A lot of training schools are still maintaining a now out-dated method of training - classroom lessons. Very often portrayed as a huge benefit, following a chat with most students who've had to attend a couple, you'll find them listing some or most of these:

- All that travelling - frequent trips and quite often hundreds of miles each time.

- Monday to Friday accessibility for classes can be usual, and getting two to three days out of work can represent quite a problem for a lot of trainees who are working.

- Don't ignore the lost holiday days. Most of us have 4 weeks off each year. If half of that is used up on workshops, then it doesn't leave much for us and our families.

- With the high costs involved, a lot of colleges really push the size of the class - not ideal (giving less time per student).

- You may prefer to move at a slower or quicker pace than the rest of the class. This creates classic classroom tension.

- Soaring travel costs - driving to and from the training premises and of course over-night bed and breakfast can really add up over several visits. If you only assumed five to ten centre-days at a cost of 35 pounds for a single over-night room, plus forty pounds for petrol and food at 15 pounds, we find an extra 450-900 pounds of hidden costs on top.

- Most attendees would like to keep their training completely private thus avoiding all repercussions in their work.

- Posing questions in a class full of students can make any one of us a little self-conscious. Would you admit that you've occasionally avoided posing a question just because you didn't want to appear stupid?

- Typically, workshops become simply impossible to attend, if you work or live away for some of the month.

Wouldn't it be better to simply watch and gain knowledge from industry specialists one-on-one from ready-made lessons, working on them at a time that's convenient for you and you alone. Consider... Using a laptop you have the ability to study in any location you choose. And live 24 hr-a-day support is only a web-click away in case you get challenged. You have the ability to watch and re-watch the study units at any time you feel you need to. There's absolutely no need to write any notes as you have the lesson indefinitely. The upshot: Less hassle and stress, more money in the bank, and no travelling or long journeys.

Searching for your first position in IT sometimes feels easier to handle if you're offered a Job Placement Assistance facility. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though - it's quite easy for their marketing department to make it sound harder than it is. At the end of the day, the huge shortage of staff in the United Kingdom is what will make you attractive to employers.

Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however - look to your training company for advice on how to do this. Don't put it off until you've graduated or passed any exams. Quite frequently, you'll secure your initial role whilst still on the course (sometimes when you've only just got going). If you haven't updated your CV to say what you're studying (and it's not being looked at by employers) then you're not even going to be known about! If it's important to you to find work near your home, then you may well find that an independent and specialised local employment service may be more appropriate than the trainer's recruitment division, for they are much more inclined to be familiar with the local job scene.

Please ensure you don't invest a great deal of time on your training course, only to stop and leave it in the hands of the gods to secure your first position. Get off your backside and make your own enquiries. Channel the same energy and enthusiasm into landing a good job as it took to get qualified.

Often, people don't comprehend what information technology is doing for all of us. It's ground-breaking, exciting, and puts you at the fore-front of developments in technology that will change our world over the next few decades. We're only just beginning to get a handle on how all this will mould and change our lives. The way we interact with the world will be massively affected by computers and the web.

And keep in mind that the average salary in IT in Great Britain is noticeably greater than in other market sectors, so you'll be in a good position to gain considerably more once qualified in IT, than you would in most typical jobs. Excitingly, there is not a hint of a downturn for IT industry growth in Great Britain as a whole. The market sector continues to grow quickly, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it's highly unlikely that it will even slow down for decades to come.

We're regularly asked to explain why qualifications from colleges and universities are being overtaken by more commercially accredited qualifications? Vendor-based training (in industry terminology) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry is aware that a specialist skill-set is necessary to meet the requirements of a technologically complex commercial environment. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe dominate in this arena. Higher education courses, as a example, often get bogged down in a great deal of background study - with a syllabus that's far too wide. This holds a student back from getting enough core and in-depth understanding on a specific area.

Assuming a company is aware what they're looking for, then all it takes is an advert for someone with a specific qualification. The syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and don't change between schools (as academic syllabuses often do).

Generally, the starting place for a complete novice, who simply would like to acquire a fundamental understanding of how to get the most out of their personal computer, is the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL). This will teach you how to work the standard components of Windows (the system which runs the majority of personal computers.) It also goes through getting on the net, so you can utilise email to receive and send messages, & search the world wide web. You will also cover the basic principles of word-processing plus a bit about what spreadsheets and databases can be useful for.

Taking things a step further, you may be seeking more vocational training to further improve your job prospects. A competent working knowledge of Microsoft 'Office' would be your next logical move. The two industry recognised qualification programmes are MOS ('Microsoft Office Specialist') & 'MCAS' ('Microsoft Certification Application Specialist'). Whilst the former emphasises the MS Office 2003 environment under 'Windows XP', the second works with Windows Vista and 'Office' 2007. XP remains the most used in business, but 'Vista' might be more future-proof. You'll find different examinations for both which cover 'Word' ('word processing'), 'Excel' (spread-sheets), Access (data-bases) and PowerPoint (presentations.) These accreditations will indicate to an employer that you are adequately trained to implement these applications to their fullest extent.

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