-house’ certificates which will prove unusable in today’s commercial market. You’ll find that only recognised certification from companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco and CompTIA will be useful to a future employer.

Incorporating examination fees up-front and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is popular with a number of training colleges. However, let’s consider what’s really going on:

Everybody’s aware that they’re still footing the bill for it – it’s not so hard to see that it’s been inserted into the gross price invoiced by the training company. It’s certainly not free – and it’s insulting that we’re supposed to think it is! Should you seriously need to qualify first ‘go’, then the most successful route is to pay for one exam at a time, prioritise it appropriately and give the task sufficient application.

Go for the best offer you can find at the time, and keep hold of your own money. In addition, it’s then your choice where to sit the exam – so you can find somewhere local. Buying a course that includes payments for examinations (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is madness. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with additional funds only to please their Bank Manager! Many will hope you won’t get round to taking them – but they won’t refund the cash. The majority of organisations will insist that you take mock exams first 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.

On average, exams cost around the 112 pounds mark twelve months or so ago through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don’t be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more to have ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when any student knows that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

People attracted to this sort of work can be very practical by nature, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you identify with this, use multimedia, interactive learning, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. Learning psychology studies show that long term memory is improved when all our senses are involved, and we take action to use what we’ve learned.

The latest home-based training features interactive discs. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll take everything in through the expert demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by practicing and interacting with the software. Every company that you look at should willingly take you through some simple examples of the type of training materials they provide. You’re looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and a variety of interactive modules.

Select actual CD or DVD ROM’s whenever you can. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.

Looking around, we find a glut of work available in computing. Arriving at the correct choice out of this complexity can be very difficult. What are the chances of us grasping the tasks faced daily in an IT career when it’s an alien environment to us? Often we don’t know someone who does that actual job anyway. To come through this, a discussion is necessary, covering several different aspects:

* Our personalities play a major role – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what tasks really turn you off.

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

* The income needs you may have?

* Learning what the main job types and sectors are – including what sets them apart.

* It’s wise to spend some time thinking about any sacrifices you’ll need to make, as well as what commitment and time that you will set aside for your training.

Ultimately, your only chance of understanding everything necessary is through a long chat with an advisor or professional who has enough background to provide solid advice.