Don't put too much store, as many people do, on the training process. Your training isn't about getting a plaque on your wall; this is about employment. You need to remain focused on where you want to go. It's not unheard of, for example, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study only to end up putting 20 long years into a career that does nothing for you, entirely because you stumbled into it without some decent due-diligence when it was needed - at the start.

You also need to know your feelings on earning potential and career progression, and how ambitious you are. It makes sense to understand what the role will demand of you, which qualifications will be required and how to develop your experience. We advise all students to speak with an industry professional before they embark on a training course. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the commercially required skills for the chosen career.

A lot of certification companies still use a now out-dated method of training - classroom lessons. Usually touted as a major benefit, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, you'll most likely hear about many or most of these problems:

- Constant travelling - hundreds of miles usually.

- If you work for a living, then weekday only classes are hard to attend. Typically you are looking at 2-3 days at a time as well.

- Usually, we think 4 weeks holiday each year is barely enough. Spend at least half of this for educational days and see how much more difficult it makes things.

- With the high costs involved, most companies fill the classes up to the brim - not ideal (and much less personal).

- Some trainees lean towards a pace that is different to the other class members. This creates a lot of tension amongst the class.

- Calculate the increasing cost of all the travelling, food, accommodation and parking and you'll be in for a big surprise. Attendees mention extra costs of hundreds to thousands of pounds over time. Break it down - and see for yourself.

- Many attendees would like to keep their training completely private so as to avoid any management questions at work.

- How many of us have shied away from raising a hand in the air, because we wanted to fit in?

- If you sometimes live away for part of the week, consider the added problems of making the needed events, as time is now more scarce than ever.

Why don't you simply watch and learn with teachers one-to-one in videoed lessons, taking them when it's convenient for you, not someone else. Study from home on your desktop PC or out in the garden on your laptop. Any questions that pop up, just use the provided 24x7 live support (that should come with any technical program.) Note-taking is a thing of the past - everything is prepared in advance for you. Anything you want to do over, it's all right there. Whilst it's impossible to remove every single problem, it undeniably makes things easier, simpler and less stressful. And you've reduced hassle, travel and costs.

Potential Students hopeful to begin a career in computers and technology often haven't a clue what direction they should take, or which area to get certified in. Perusing a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is a complete waste of time. The vast majority of us have no idea what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so we have no hope of understanding the intricacies of a new IT role. Arriving at the right conclusion only comes from a thorough investigation of many changing criteria:

- What hobbies you have and enjoy - these can show the possibilities will provide a happy working life.

- What sort of time-frame do you want for your training?

- Have you thought about salary vs the travel required?

- Because there are so many ways to train in the IT industry - you will have to gain a solid grounding on what separates them.

- Having a good look at how much time and effort that you're going to put into it.

Ultimately, your only chance of checking this all out is via a long chat with a professional who knows the industry well enough to lead you to the correct decision.

A lot of people presume that the school and FE college system is still the most effective. So why are commercial certificates becoming more popular with employers? With the costs of academic degree's increasing year on year, together with the industry's recognition that vendor-based training is closer to the mark commercially, there's been a big surge in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA authorised training programmes that educate students at a fraction of the cost and time involved. This is done by concentrating on the skill-sets required (together with an appropriate level of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background 'padding' that academic courses often do - to pad out the syllabus.

Imagine if you were an employer - and you needed to take on someone with a very particular skill-set. What is easier: Pore through loads of academic qualifications from several applicants, asking for course details and what vocational skills they have, or choose particular accreditations that perfectly fit your needs, and then choose your interviewees based around that. You'll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of long discussions on technical suitability.

Microsoft Operating Systems Support Home-Study Commercial Certification Courses >>