Well done! Hitting upon this feature suggests you’re thinking about your future, and if it’s re-training you’re considering you’ve already done more than almost everybody else. Did you know that hardly any of us describe ourselves as contented at work – but most will just put up with it. We encourage you to be different and move forward – you have the rest of your life to enjoy it.

Before you make decisions on any career courses, discuss your thoughts with an industry expert who can help you sort out which area will be right for you. Someone who can get to know your personality, and find out what types of work suit you:

* Do you like working on your own or is being in a team environment an important option?

* What do you require from the market sector you work in? (Things do change – look at the building trade, or banks for example.)

* Once you’ve trained, how many years work do anticipate working, and will the market sector offer you that opportunity?

* Are you concerned with regard to the chance of getting new work, and keeping a job until you plan to retire?

Prioritise Information Technology, that’s our best advice – unusually, it’s one of the growing market sectors in this country and overseas. Salaries are also more generous than most.

The perhaps intimidating chore of securing your first job is often made easier by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. Often, too much is made of this feature, as it’s relatively easy for well qualified and focused men and women to get a job in this industry – because there’s a great need for skilled employees.

Having said that, it’s important to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; also we would encourage any student to get their CV updated right at the beginning of their training – don’t put it off till you’ve finished your exams.

It’s not unusual to find that you’ll secure your first job whilst you’re still studying (occasionally right at the beginning). If your CV doesn’t show your latest training profile (and it’s not being looked at by employers) then you don’t stand a chance!

If you don’t want to travel too far to work, then you’ll often find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy may serve you better than the trainer’s recruitment division, for they’re going to be familiar with local employment needs.

To bottom line it, as long as you focus the same level of energy into securing your first IT position as into studying, you’re not going to hit many challenges. A number of students strangely spend hundreds of hours on their training and studies and then just stop once qualified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

Don’t get hung-up, as many people do, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

Don’t let yourself become one of the unfortunate masses who select a program that seems ‘fun’ or ‘interesting’ – and end up with a plaque on the wall for a career they’ll never really get any satisfaction from.

You must also consider your feelings on earning potential, career development, plus your level of ambition. It makes sense to understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what exams are required and where you’ll pick-up experience from.

Talk to an experienced industry advisor who understands the work you’re contemplating, and who can give you a detailed run-down of what you actually do in that role. Getting all these things right well before beginning a training course makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Starting with the idea that we have to locate the market that sounds most inviting first and foremost, before we’re able to chew over what method of training would meet that requirement, how do we decide on the right path?

How can we possibly grasp the tasks faced daily in an IT career if we’ve never been there? Often we have never met anyone who performs the role either.

Generally, the way to deal with this question appropriately flows from a deep discussion of a number of areas:

* What hobbies you have and enjoy – these can point towards what areas will give you the most reward.

* Why you’re looking at starting in Information Technology – it could be you’re looking to overcome a particular goal such as working for yourself maybe.

* What salary and timescale requirements you may have?

* Often, trainees don’t consider the work involved to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* It’s wise to spend some time thinking about the level of commitment you’ll put into your training.

In all honesty, it’s obvious that the only real way to research these issues will be via a meeting with someone that understands Information Technology (as well as it’s commercial needs and requirements.)

Watch out that all accreditations you’re considering doing will be commercially viable and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment.

From a commercial standpoint, only top businesses such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (as an example) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else makes the grade.

(C) 2009. Visit LearningLolly.com for excellent information on Wireless Networking Training and Happy Birthday Internet.

There are four specialist areas of training in a full CompTIA A+ program; you’re seen as an A+ achiever when you’ve passed the test for half of them. This is the reason that it’s usual for colleges to limit themselves to 2 study areas. The truth is it’s necessary to have the information on each subject as industry will demand knowledge and skills of the whole A+ program. It’s not essential to complete all 4 certifications, but we would recommend you take tutorials in all 4 subjects.

If you decide to become a student on the A+ training program you’ll become familiar with how to build and repair PC’s and operate in antistatic conditions. You’ll also cover fault-finding and diagnostic techniques, both remotely and via direct access.

If you would like to be the kind of individual who works in a multi-faceted environment – supporting, fixing and maintaining networks, you’ll need to add CompTIA Network+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft in order to have a deeper understanding of the way networks work.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always 24×7 round-the-clock support through dedicated instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.

Never purchase certification programs which can only support trainees with a call-centre messaging service after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Training schools will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. But, no matter how they put it – you want to be supported when you need the help – not when it suits them.

Top training companies incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. By utilising an interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, at any time you choose, help is just seconds away, without any problems or delays.

Never make do with less than you need and deserve. 24×7 support is the only viable option when it comes to technical training. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for the majority of us however, we’re at work when traditional support if offered.

So, why might we choose commercial certification and not familiar academic qualifications taught at tech’ colleges and universities?

Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, the right accreditation from such organisations as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA most often has much more specialised relevance – saving time and money.

Typically, only that which is required is learned. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (with some necessary background) – without going into too much detail in every other area – in the way that academic establishments often do.

It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. Companies need only to know what they’re looking for, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.

Watch out that all qualifications you’re considering doing will be commercially viable and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless.

Only fully recognised examinations from the top companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe and Cisco will have any meaning to employers.

It’s essential to have accredited simulation materials and an exam preparation system as part of your training package.

Often students can be thrown off course by practising exam questions that aren’t recognised by official boards. Often, the phraseology is startlingly different and you need to be ready for this.

It’s a good idea to have some simulated exam questions so you can check your understanding at any point. Practice exams will help to boost your attitude – then the real thing isn’t quite as scary.

(C) Jason Kendall. Pop to www.mcse-uk.co.uk for smart information on Microsoft Networking Careers & Computer Courses.