As you’re looking to study a course to qualify for an MCSE, it’s likely you’ll come into one of two categories. You’re either just starting to enter the computer sector, and you’ve found the IT industry has a huge demand for people with the right qualifications. Instead you could be a knowledgeable person ready to formalise your skills with an MCSE.

We’d recommend you check that your provider is educating you on the latest Microsoft version. A number of trainees become very demoralised when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated MCSE program which now needs updating. Don’t be pushed into a computer course without the right advice. Look for a training company that will ensure you are on an appropriate training track for your needs.

Your training program should always include the latest Microsoft (or relevant organisation’s) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. Make sure that the practice exams haven’t just got questions from the right areas, but also asking them in the way that the actual final exam will formulate them. It really messes up trainees if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies. Always ask for testing modules in order to test your knowledge along the way. Practice exams help to build your confidence – then you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

It’s important to understand: the training program or a qualification is not what you’re looking for; the job or career that you want to end up in is. A lot of colleges seem to over-emphasise just the training course. You may train for one year and then end up doing a job for a lifetime. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ training program only to spend 20 years doing something you don’t even enjoy!

It’s a good idea to understand what expectations industry may have of you. Which particular certifications you’ll be required to have and how you’ll build your experience level. It’s also worth spending time considering how far you’d like to get as it may force you to choose a particular set of certifications. It’s worth seeking guidance from a professional that can best explain the industry you’re hoping to qualify in, and who can offer ‘A typical day in the life of’ type of explanation of the job being considered. All of these things are very important as you’ll need to fully understand if you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Watch out that all qualifications that you’re considering are commercially relevant and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless. From an employer’s viewpoint, only the major heavyweights like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (to give some examples) will open the right doors. Anything less won’t make the grade.

We need to make this very clear: 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. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and telephone support is usually to a call-centre who will make some notes and then email an advisor – who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you’re there), at a time suitable for them. This is all next to useless if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and only have a specific time you can study.

We recommend that you search for study programmes that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. Each one should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access and also 24×7 access, when it’s convenient for you, without any problems. Always choose a training provider that offers this level of study support. As only true round-the-clock 24×7 support truly delivers for technical programs.

It’s usual for students to get confused with a single training area which doesn’t even occur to them: How the training is broken down and delivered to your home. Training companies will normally offer a 2 or 3 year study programme, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you finish each section. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: Maybe the order of study offered by the provider doesn’t suit. It may be difficult to get through every element within their timetable?

In a perfect world, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning – giving you them all to come back to in the future – at any time you choose. Variations can then be made to the order that you complete each objective where a more intuitive path can be found.

With so many different choices of computer courses on the market now, it’s advisable to find a company who can help you settle on a good match for you. Professional companies will talk thoroughly through the types of jobs that might suit you, before offering you a training path that can educate you in the relevant field. Whether you’re hoping to be a whiz with office user skills, or want to advance your career and attain IT qualifications at a professional level, there are user-friendly courses and support to give you the chance you’ve been looking for.

By taking advantage of the latest training methods and getting rid of wasteful procedures, there’s a new style of course provider supplying a better brand of teaching and assistance for very competitive prices.

Many training providers are still using a now out-dated method of training – classroom days. Often sold as a benefit, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, don’t be surprised to be lectured on several if not all of these:

* Many round journeys – quite often hundreds of miles at a time.

* Monday to Friday access for events can be usual, and trying to take several days leave in a single chunk causes a lot of problems for most working students.

* Lost holiday days – a lot of workers are given only twenty days of leave annually. If you give up at least half to your study classes, vacation time is going to be quite short for students and their families.

* In a situation where running costs are very high, most colleges make the classes quite large – not ideal (and far less personal).

* There is often tension in mixed classes as students want to progress at their own pace.

* The cost of travel – travelling backwards and forwards to the training college together with several days accommodation can really add up each time you attend. With only five to ten workshops at about thirty-five pounds for one over-night room, plus 40 pounds for petrol and food at 15 pounds, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs that we now have to fund.

* Most trainees want their studies to remain private to avoid any kind of repercussions whilst in their current job.

* Most of us feel awkward about asking questions in a room full of other trainees – because none of us wants to look like we don’t understand.

* For those of us who need to occasionally live away for part of the week, imagine the increased difficulty in making the required workshops, when time is at a premium.

The perfect situation is to watch a videoed workshop – providing direct instruction whenever it’s convenient for you. Training can take place wherever it suits you. Got a laptop?… Then why not catch some sun in your garden while you learn. If any problem raises its head then make use of the 24×7 support. Note-taking is a thing of the past – all the lessons are prepared and laid out for you – ready to go. Any time you want to repeat something, just do it. Could it be more straightforward: You avoid travelling and wasting time and money; plus you get a more stress-free study atmosphere.

Make sure that all your qualifications are what employers want – don’t even consider studies which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. If your certification doesn’t come from a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe, then you’ll probably find it will be commercially useless – because no-one will recognise it.

It’s quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on something of absolutely vital importance – the way their training provider divides up the physical training materials, and into how many parts. Students often think it makes sense (with a typical time scale of 1-3 years to pass all the required exams,) that a training provider will issue the training stage by stage, until you’ve passed all the exams. But: Many students find that their training company’s ’standard’ path of training isn’t ideal for them. You may find that it’s more expedient to use an alternative order of study. And what if you don’t get to the end inside of the expected timescales?

In a perfect world, you want everything at the start – giving you them all to come back to in the future – at any time you choose. This also allows you to vary the order in which you attack each section as and when something more intuitive seems right for you.

In today’s high speed society, support workers who are able to mend PC’s and networks, and offer constant help to users, are essential in all areas of the business environment. Because of the multifaceted levels of technology, greater numbers of competent professionals are required to specialise in the smooth operation of functions we’ve come to rely on.

Trainees looking at this market can be very practical by nature, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where everything is presented via full motion video. Learning psychology studies show that much more of what we learn in remembered when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we get physically involved with the study process.

Learning is now available on CD and DVD discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Using video-streaming, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to do something, and then practice yourself – in an interactive lab. It’s imperative to see some example materials from any company that you may want to train through. Be sure that they contain full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

Often, companies will only use just online versions of their training packages; and although this is okay the majority of the time, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. A safer solution is the provision of CD and DVD ROM materials which don’t suffer from these broadband issues.

A valuable training program will undoubtedly have fully authorised exam preparation packages. Avoid depending on non-official exam preparation questions. The type of questions asked is often somewhat different – and this could lead to potential problems in the actual examination. Be sure to ask for testing modules so you can test your knowledge at any point. Practice exams help to build your confidence – then you’re much more at ease with the real thing.

Don’t forget: the actual training or a certification is not what you’re looking for; a job that you want to end up in is. A lot of colleges seem to completely prioritise the certificate itself. Never let yourself become one of those unfortunate students who select a program which looks like it could be fun – only to end up with a qualification for a job they hate.

Get to grips with earning potential and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. Sometimes, this affects which certifications you’ll need to attain and what’ll be expected of you in your new role. Obtain help from an industry professional who ‘gets’ the commercial realities of the area you’re interested in, and will be able to provide ‘A typical day in the life of’ understanding of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking with each working day. It’s sensible to understand whether or not this is right for you before you start on any retraining programme. There’s little point in starting to train only to find you’ve taken the wrong route.

Looking at the myriad of choice out there, does it really shock us that a large percentage of trainees don’t really understand the best career path they could be successful with. Scanning a list of IT 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 what chance do we have in understanding the subtleties of a new IT role. Often, the key to unlocking this question in the best manner stems from a thorough talk over some important points:

* Personality plays a significant part – what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the areas that you really dislike.

* What time-frame are you looking at for your training?

* What scale of importance is the salary – is it of prime importance, or is job satisfaction a little higher on the priority-scale?

* Considering the huge variation that Information Technology covers, you really need to be able to take in the differences.

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

For most people, getting to the bottom of all these ideas needs a long talk with a professional who can investigate each area with you. And we don’t just mean the certifications – but also the commercial expectations and needs besides.

We need to make this very clear: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 instructor support. You will have so many problems later if you let this one slide. Many only provide email support (too slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will make some notes and then email an advisor – who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This is not a lot of use if you’re stuck with a particular problem and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.

We recommend looking for colleges that utilise many support facilities active in different time-zones. These should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access together with round-the-clock access, when you need it, without any problems. Don’t under any circumstances take a lower level of service. Online 24×7 support is the only way to go for technical courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re at work while the support is live.

The CompTIA A+ course comprises of 4 specialised sectors – the requirement is exam passes in 2 specialities to be considered A+ competent. This is why, most colleges only offer two of the training options. We think this is selling you short – certainly you’ll have the qualification, but knowledge of every section will give you greater confidence in industry, where knowledge of all four will be necessary. That’s the reason why you deserve training in all 4 specialities.

A+ computer training courses cover fault-finding and diagnostics – both remote access and hands-on, in addition to building, fixing, repairing and working in antistatic conditions. You may also want to think about doing Network+ as you can then also work with networks, which is where the bigger salaries are.

Usually, your normal student doesn’t know where to start with IT, or even which area to focus their retraining program on. Since without any solid background in the IT industry, how can most of us be expected to understand what anyone doing a particular job actually does? To get through to the essence of this, a discussion is necessary, covering several definitive areas:

* Your hobbies and interests – often these point towards what things will provide a happy working life.

* For what reasons you’re moving into computing – it could be you’re looking to overcome a long-held goal such as working for yourself maybe.

* Does salary have a higher place on your wish list than some other areas.

* Looking at the many markets that the IT industry encompasses, you’ll need to be able to see what’s different.

* It makes sense to understand the differences across the myriad of training options.

The best way to avoid the industry jargon, and uncover the most viable option for your success, have an informal chat with an industry-experienced advisor; a person who will cover the commercial realities and truth while explaining the accreditations.

Review the following facts carefully if you believe the marketing blurb about ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:

You’re paying for it ultimately. One thing’s for sure – it isn’t free – it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole. It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Going for exams in order and funding them one at a time makes it far more likely you’ll pass first time – you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.

Don’t you think it’s more sensible to go for the best offer when you take the exam, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to a training college, and also to sit exams more locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying in advance for examinations (plus interest – if you’re financing your study) is a false economy. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with additional funds simply to help their cash-flow! A lot bank on the fact that you won’t get to do them all – so they don’t need to pay for them. You should fully understand that re-takes with organisations with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ inevitably are heavily regulated. You will be required to do mock exams until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.

Exam fees averaged approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don’t be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when common sense dictates that what’s really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you probably enjoy fairly practical work – the ‘hands-on’ individual. If you’re like us, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if books just don’t do it for you. Research has time and time again demonstrated that connecting physically with our study, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.

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 use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. You’ll definitely want a study material demo’ from the training company. You should ask for expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

It doesn’t make sense to opt for on-line only training. Because of the variable quality and reliability of all internet service providers, ensure that you have access to CD or DVD ROM based materials.

Most of us would love to think that our careers will remain secure and the future is protected, but the growing likelihood for most sectors throughout England at the moment is that there is no security anymore. Where there are rising skills shortfalls coupled with increasing demand however, we generally locate a newly emerging type of market-security; as fuelled by the constant growth conditions, organisations find it hard to locate the number of people required.

The computing Industry skills shortfall throughout the United Kingdom falls in at approx twenty six percent, as reported by the latest e-Skills analysis. It follows then that for each four job positions that exist in the computer industry, employers can only source trained staff for three of the four. This single notion alone clearly demonstrates why the country needs considerably more workers to get trained and enter the IT industry. Actually, acquiring professional IT skills as you progress through the years to come is probably the safest career move you’ll ever make.

Students often end up having issues because of a single courseware aspect which doesn’t even occur to them: The way the training is divided into chunks and delivered to your home. Delivery by courier of each element one piece at a time, taking into account your exam passes is how things will normally arrive. This sounds sensible, but you might like to consider this: What if you don’t finish every single exam? And what if the order provided doesn’t meet your requirements? Because of nothing that’s your fault, you may not meet the required timescales and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for.

In all honesty, the very best answer is to have a copy of their prescribed order of study, but get everything up-front. You then have everything in the event you don’t complete everything inside of their required time-scales.

Nice One! Hitting upon this feature suggests you’re thinking about your future, and if you’re considering retraining that means you’ve taken it further than almost everybody else. Did you know that a small minority of us consider ourselves contented at work – yet most will take no corrective action. We implore you to be different and make a start – you have the rest of your life to enjoy it.

On the subject of training, it’s essential to first define your requirements from the career you’re looking to get into. It’s important to discover if a new career would suit you better before your energies are focused on changing the direction of your life. Prudence suggests looking at the big picture first, to make an informed decision:

* Do you want to interact with other people? If so, do you want a team or are you hoping to meet new people? Maybe you’d rather be left alone to get on with things?

* Are you thinking carefully about which area you could be employed in? (With the economic downturn, it’s more important than ever to be selective.)

* When you’ve done all your re-training, would you like your skills to serve you till you retire?

* Do you have the assurance that the training program you’ve chosen is commercially viable, and will provide the facility to be employed up to the time you want to stop?

It’s important that your number one choice is the IT sector – it’s well known that it’s on the grow. It’s not full of geeky individuals gazing at their PC’s all day – we know those roles do exist, but most jobs are done by people like you and me who earn considerably more than most.

Including examinations with the course fee and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is a popular marketing tool with many training course providers. Consider the facts:

Of course it isn’t free – you’re still being charged for it – the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Students who enter their exams one by one, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They are aware of their spending and prepare more appropriately to make sure they’re ready.

Go for the best offer you can find when you take the exam, and hang on to your cash. You’ll then be able to select where you do the examinations – meaning you can choose a local testing centre. A lot of current training providers secure huge profits because they’re getting paid for exam fees early then hoping that you won’t take them all. Remember, in the majority of cases of ‘exam guarantees’ – they control when and how often you are allowed to do a re-take. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.

The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds last year through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when any student knows that what’s really needed is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

If an advisor doesn’t ask many questions – it’s more than likely they’re just a salesperson. If they’re pushing towards a particular product before understanding your background and current experience level, then it’s very likely to be the case. With a little work-based experience or some accreditation, your starting-point of learning is different from a beginner. If you’re a student commencing IT study from scratch, it can be helpful to start out slowly, starting with a user-skills course first. This can be built into most accreditation programs.

Many students think that the traditional school, college or university route is still the best way into IT. So why then is commercial certification becoming more in demand? With fees and living expenses for university students climbing ever higher, and the IT sector’s increasing awareness that corporate based study is closer to the mark commercially, we have seen a large rise in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA authorised training routes that create knowledgeable employees for much less time and money. Essentially, only required knowledge is taught. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the most important function is always to cover the precise skills needed (with some necessary background) – without trying to cram in every other area (as degree courses are known to do).

As long as an employer is aware what work they need doing, then all they have to do is advertise for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Vendor-based syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and do not vary between trainers (like academia frequently can and does).

Many individuals don’t catch on to what IT can do for us. It’s stimulating, innovative, and means you’re doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will affect us all over the next generation. We’ve only just begun to get an inclination of how technology is going to shape our lives. The internet will significantly alter the way we view and interact with the entire world over the coming years.

Let’s not forget that typical remuneration in IT across the UK is noticeably greater than remuneration packages in other industries, therefore you’ll be in a good position to receive much more as an IT specialist, than you’d expect to earn elsewhere. Due to the technological sector increasing year on year, it’s looking good that the requirement for qualified professionals will continue to boom for a good while yet.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’re quite practically minded – the ‘hands-on’ person. If you’re like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but you’d hate it. Consider interactive, multimedia study if learning from books is not your thing. Many studies have proved that we remember much more when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we put into practice what we’ve been studying.

Modern training can now be done at home via interactive discs. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll absorb the modules, one by one, via the demonstrations and explanations. Knowledge can then be tested by practicing and interacting with the software. Any company that you’re considering must be able to demonstrate a few samples of their courseware. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and many interactive sections.

It is generally unwise to choose training that is only available online. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across all internet service providers, you should always obtain disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).

The Microsoft MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) course is perfect for men and women looking to get into supporting networks. Whether you want to get going or already have knowledge but want to formalise that with an acknowledged certification, it’s possible to achieve your goals with the right training. For someone just entering the world of computers, it could be appropriate to pick up some skills ahead of getting involved in the first of the four Microsoft Certified Professional exams (MCP’s) that are required to achieve an MCSA. Look for a company that can create a bespoke package to suit you – one who will guide you to guarantee that you make the right choices.

We’re often asked why traditional academic studies are being replaced by more commercially accredited qualifications? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, industry has been required to move to the specialised training only available through the vendors themselves – for example companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. The training is effectively done by focusing on the particular skills that are needed (along with a proportionate degree of related knowledge,) as opposed to going into the heightened depths of background ‘extras’ that computer Science Degrees can get bogged down in – to pad out the syllabus.

Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. 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.

Frequently, a normal IT hopeful really has no clue in what direction to head in the IT industry, or even what area is worth considering for retraining. Therefore, if you’ve got no background in IT in the workplace, what chance is there for you to know what a particular IT employee actually does day-to-day? And of course decide on which certification program is the most likely for ultimate success. To get through to the essence of this, there should be a discussion of a number of core topics:

* Personality plays a major part – what things get your juices flowing, and what are the activities that put a frown on your face.

* Why it seems right starting in IT – is it to achieve a particular goal such as firing your boss and working for yourself maybe.

* The income requirements you may have?

* Learning what the main career roles and sectors are – plus how they’re different to each other.

* The time and energy you will set aside for the training program.

At the end of the day, the best way of understanding everything necessary is through an in-depth discussion with an advisor who understands the market well enough to lead you to the correct decision.

A typical blunder that students everywhere can make is to concentrate on the course itself, instead of focusing on the end result they want to achieve. Training academies are stacked to the hilt with unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – in place of something that could gain them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed. You may train for one year and then end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don’t make the mistake of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ course and then spend decades in something you don’t even enjoy!

Spend some time thinking about how much you want to earn and how ambitious you are. This will influence what certifications you’ll need to attain and what you can expect to give industry in return. We recommend that students seek guidance and advice from a professional advisor before making your final decision on a study path, so there’s no doubt that the content of a learning package provides the skills necessary.

A study programme must provide a properly recognised accreditation at the finale – and not some unimportant ‘in-house’ printed certificate to hang in your hallway. From an employer’s viewpoint, only the major heavyweights such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (as an example) give enough bang for your buck. Nothing else hits the mark.

A service offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. This is to help you get your first commercial position. Ultimately it’s not as hard as some people make out to get employment – as long as you’ve got the necessary skills and qualifications; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

You would ideally have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; and we’d encourage everybody to get their CV updated right at the beginning of their training – don’t delay until you’ve qualified. It’s possible that you won’t have even passed your first exam when you will get your initial junior support position; yet this won’t be the case if interviewers don’t get sight of your CV. If you’d like to get employment in your home town, then you may well find that a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service could be of more use than some national concern, due to the fact that they are much more inclined to be familiar with what’s available near you.

Various students, apparently, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of attempting to secure a good job. Introduce yourself… Do everything you can to put yourself out there. Don’t expect a job to just fall into your lap.

If you think Cisco training might be for you, and you haven’t worked with switches and routers, you should start with the Cisco CCNA qualification. This teaches you the knowledge you need to understand routers. The world wide web is built up of many routers, and big organisations with several locations also use them to allow their networks to keep in touch.

Successfully achieving this qualification will mean it’s likely you’ll end up working for national or international corporations that have several locations, but still need contact. The other possibility is working for internet service providers. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

You’ll need a tailored course that will systematically go through everything to make sure that you have comprehensive skills and abilities before embarking on the Cisco skills.

So, what are the questions we need to pose if we’d like to take onboard the understanding required? Because it’s apparent there are many fairly dazzling possibilities for us all to consider.

Ignore any salesman who just tells you what course you should do without a decent chat to better understand your current abilities and also your experience level. Make sure they can draw from a generous product range so they’re able to solve your training issues. An important point to note is that, if you’ve had any relevant accreditation or direct-experience, then you can sometimes expect to start at a different point than a student who’s starting from scratch. Consider starting with some basic PC skills training first. It will usually make the transition to higher-level learning a much easier going.

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.

The classroom style of learning we remember from school, involving piles of reference textbooks, is often a huge slog for most of us. If you’re nodding as you read this, find training programs which feature interactive and multimedia modules. Research has constantly verified that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Locate a program where you’ll receive a library of CD or DVD ROM’s – you’ll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, and be able to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. All companies should be able to show you some samples of the type of training materials they provide. You should hope for instructor-led videos and many interactive sections.

Many companies provide just online versions of their training packages; while you can get away with this much of the time, imagine the problems if your access to the internet is broken or you get a slow connection speed. A safer solution is the provision of DVD or CD discs that will not have these problems.

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?

In a perfect world, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning – so you’ll have them all to come back to in the future – at any time you choose. You can also vary the order in which you complete your exams as and when something more intuitive seems right for you.

Think about the following facts and pay great regard to them if you think that over-used sales technique about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

We all know that we’re still paying for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already in the overall figure from the college. It’s absolutely not free (it’s just marketing companies think we’ll fall for anything they say!) It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Taking your exams progressively one by one 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.

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 Prometric and VUE tests coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, 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. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but getting your first IT job is often made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it’s easy for companies marketing departments to overstate it’s need. Ultimately, the massive skills shortage in this country is why employers will be interested in you.

Work on polishing up your CV right away however (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don’t wait for when you’re ready to start work. Having the possibility of an interview is far better than not even being known about. Many junior support jobs are offered to people (who’ve only just left first base.) Actually, a specialist locally based employment service (who will get paid commission to place you) will be more pro-active than a sector of a centralised training facility. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with local industry and the area better.

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.

If earning a good living is around the top on your scale of wants, you will appreciate the fact that the average salary for most men and women in IT is a lot more than salaries in much of the rest of industry. The search for properly certified IT professionals is a fact of life for many years to come, due to the constant development in the technology industry and the vast shortage that we still have.

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 training companies, make sure you don’t use those that compromise their offerings by not providing the latest level of Microsoft development. This will only hamper the student because they’ll have been studying an out-of-date syllabus which doesn’t correspond to the present exams, so they’ll probably fail. A company’s mission statement must be based upon doing the very best they can for their clients, and everyone involved should have a passion for what they do. Studying isn’t simply about qualifications – the process must also include assisting you in working on the best action plan for your future.

Lately, do you find yourself questioning your job security? Normally, we only think of this after something dramatic happens to shake us. But in today’s marketplace, the reality is that our job security is a thing of the past, for all but the most lucky of us. In times of increasing skills deficits together with rising demand though, we generally locate a newly emerging type of security in the marketplace; driven by a continual growth, businesses just can’t get the influx of staff needed.

Taking the computer market as an example, the most recent e-Skills investigation showed major skills shortages in the UK of around 26 percent. To put it another way, this highlights that Great Britain only has 3 trained people for every 4 jobs in existence at the moment. Fully skilled and commercially accredited new staff are accordingly at a resounding premium, and in all likelihood it will stay that way for many years to come. For sure, now really is a critical time to train for Information Technology (IT).

How can we reach a good choice then? With such prospects, we’ll need to know where to be looking – and what to be looking for.

With so much choice, is it any wonder that nearly all career changers have no idea which career they will follow. Because in the absence of any previous experience in computing, how could any of us know what anyone doing a particular job actually does? Achieving a well-informed decision can only grow from a detailed investigation across many changing areas:

* What nature of individual you are – what kind of jobs you really enjoy, and on the other side of the coin – what makes you unhappy.

* For what reasons you’re getting involved with computing – it could be you’re looking to overcome a long-held goal such as being self-employed for instance.

* Is salary further up on your priority-list than other requirements.

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

* It’s wise to spend some time thinking about the amount of time and effort you’ll put into 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.

Fully interactive motion videos featuring instructor demo’s and practice lab’s will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And they’re far more fun. You’ll definitely want a look at some courseware examples from the school that you’re considering. The materials should incorporate expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and lab’s for you to practice your skills in.

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.

Considering how a program is ‘delivered’ to you can often be overlooked. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what sequence and do you have a say in when you’ll get each part? A release of your materials stage by stage, as you complete each module is the normal way of receiving your courseware. While seeming sensible, you might like to consider this: It’s not unusual for trainees to realise that their providers typical path to completion isn’t as suitable as another. They might find a slightly different order suits them better. And what if you don’t get to the end in the allotted time?

An ideal situation would be to have all the learning modules posted to your home before you even start; the entire package! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your capability of finishing.

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 sometimes offered as part of a training package – inevitably that means paying for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. Before you jump at guaranteed exams, 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.

Exams taken at local centres are approximately 112 pounds in this country. Why spend so much more on charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) – when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

You have to be sure that all your qualifications are commercially valid and current – don’t bother with programs which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you’d printed it yourself). From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (for instance) will get you into the interview seat. Anything less just doesn’t cut the mustard.

With hundreds of computer courses to be had, it can be difficult to find the right one. Choose one that matches up with your character and abilities, and one that is in demand in the working environment. If you’re thinking about upgrading your IT skill-set, perhaps with some Microsoft Office skills, or even becoming an IT professional, you have a choice of how to study.

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.

Massive developments are coming via technology over the next few decades – and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. We’ve only just begun to scrape the surface of how technology is going to shape our lives. Technology and the web will profoundly revolutionise how we see and interact with the world around us over the next few years.

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 make a good choice then? With such prospects, it’s important to know where to be looking – and of course, what to actually be looking for.

Beginning with the understanding that we have to choose the market that sounds most inviting first, before we can even mull over which training program meets that requirement, how can we choose the correct route? Consequently, if you don’t have any understanding of the IT industry, what chance is there for you to know what someone in a particular field does each day? Let alone arrive at what training route is the most likely for you to get there. To work through this, a discussion is necessary, covering a variety of core topics:

* What nature of person you reckon you are – which things you enjoy, and conversely – what makes you unhappy.

* Why you’re looking at getting involved with Information Technology – is it to achieve some personal goal like working from home for instance.

* Where is the salary on a scale of importance – is an increase your main motivator, or does job satisfaction rate further up on your priority-list?

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

* You need to understand what differentiates each individual training area.

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.

A lot of training companies will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Find a good quality service where you can receive help at any time of day or night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get access directly to professional tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – waiting for tutors to call you back when it’s convenient for them.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the very best companies which provide their students direct-access online support around the clock – even in the middle of the night. Unless you insist on online 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You may avoid using the support throughout the night, but you may need 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.

Top of the range study programs now offer self-contained CD or DVD materials. Through instructor-led video classes you’ll take everything in through their teaching and demonstrations. Then you test your knowledge by practicing and interacting with the software. Any company that you’re considering must be pushed to demo some samples of their training materials. You’re looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and interactive areas to practice in.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. 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 – and not be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

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?

An ideal situation would be to have all the learning modules packed off to you right at the start; every single thing! Then, nothing can hinder your capability of finishing.

One interesting way that training companies make extra profits is through up-front charges for exams and offering an exam guarantee. It looks impressive, until you think it through:

Everybody’s aware that they’re still paying for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already been included in the overall figure from the training company. It’s definitely not free – don’t think these companies are so generous with their money! We all want to pass first time. Going for exams one at a time and paying for them just before taking them has a marked effect on pass-rates – you take it seriously and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.

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.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is short-sighted – when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is actually the key to your success.

A service that several companies offer is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is designed to help you get your first commercial position. At the end of the day it isn’t so complicated as you might think to secure a job – assuming you’re well trained and qualified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you work on your old CV right away – not after you’ve qualified! Many junior support roles have been offered to students who’re still on their course and haven’t even passed a single exam yet. At least this will get you on your way. The best services to help you land that job are usually specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they have more incentive to get on with it.

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?

An all too common mistake that many potential students make is to concentrate on the course itself, and not focus on where they want to get to. Schools are stacked to the hilt with unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – instead of what would yield the job they want. It’s possible, in some situations, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a career that does nothing for you, as a consequence of not performing some quality research when it was needed – at the start.

You also need to know how you feel about earning potential and career progression, and if you’re ambitious or not. You should understand what the role will demand of you, which exams they want you to have and how to develop your experience. All students are advised to talk with an experienced industry professional before following a particular study programme. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the commercially required skills for the career path that has been chosen.

You have to be sure that all your exams are what employers want – don’t bother with programmes which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. From an employer’s perspective, only the major heavyweights like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco (as an example) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

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.

Locate a program where you’ll get a host of CD and DVD based materials – you’ll start with videos of instructor demonstrations, followed by the chance to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. It’s imperative to see examples of the study materials provided by the company you’re considering. You’ll want to see that they include instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. 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 – it’s not wise to be held hostage to a good broadband connection all 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.

Review the following points very carefully if you’re inclined to think the sales ploy of an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value:

Everybody’s aware that they’re still footing the bill for it – obviously it has been inserted into the gross price invoiced by the training company. Certainly, it’s not a freebie (it’s just marketing companies think we’ll fall for anything they say!) It’s well known in the industry that if a student pays for each examination, at the time of taking them, there’s a much better chance they’ll pass first time – because they’ll think of their investment in themselves and their application will be greater.

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.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is short-sighted – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will get 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.

The bottom line is: Authorised IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have – the title is a complete giveaway: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure’. Therefore companies can look at the particular needs they have and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

The world of information technology is amongst the most stimulating and innovative industries you could be involved with. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology is to do your bit in the gigantic changes shaping life over the next few decades. Technological changes and connections via the internet is going to spectacularly alter the direction of our lives over future years; remarkably so.

A average IT technician over this country as a whole can demonstrate that they earn significantly more money than equivalent professionals in other market sectors. Typical wages are hard to beat nationally. It’s no secret that there is a significant national requirement for professionally qualified IT workers. In addition, as the industry constantly develops, it appears this will be the case for a good while yet.