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The Cisco training is the way to go for those who need to know all about routers. Routers join up computer networks over the internet or dedicated lines. It’s most probable that your first course should be CCNA. It’s not advisable to launch directly into a CCNP for it’s full of complexities – and you’ll need the CCNA and experience first to have a go at this.

It’s vital that you already know a good deal about computer networks and how they operate and function, because networks are linked to routers. Without this you may encounter problems. We’d recommend you look for a course covering basic networking skills (CompTIA Network+ as an example – maybe with the A+ as well) prior to starting your CCNA. Look for a training provider that can offer this as a career package.

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

Listening to all this talk on the area of computer technology nowadays, how can we understand what in particular to look for?

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

Proper support should never be taken lightly – locate a good company that provides 24×7 direct access, as not opting for this kind of support could put a damper on the speed you move through things. Don’t accept study programmes that only provide support to you via a call-centre messaging service after office-staff have gone home. Training organisations will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. The simple fact of the matter is – support is needed when it’s needed – not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers which recommend and use direct-access online support all the time – even in the middle of the night. If you accept anything less than 24×7 support, you’ll regret it very quickly. You may not need it during late nights, but you may need weekends, late evenings or early mornings.

We’d hazard a guess that you’re a practical sort of person – a ‘hands-on’ individual. If you’re anything like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it’s not ideal. You should use video and multimedia based materials if books just don’t do it for you. Where possible, if we can involve all our senses in the learning process, our results will often be quite spectacular.

Interactive audio-visual materials involving demonstration and virtual lab’s will beat books every time. And they’re far more fun. Make sure to obtain a look at some courseware examples from the training company. You’ll want to see demo’s from instructors, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

Choose CD and DVD ROM based physical training media wherever available. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.

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

For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s not unusual for students to have all their training materials (which they’ve now paid for) posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. That means it’s down to you in which order and at what speed you want to go.

It’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees – this always means you have to pay for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you get carried away with guaranteed exams, consider this:

It’s become essential these days that we tend to be a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and usually we cotton on to the fact that we are actually being charged for it (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) It’s well known in the industry that when trainees fund each examination, one after the other, they will be much more likely to pass every time – since they’ll be conscious of what they’ve paid and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.

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

With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric tests costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, by far the best option is to pay for them as you take them. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Some training providers will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance program, to help you get your first job. Having said that, occasionally this feature is bigged up too much, as it is actually not that hard for any focused and well taught person to land work in IT – as there is such a shortage of qualified personnel.

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

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

There is a tidal wave of change washing over technology over the next few decades – and this means greater innovations all the time. We’ve barely started to get a feel for how technology will define our world. The internet will significantly change how we regard and interrelate with the rest of the world over the next few years.

A average IT technician over this country as a whole has been shown to earn a lot more than employees on a par in another industry. Typical incomes are around the top of national league tables. Because the IT market sector is still developing nationally and internationally, it’s predictable that the search for qualified professionals will continue actively for quite some time to come.

Because you’re doing your research on courses for MCSE, you’ll probably be in 1 of 2 situations: You might be wondering about a radical change of career to the IT sector, and you’ve found a growing demand for properly qualified people. Instead you’re someone with a certain amount of IT knowledge – and you should formalise your skills with the MCSE accreditation.

As you find out about , be sure to don’t use those that compromise their offerings by failing to provide the latest Microsoft version. Such institutions will hold back the student because they’ll have been studying an old version of MCSE which doesn’t fall in with the present exams, so it could be impossible for them to pass. Avoid businesses who’re just out to sell you anything. Advisors should be helping to make sure you are on the right course for you. Don’t be shoe-horned into a one-size-fits-all course by an over-keen salesman.

Most of us would love to think that our jobs will always be secure and the future is protected, but the growing reality for most sectors in England currently is that security just isn’t there anymore. Whereas a fast growing sector, where there just aren’t enough staff to go round (because of an enormous shortage of properly qualified professionals), creates the conditions for lasting job security.

The IT skills shortfall across Great Britain falls in at roughly 26 percent, as noted by a recent e-Skills survey. To explain it in a different way, this shows that the country can only locate three properly accredited workers for every four jobs in existence currently. Gaining proper commercial computing accreditation is consequently a fast-track to achieve a continuing and satisfying occupation. No better time or market settings will exist for obtaining certification in this swiftly growing and developing business.

Understanding a sensible career option can be very hard – so which sectors are important to investigate and which questions should we be posing?

Beginning with the understanding that it’s necessary to locate the job we want to do first and foremost, before we’re even able to ponder what career development program would meet that requirement, how can we choose the correct route? How likely is it for us to understand what is involved in a particular job when it’s an alien environment to us? Most likely we haven’t met someone who performs the role either. Getting to a well-informed answer really only appears via a thorough examination of several different criteria:

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

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

* Is your income higher on your priority-list than other requirements.

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

* You should also think long and hard about the level of commitment you’re going to invest in your education.

For most people, sifting through each of these concepts will require meeting with an advisor that knows what they’re talking about. And we’re not only talking about the accreditations – you also need to understand the commercial needs and expectations of industry too.

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

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

Go for CD and DVD ROM based physical training media wherever available. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.

An area that’s often missed by potential students considering a training program is that of ‘training segmentation’. Essentially, this is the way the course is divided up for timed release to you, which can make a dramatic difference to what you end up with. Students often think it makes sense (with most training taking 1-3 years for a full commercial certification,) for a training company to release the training stage by stage, as you achieve each exam pass. But: Maybe the order of study insisted on by the company won’t suit you. What if you find it hard to complete all the elements at the speed required?

To be in the best situation you would have all the training materials packed off to you right at the start; every single thing! Then, nothing can hinder your ability to finish.

It’s so important to understand this key point: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 instructor and mentor support. You’ll severely regret it if you let this one slide. Find a good quality service with proper support available at any time of day or night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back when it’s convenient for them.

It’s possible to find the very best companies who give students online direct access support 24×7 – including evenings, nights and weekends. If you fail to get yourself online 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. You might not want to use the service in the middle of the night, but consider weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – inevitably that means paying for the exams before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you get carried away with a course with such a promise, why not be aware of the facts:

It’s very clear we’re ultimately paying for it – obviously it has already been included in the overall figure from the college. It’s certainly not free (it’s just marketing companies think we’ll fall for anything they say!) Passing first time is everyone’s goal. Entering examinations in order and paying for them just before taking them puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt – you put the effort in and are aware of the costs involved.

Shouldn’t you be looking to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, not to pay the fees marked up by a training course provider, and to do it locally – instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call? Buying a course that includes payments for examination fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is insane. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with your money just to give them more interest! A lot bank on the fact that you will never make it to exams – so they get to keep the extra funds. The majority of organisations will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing – so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is naive – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really see you through.

Be on the lookout that any exams you’re studying for will be recognised by employers and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment. Unless the accreditation comes from a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then chances are it could have been a waste of time and effort – because no-one will recognise it.

Anyone looking to get into the IT industry will rapidly be overwhelmed by the number of diverse options on offer. Prior to getting started, look for a training provider with a career advice department, so you can be educated on the jobs your training program is designed for. It’s possible you’ll learn about employment opportunities you hadn’t previously thought of. There’s lots to choose from with these courses – from basic office skills up to training for programmers, networkers, web designers etc. Share your ideas prior to committing yourself – chat with an advisor who has knowledge of the market sector. Someone who can help you choose the right direction for you – that’s both relevant to industry and leads to a job you’ll love.

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

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

And don’t forget that income in the IT industry across the UK is a lot better than in the rest of the economy, so in general you will be in a good position to receive significantly more in the IT sector, than you’d expect to earn elsewhere. Due to the technological sector emerging with no sign of a slow-down, it’s looking good that demand for appropriately qualified IT professionals will continue to boom for a good while yet.

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

We can see a plethora of jobs and positions available in the IT industry. Deciding which one could be right for yourself often proves challenging. How can we possibly grasp what is involved in a particular job when we’ve never done it? We normally don’t know someone who performs the role either. Reflection on these issues is imperative if you need to uncover the right solution that will work for you:

* Personality factors and what you’re interested in – the sort of work-oriented areas you enjoy or dislike.

* Are you aiming to realise an important objective – for instance, working for yourself someday?

* What priority do you place on job satisfaction vs salary?

* Getting to grips with what the main Information technology types and sectors are – plus how they’re different to each other.

* The time and energy you’re prepared to set aside for your training.

For the majority of us, sifting through all these ideas will require meeting with a professional who knows what they’re talking about. And we don’t just mean the qualifications – but also the commercial requirements of industry too.

We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor and mentor support. You’ll definitely experience problems if you don’t follow this rule rigidly. Never buy study programmes that only provide support to you through a message system when it’s outside of usual working hours. Colleges will defend this with all kinds of excuses. The bottom line is – you want support at the appropriate time – not as-and-when it’s suitable for their staff.

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

Many trainers provide a big box of books. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not ideal for taking things in. Our ability to remember is increased with an involvement of all our senses – learning experts have been saying this for years now.

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

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

One area often overlooked by new students considering a training program is ‘training segmentation’. Essentially, this is the way the course is divided up for drop-shipping to you, which vastly changes the point you end up at. Individual deliveries for each training module piece by piece, as you complete each module is the normal way of receiving your courseware. This sounds sensible, but you must understand the following: Maybe the order of study insisted on by the company won’t suit you. And what if you don’t finish all the sections within their timetable?

The ideal solution is to have all the learning modules couriered to you immediately; the complete package! Then, nothing can hinder your capability of finishing.

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

It’s become essential these days that we are a bit more aware of hype – and generally we cotton on to the fact that we are actually being charged for it – it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away! Students who go in for their examinations when it’s appropriate, funding them as they go are much more likely to pass. They are conscious of their investment and so are more inclined to be ready for the task.

Look for the very best offer you can at the appropriate time, and avoid college mark-up fees. You’ll also be able to choose where to do your exams – meaning you can choose a local testing centre. A great deal of money is secured by some training companies that get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but no refunds are given. Surprising as it sounds, there are companies around who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams – as that’s very profitable for them. Pay heed to the fact that, with the majority of Exam Guarantees – the company decides when you can do your re-takes. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Many trainers will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance program, to help you get your first job. But don’t place too much emphasis on it – it’s quite easy for their marketing department to make it sound harder than it is. The fact of the matter is, the massive skills shortage in Britain is the reason you’ll find a job.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV might be provided (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). Be sure to you update that dusty old CV today – don’t wait until you’ve finished your exams! Being considered a ‘maybe’ is more than not being regarded at all. A surprising amount of junior jobs are got by trainees (who’ve only just left first base.) You can usually expect quicker service from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you’ll experience from any training course provider’s national service, as they’ll know local industry and the area better.

Certainly be sure that you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, then call a halt and leave it up to everyone else to find you a job. Stop procrastinating and make your own enquiries. Invest the same focus into getting a good job as it took to get qualified.

Currently in the UK, industry would struggle if it weren’t for support workers fixing networks and computers, while making recommendations to users on a constant basis. With the increasingly multifaceted levels of technological advances, greater numbers of qualified workers are required to look after the various different areas we’ve become dependent on.

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

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

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

You have to make sure that all your exams are current and commercially required – don’t even consider programmes which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you’d printed it yourself). You’ll discover that only industry recognised examinations from companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA and Cisco will be useful to a future employer.

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

Find a course where you’re provided with an array of CD and DVD ROM’s – you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, and be able to hone your abilities through virtual lab’s. Don’t take any chances and look at some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you hand over your cheque. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where available, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want – it’s not wise to be held hostage to your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

Most training providers will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); very few go late in the evening or at weekends. Beware of institutions who use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ – with the call-back coming in during office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and want support there and then.

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

One crafty way that course providers make extra profits is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. It looks impressive, until you think it through:

Everyone knows they’re ultimately paying for it – it’s not so hard to see that it’s been added into the gross price invoiced by the training provider. It’s certainly not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) Passing first time is everyone’s goal. Taking your exams progressively when it’s appropriate and paying for them just before taking them puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt – you revise thoroughly and think carefully about the costs.

Don’t you think it’s more sensible to not pay up-front, but at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the training company, and to do it in a local testing office – instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call? Many questionable training colleges secure a great deal of profit because they’re getting paid for all the exam fees up-front then hoping you won’t see them all through. Remember, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ – they control when and how often you can re-take the exam. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.

Prometric and VUE exams are in the region of 112 pounds in Britain at the time of writing. What’s the point of paying huge ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) – when good quality study materials, the proper support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

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

What if you were an employer – and your company needed a person with some very particular skills. What should you do: Wade your way through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, struggling to grasp what they’ve learned and which commercial skills they have, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that precisely match your needs, and make your short-list from that. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview – instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

At times individuals don’t catch on to what information technology is doing for all of us. It is electrifying, revolutionary, and means you’re working on technology that will affect us all over the next generation. We are really only just starting to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be profoundly affected by technology and the internet.

If making decent money is around the top on your scale of wants, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the average salary of a typical IT worker is considerably more than with the rest of the economy. Demand for well trained and qualified IT technicians is certain for quite some time to come, due to the continuous expansion in the marketplace and the massive deficiency that we still have.

CompTIA A+ computer training comprises of 4 specialised sectors – you’ll need exam certification in two of these areas to be A+ competent. This is why, most training providers limit their course to 2 of the four areas. Our opinion is this will under prepare you – sure, you can pass an exam, but knowledge of every section will give you a distinct advantage in industry, where gaps in your knowledge will expose weaknesses. This is why you require information in all 4 specialities.

Training courses in A+ cover fault-finding and diagnostics – both through hands-on and remote access, as well as building computers and repairing them and working in antistatic conditions. If you add Network+ to your CompTIA A+ training course, you’ll also have the ability to take care of networks, meaning you’re in a position to command a higher salary.

Picking up on all the debate covering IT these days, how can we know what exactly to look for?

A capable and professional consultant (in contrast with a salesperson) will cover in some detail your current experience level and abilities. This is paramount to establishing the point at which you need to start your studies. Where you have a strong background, or maybe some live experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then it’s more than likely your starting level will be quite dissimilar from a trainee who has no experience. Opening with a user skills course first is often the best way to get into your IT programme, depending on your current skill level.

Be on the lookout that any accreditations you’re considering doing will be recognised by employers and are current. ‘In-house’ certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment. The top IT companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe each have nationally acknowledged skills programmes. Huge conglomerates such as these will make sure you’re employable.

If you forget everything else – then just remember this: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 instructor support. We can tell you that you’ll strongly regret it if you don’t follow this rule rigidly. Find a good quality service where you can access help at any time of the day or night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want access directly to professional tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back when it’s convenient for them.

It’s possible to find professional companies who recommend and use online direct access support 24×7 – no matter what time of day it is. Never settle for a lower level of service. Direct-access round-the-clock support is the only kind to make the grade when it comes to IT training. Maybe burning the midnight-oil is not your thing; but for the majority of us however, we’re at work at the time when most support is available.

Most trainers typically provide a bunch of books and manuals. This isn’t very interesting and not a very good way of studying effectively. Learning psychology studies show that we remember much more when all our senses are involved, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.

Courses are now available in the form of CD and DVD ROM’s, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Using video-streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to do something, and then practice yourself – in an interactive lab. All companies must be pushed to demo some simple examples of the type of training materials they provide. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and interactive areas to practice in.

Some companies only have access to training that is purely available online; and while this is acceptable much of the time, think what will happen if your access to the internet is broken or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It is usually safer to have actual CD or DVD ROMs that removes the issue entirely.

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you jump at guaranteed exams, be aware of the facts:

Of course it’s not free – you’re still footing the bill for it – the price has simply been included in the whole thing. It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations in order and funding them one at a time puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt – you take it seriously and are aware of the costs involved.

Doesn’t it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by a training college, and also to sit exams more locally – instead of the remote centre that’s convenient only to the trainer? Buying a course that includes payments for examinations (plus interest – if you’re financing your study) is a false economy. Why fill a company’s coffers with your money only to please their Bank Manager! A lot bank on the fact that you will never make it to exams – but they won’t refund the cash. It’s worth noting, with ‘Exam Guarantees’ from most places – the company decides when you are allowed to have another go. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE examinations coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, 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. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

Commercial certification is now, undoubtedly, taking over from the older academic routes into the IT sector – why then is this the case? The IT sector is now aware that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, proper accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is closer to the mark commercially – saving time and money. The training is effectively done through concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with a relevant amount of related knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background detail and ‘fluff’ that degrees in computing are prone to get tied up in (because the syllabus is so wide).

The crux of the matter is this: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for – the title is a complete giveaway: as an example – I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Windows XP Administration and Configuration’. So employers can identify just what their needs are and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

Finding job security in the current climate is very rare. Companies frequently drop us out of the workplace at a moment’s notice – as and when it suits them. Whereas a quickly growing market-place, where there just aren’t enough staff to go round (through a growing shortfall of properly qualified staff), provides a market for true job security.

Using the computer industry for instance, the 2006 e-Skills study brought to light massive skills shortages around the United Kingdom around the 26 percent mark. To explain it in a different way, this shows that Great Britain can only find three properly accredited workers for each four job positions that exist today. This single fact in itself reveals why the United Kingdom desperately needs considerably more new trainees to enter the industry. In actuality, gaining new qualifications in IT throughout the next few years is likely the greatest career choice you could ever make.

If your dream is to become a great web designer qualified appropriately for the current working environment, you’ll need to study Adobe Dreamweaver. For applications in the commercial world you should have an in-depth understanding of the full Adobe Web Creative Suite. This will include (though it’s not limited to) Flash and Action Script. If your goal is to become an Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) or an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) these skills will be absolutely essential.

Building a website only scratches the surface of the skills needed though – to drive traffic to the site, maintain its content, and work with dynamic database-driven sites, you’ll be required to have further programming skills, like HTML and PHP, and database engines like MySQL. A good web designer will additionally gain a working knowledge of E-Commerce and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Being at the forefront of progressive developments in new technology really is electrifying. You become one of a team of people impacting progress around the world. It’s a common misapprehension that the increase in technology we’ve been going through is easing off. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have yet to experience incredible advances, and the internet in particular will be the most effective tool in our lives.

Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored also – the income on average in Great Britain for an average IT worker is noticeably more than remuneration packages in other sectors. Odds are you’ll make a whole lot more than you would in most other jobs. The need for appropriately qualified IT professionals is assured for many years to come, due to the ongoing expansion in the technology industry and the massive skills gap that we still have.

It’s indisputable, the UK computer sector shows outstanding potential. However, to arm ourselves with the correct information, what sort of questions should we ask, and what are the most important factors?

Far too many companies are all about the certification, and avoid focusing on the reasons for getting there – which will always be getting the job or career you want. Your focus should start with the final destination in mind – don’t make the vehicle more important than the destination. It’s an awful thing, but the majority of trainees kick-off study that often sounds amazing in the prospectus, but which gets us a career that doesn’t fulfil at all. Try talking to typical college students and you’ll see where we’re coming from.

Spend some time thinking about what you want to earn and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. Usually, this will point the way to what precise qualifications you will need and what you can expect to give industry in return. Speak to an experienced industry advisor who knows about the sector you’re looking at, and is able to give you a detailed description of what you actually do in that role. Establishing this before starting out on a training programme will prevent a lot of wasted time and effort.

A lot of trainers will only offer support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Never accept certification programs which can only support you through a call-centre messaging service when it’s outside of usual working hours. Training schools will defend this with all kinds of excuses. The simple fact of the matter is – you want support at the appropriate time – not when it suits them.

The best trainers use multiple support centres active in different time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, there is always help at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems. If you accept anything less than support round-the-clock, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You may not need it in the middle of the night, but you’re bound to use weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Most trainers typically provide piles of reference manuals and workbooks. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and isn’t the best way to go about taking things in. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that memory is aided when all our senses are involved, and we get physically involved with the study process.

The latest audio-visual interactive programs with demonstrations and practice sessions beat books hands-down. And they’re a lot more fun to do. Each company you’re contemplating should be able to show you a few examples of their training materials. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and many interactive sections.

You should avoid purely online training. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where possible, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – ISP quality varies, so you don’t want to be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

The way a programme is physically sent to you is often missed by many students. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what order and what control do you have at what pace it arrives? Normally, you’ll join a programme taking 1-3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. While this may sound logical on one level, consider this: Students often discover that the company’s standard order of study is not what they would prefer. Sometimes, it’s more expedient to use an alternative order of study. Perhaps you don’t make it in the allotted time?

The very best situation would see you getting all the learning modules packed off to your home before you even start; the whole caboodle! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your progress.

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

In this day and age, we have to be a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and usually we grasp that it is something we’re paying for (it’s not a freebie because they like us so much!) Evidence shows that when trainees fund each examination, one by one, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt – as they are conscious of their payment and their application will be greater.

Why should you pay a college at the start of the course for examinations? Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance – and sit exams more locally – not at somewhere of their bidding. Paying upfront for exams (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is insane. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with additional funds just to give them a good cash-flow! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you will never make it to exams – but they won’t refund the cash. The majority of companies will insist that you take mock exams first and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass – which makes an ‘Exam Guarantee’ frankly useless.

VUE and Prometric examinations are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in this country. What’s the point of paying huge ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (often hidden in the cost) – when the best course materials, the right level of support and exam preparation systems and a dose of commitment and effort are what’s required.

A service provided by many trainers is a Job Placement Assistance program. This is designed to help you get your first commercial position. Ultimately it isn’t so complicated as you might think to get your first job – assuming you’re well trained and qualified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

However, don’t procrastinate and wait until you’ve passed your final exams before updating your CV. Right at the beginning of your training, list what you’re working on and place it on jobsites! Many junior support jobs have been offered to people who are in the process of training and haven’t got any qualifications yet. At least this will get you on your way. The most reliable organisations to get you a new position are usually local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

Certainly ensure you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, only to stop and leave it up to everyone else to find you a job. Get off your backside and get on with the job. Channel as much time and energy into landing the right position as you did to get trained.

Nice One! By landing here you’ve doubtless been pondering on re-training to work in a different industry – that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. Very few of us are satisfied with our careers, but it’s rare anyone does more than moan. Why not be one of a small number who decide to make the change.

Prior to considering individual courses, discuss your thoughts with an industry expert who can talk you through the right type of training for you. Someone who has the ability to ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and discover what type of job will be right for you:

* Do you operate better working alone or is being in a team environment an important option?

* What’s important that you get from the area of industry you choose? – We all know that things have changed, look at building and banking for instance.

* Would you like this to be the only time re-training is necessary?

* Are you worried with regard to your possibilities of finding new employment, and keeping a job right up to retirement?

We ask you to consider the computer industry – there are more roles than people to do them, because it’s a rare career choice where the market sector is expanding. Contrary to what some people would have you think, it isn’t a bunch of techie geeks gazing at their computer screens the whole day (though naturally some jobs are like that.) The majority of jobs are taken by people like you and me who enjoy better than average salaries.

It’s abundantly clear: There’s absolutely no personal job security anywhere now; there can only be market or business security – companies can just remove anyone whenever it fits the business’ business requirements. Wherever we find growing skills deficits coupled with high demand areas though, we often reveal a fresh type of security in the marketplace; driven by a continual growth, organisations are struggling to hire the number of people required.

The computing Industry skills-gap around the country is standing at over twenty six percent, as shown by the 2006 e-Skills analysis. Alternatively, you could say, this shows that the UK can only find three qualified staff for every four jobs that exist now. This alarming notion underpins the urgent need for more technically accredited computer professionals in the UK. With the market expanding at such a rate, is there any other area of industry worth considering as a retraining vehicle.

Which kind of questions should we ask so as to take in the understanding required? Because it’s evident there are many fairly superb prospects for us all to look at.

Considering the amount of options that are available, is it any wonder that most potential career changers don’t really understand the best career path they could be successful with. Working through a list of IT job-titles is next to useless. The vast majority of us don’t even know what the neighbours do for a living – so we have no hope of understanding the intricacies of any specific IT role. Deliberation over these different factors is imperative if you need to get to a solution that suits you:

* Your personal interests and hobbies – often these show the possibilities will satisfy you.

* For what reasons you’re getting involved with IT – is it to achieve a long-held goal such as firing your boss and working for yourself maybe.

* What are your thoughts on job satisfaction vs salary?

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

* You have to understand the differences across each individual training area.

To bypass the barrage of jargon, and discover the best route for you, have an informal chat with an advisor with years of experience; someone that appreciates and can explain the commercial realities and of course all the qualifications.

Many trainers provide piles of reference manuals and workbooks. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not really conducive to achieving retention. Long-term memory is enhanced when multiple senses are involved – educational experts have expounded on this for decades now.

Interactive full motion video utilising video demo’s and practice lab’s will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. It’s wise to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign the purchase order. You should expect instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

You should avoid purely online training. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where obtainable, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – it’s not wise to be held hostage to a good broadband connection all the time.

Many students come unstuck over a single courseware aspect very rarely considered: The way the training is divided into chunks and sent out to you. Many companies enrol you into some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you complete each section or exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: Often, the staged breakdown insisted on by the company won’t suit you. What if you find it hard to complete all the elements inside their defined time-scales?

Ideally, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning – giving you them all for the future to come back to – at any time you choose. Variations can then be made to the order that you complete your exams if another more intuitive route presents itself.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be proper direct-access 24×7 support through professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Never purchase study programmes that only provide support to you with a call-centre messaging system after office-staff have gone home. Training companies will always try to hide the importance of this issue. But, no matter how they put it – you need support when you need support – not at their convenience.

Top training companies utilise several support facilities across multiple time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, any time of the day or night, help is at hand, without any contact issues or hassle. Never make do with anything less. 24×7 support is the only kind to make the grade when it comes to computer-based learning. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for the majority of us however, we’re working when traditional support if offered.

Adding in the cost of exams with the course fee then including an exam guarantee is a common method with many companies. However, let’s consider what’s really going on:

We all know that we’re still paying for it – it’s obviously already been included in the gross price invoiced by the training company. It’s certainly not free – don’t think these companies are so generous with their money! The honest truth is that if a student pays for each examination, one after the other, they’ll be in a better position to get through on the first attempt – since they’re aware of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Doesn’t it make more sense to go for the best offer at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the training course provider, and to do it locally – rather than in some remote centre? Huge profits are made by a significant number of organisations that take the exam money up-front. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons and so they pocket the rest. Believe it or not, there are training companies who actually bank on it – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit. Don’t forget, with the majority of Exam Guarantees – the company decides when you can re-take the exam. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric exams costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it’s common sense to fund them one by one. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

A study programme must provide a properly recognised qualification at the finale – not some little ‘in-house’ plaque for your wall. The top IT companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe all have widely renowned skills courses. These big-hitters will ensure your employability.

The Microsoft MCSA course (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) is right for anyone wanting to become a network engineer. So if you’re already experienced but need to formalise your skills with a good qualification, or you are just getting into the industry, you will be able to find a course to fulfil your needs. Each category should have a different training track, so pay attention to check you’re being offered the best one prior to spending your money. Look for a training company that talks with you so they learn what you hope to do, and will give you direction on what you want to do, long before they select your course.

It’s abundantly clear: There’s absolutely no personal job security now; there’s only industry and sector security – companies can just let anyone go if it meets their commercial needs. In actuality, security now only emerges through a swiftly increasing marketplace, driven by a shortfall of trained staff. It’s this shortage that creates the right environment for a higher level of market-security – definitely a more pleasing situation.

The computer industry skills-gap throughout Great Britain falls in at approx 26 percent, according to the latest e-Skills survey. To explain it in a different way, this shows that Great Britain can only locate 3 certified professionals for every 4 jobs available currently. This distressing concept underpins the requirement for more technically certified Information Technology professionals in the UK. Unquestionably, now really is such a perfect time to train for the computing industry.

Without a doubt, the computer sector offers superb prospects. However, to properly investigate, what are the questions we should be asking, and which are the most important considerations?

A so-called advisor who doesn’t dig around with lots of question – it’s likely they’re really a salesperson. If they push a particular product before getting to know your background and current experience level, then you know you’re being sold to. With a little work-based experience or base qualifications, it may be that your starting point of study is now at a different level to a new student. Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to get up and running on your computer programme, depending on your skill level at the moment.

Full support is of the utmost importance – look for a package that includes 24×7 access, as anything less will frustrate you and could impede your ability to learn. Look for training where you can access help at any time of day or night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You want access directly to professional tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back during office hours.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers who give students direct-access support 24×7 – even in the middle of the night. You can’t afford to accept a lower level of service. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only viable option with computer-based study. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we’re working while the support is live.

We’d hazard a guess that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – a ‘hands-on’ person. Usually, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. You should use video and multimedia based materials if learning from books is not your thing. If we can involve all our senses in the learning process, our results will often be quite spectacular.

Learning is now available on CD and DVD discs, so you can study at your own computer. Through video streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to perform the required skill, and then have a go at it yourself – in a virtual lab environment. Any company that you’re considering must be able to demonstrate samples of their courseware. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and many interactive sections.

Avoid training that is purely online. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – and not be totally reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

We’re often asked why academic qualifications are being replaced by more commercial certifications? Industry now acknowledges that for an understanding of the relevant skills, proper accreditation from companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA is closer to the mark commercially – for considerably less. They do this by honing in on the skill-sets required (together with a proportionate degree of related knowledge,) as opposed to trawling through all the background ‘extras’ that computer Science Degrees often do – to fill a three or four year course.

Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the label’. The company just needs to know where they have gaps, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.

Authorised exam simulation and preparation packages are a must – and must be supplied by your training supplier. Due to the fact that a lot of examining boards for IT are from the USA, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. It isn’t good enough merely understanding random questions – they have to be in the same format as the actual exams. Simulations and practice exams can be very useful as a resource to you – so when it comes to taking the real deal, you will be much more relaxed.

Getting your first commercial position can be a little easier with the help of a Job Placement Assistance program. Often, there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, as it’s really not that difficult for a well trained and motivated person to get work in this industry – because there’s a great need for qualified personnel.

Ideally you should have CV and Interview advice and support though; also we would encourage any student to update their CV right at the beginning of their training – don’t procrastinate and leave it for when you’re ready to start work. Having the possibility of an interview is more than not being known. Many junior jobs are bagged by people (who’ve only just left first base.) The most efficient companies to help you land that job are most often local IT focused employment agencies. Because they make their money when they’ve found you a job, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

A good number of students, apparently, are prepared to study their hearts out (for years sometimes), only to give up at the first hurdle when attempting to secure their first job. Market yourself… Make an effort to get in front of employers. Don’t expect a job to just fall into your lap.

If you’re seeking certified training from Microsoft, it stands to reason you’ll want training organisations to provide a wide range of the most superior courses on the market today. You might also hope to be given advice on the types of jobs that are available once you’ve qualified, and which personalities such positions might be right for. The majority of students like to get advice on what the best route is for them. After settling on the area you want to get into, you must find a relevant course tailored to be right for your current level of knowledge and ability. The quality of training should more than match your expectations.

Seeing as the IT market provides such an array of great career development opportunities for us all – then which questions should we raise and what aspects are most important?

There are a plethora of jobs and positions available in IT. Finding the particular one for yourself is a mammoth decision. After all, if you don’t have any understanding of the IT sector, how could you possibly know what someone in a particular field spends their day doing? How can you possibly choose what training route is the most likely for success. Deliberation over many factors is essential if you want to expose the right solution that will work for you:

* The kind of person you reckon you are – what kind of jobs you really enjoy, and on the other side of the coin – what you hate to do.

* Are you hoping to re-train for a particular motive – for instance, are you looking at working at home (maybe self-employment?)?

* What are your thoughts on job satisfaction vs salary?

* Often, trainees don’t consider the work demanded to achieve their goals.

* You need to appreciate the differences between each individual training area.

The best way to avoid the confusing industry jargon, and find the best route for you, have an informal chat with an industry expert and advisor; a person who understands the commercial reality as well as each accreditation.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – find a program that includes 24×7 access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely put a damper on the speed you move through things. Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with your call-back scheduled for typical office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

World-class organisations opt for an online 24 hours-a-day facility pulling in several support offices over many time-zones. You’ll have an easy to use interface that accesses the most appropriate office at any time of day or night: Support when you need it. Unless you insist on 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. It may be that you don’t use it late at night, but consider weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

Most trainers typically provide mainly work-books and reference manuals. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not a very good way of achieving retention. Memory is vastly improved with an involvement of all our senses – experts have been clear on this for as long as we can remember.

Programs are now found in disc format, so everything is learned directly from your own PC. Utilising the latest video technology, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to do something, and then practice yourself – with interactive lab sessions. It makes sense to see some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you purchase a course. You should expect videoed instructor demonstrations and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.

Choose physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s every time. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.

Many students come unstuck over a single training area which doesn’t even occur to them: The way the training is divided into chunks and couriered to your address. A release of your materials piece by piece, according to your own speed is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds sensible, but you should consider these factors: Maybe the order of study pushed by the company’s salespeople doesn’t suit all of us. And what if you don’t finish each and every section inside their defined time-scales?

In a perfect world, you want ALL the study materials up-front – giving you them all to come back to in the future – irrespective of any schedule. You can also vary the order in which you move through the program if you find another route more intuitive.

‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – inevitably that means paying for the exams before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you jump at this so-called guarantee, consider this:

You’ll be charged for it one way or another. It certainly isn’t free – they’ve just worked it into the package price. The fact is that if students pay for each examination, when they’re ready to take them and not before, the chances are they’re going to get through on the first attempt – since they’ll think of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Take your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and look for the very best offer you can at the time. Including money in your training package for examination fees (plus interest – if you’re financing your study) is insane. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with extra money of yours simply to help their cash-flow! Many will hope you don’t even take them all – so they don’t need to pay for them. You should fully understand that re-takes through training course providers who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are monitored with tight restrictions. They’ll insist that you take mock exams first until you’ve proven that you’re likely to pass.

Prometric and VUE exams are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in the United Kingdom today. Why pay exorbitant ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (often hidden in the cost) – when the best course materials, the right level of support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

One feature provided by many trainers is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is designed to help you get your first commercial position. Because of the massive need for more IT skills in the UK today, it’s not too important to make too much of this option though. It’s actually not as hard as some people make out to secure the right work once you’re properly qualified.

Whatever you do, avoid waiting until you have passed your final exams before bringing your CV up to date. As soon as you start studying, list what you’re working on and get promoting! Many junior support roles have been offered to trainees who are in the process of training and have still to get qualified. At the very least this will get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile. If you don’t want to travel too far to work, then you’ll often find that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy could work much better for you than a centralised service, as they’re going to have insider knowledge of what’s available near you.

Various students, so it seems, put a great deal of effort into their studies (for years sometimes), only to give up at the first hurdle when attempting to secure a good job. Market yourself… Work hard to let employers know about you. Good jobs don’t just knock on your door.

Being at the forefront of the cutting-edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You’re involved with defining the world to come. We’ve barely started to scrape the surface of how technology will define our world. The internet will massively alter the way we regard and interact with the world as a whole over the next few years.

Always remember that typical remuneration in the IT industry over Britain as a whole is significantly more than average salaries nationally, which means you will most likely earn a lot more in the IT sector, than you would in most typical jobs. With the IT marketplace developing nationally and internationally, one can predict that the need for well trained and qualified IT technicians will continue actively for decades to come.

The CCNA qualification is your entry level for Cisco training. With it, you’ll learn how to handle maintaining and installing routers. Basically, the internet comprises of vast numbers of routers, and big organisations that have different locations rely on them to allow their networks to keep in touch.

As routers are connected to networks, it is important to know how networks function, or you will have difficulties with the training and not be able to understand the work. Find a training programme that includes basic networking skills (CompTIA is ideal) before you start the CCNA.

The CCNA qualification is more than adequate; don’t be cajoled into attempting your CCNP. Once you’ve got a few years experience behind you, you’ll find out whether CCNP is something you want to do. If you decide to become more qualified, you’ll have the knowledge you need to tackle the CCNP – because it’s far from a walk in the park – and mustn’t be entered into casually.

So, what are the questions we should raise so as to take in the understanding we need? As it’s evident there are some somewhat great prospects for us all to chew over.

Usually, a everyday trainee doesn’t have a clue what way to go about starting in the IT industry, or which market they should be considering getting trained in. Scanning lists of IT career possibilities is next to useless. The majority of us have no idea what the neighbours do for a living – so we’re in the dark as to the intricacies of any specific IT role. To get through to the essence of this, there should be a discussion of many unique issues:

* The type of personality you have and what you’re interested in – what kind of work-oriented areas you like and dislike.

* Are you looking to reach a specific goal – for example, being your own boss in the near future?

* How highly do you rate salary – is an increase your main motivator, or is enjoying your job a lot higher on the scale of your priorities?

* When taking into account all that Information Technology encompasses, it’s obvious you’ll need to be able to see the differences.

* The level of commitment and effort you’ll have available to spend on obtaining your certification.

At the end of the day, the best way of investigating all this is via a meeting with a professional that through years of experience will provide solid advice.

Proper support should never be taken lightly – locate a good company that provides 24×7 direct access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely hold up your pace and restrict your intake. Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with your call-back scheduled for normal office hours. This is useless when you’re stuck and want support there and then.

We recommend looking for providers that have multiple support offices active in different time-zones. These should be integrated to offer a simple interface and also 24 hours-a-day access, when you want it, with no hassle. Never settle for less than you need and deserve. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only way to go for IT learning. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; but for most of us, we’re out at work at the time when most support is available.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, involving piles of reference textbooks, can be pretty hard going sometimes. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, look for learning programmes which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Long-term memory is enhanced with an involvement of all our senses – experts have been clear on this for decades now.

Locate a program where you’ll receive a library of DVD-ROM’s – you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, with the facility to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions. It’s very important to see the type of training provided by each company you’re contemplating. It’s essential they incorporate full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

It’s unwise to select online only courseware. Due to the variable nature of connection quality from the ISP (internet service provider) market, ensure that you have access to actual CD or DVD ROM’s.

The way a programme is physically sent to you can often be overlooked. In what way are your training elements sectioned? What is the specific order and how fast does each element come? Normally, you will join a program requiring 1-3 years study and receive one element at a time until graduation. This sounds logical on one level, until you consider this: With thought, many trainees understand that their providers typical path to completion isn’t the easiest way for them. It’s often the case that it’s more expedient to use an alternative order of study. Could it cause problems if you don’t get everything done in the allotted time?

For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s normal for most trainees to request that all their modules (now paid for) are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. That means it’s down to you how fast or slow and in what order you’d like to take your exams.

A sneaky way that training companies make more money is by charging for exams up-front and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. It looks impressive, until you think it through:

These days, we’re a bit more aware of hype – and the majority of us ought to know that for sure it is actually an additional cost to us (it’s not a freebie because they like us so much!) Evidence shows that if a student pays for their own exams, when they’re ready to take them and not before, they will be much more likely to qualify each time – since they’re aware of their investment in themselves and their application will be greater.

Do your exams as locally as possible and find the best exam deal or offer available then. Big margins are made by a number of companies who incorporate exam fees into the cost of the course. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons and so the company is quids-in. Surprising as it sounds, there are providers that actually bank on it – as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams through companies with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are monitored with tight restrictions. They’ll insist that you take mock exams first until you’ve proven that you’re likely to pass.

Exams taken at local centres are approximately 112 pounds in the UK. Why pay exorbitant charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) – when the best course materials, the right level of support and exam preparation systems and a dose of commitment and effort are what’s required.

One useful service offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. It’s intention is to help you get your first commercial position. The fact of the matter is it’s not as hard as some people make out to land employment – once you’re trained and certified; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

One important thing though, don’t procrastinate and wait until you’ve passed your final exams before bringing your CV up to date. The day you start training, mark down what you’re doing and get it out there! Various junior support roles are offered to trainees who’re still on their course and have still to get qualified. At the very least this will get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile. If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you may well find that a specialist locally based employment agency can generally serve you better than some national concern, for they are much more inclined to know the jobs that are going locally.

Certainly ensure you don’t spend hundreds of hours on your training and studies, then call a halt and imagine someone else is miraculously going to land you a job. Take responsibility for yourself and make your own enquiries. Put as much resource into getting a good job as you did to get trained.

Working on the leading edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You personally play your part in defining the world to come. We’re only just starting to see just how technology will influence everything we do. Computers and the Internet will massively change how we view and interact with the world as a whole over the coming years.

Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored moreover – the income on average in the United Kingdom for a typical person working in IT is significantly more than in the rest of the economy. Chances are that you’ll receive a whole lot more than you’d typically expect to bring in elsewhere. As the IT industry keeps increasing nationally and internationally, it’s predictable that the need for appropriately qualified IT professionals will remain buoyant for the significant future.