If we didn’t have a constant influx of well educated PC and network support workers, commercial enterprise in Great Britain (as elsewhere) would inevitably grind to a halt. We have a huge demand for technicians to support both users and the systems they work with. The need for larger numbers of skilled and qualified individuals grows, as human beings become vastly more reliant on PC’s in the modern world.

Reaching the most suitable career development option is hard enough – so where should we be looking and what sort of questions should we be asking?

Kick out a salesman that offers any particular course without a decent chat so as to understand your abilities and level of experience. They should be able to select from a large choice of training products so they’re actually equipped to give you an appropriate solution. Don’t forget, if you’ve got any work-experience or certification, then it’s not unreasonable to expect to commence studying further along than a student who’s starting from scratch. If this is going to be your initial effort at IT study then you might also want to begin with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first.

A study programme has to build towards a nationally (or globally) recognised exam as an end-result – not some little ‘in-house’ diploma – fit only for filing away and forgetting. If your certification doesn’t come from a major player like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then chances are it won’t be commercially viable – because no-one will recognise it.

Trainees looking at this market are usually quite practically-minded, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where you can learn everything on-screen. We see a huge improvement in memory retention when all our senses are brought into the mix – educational experts have expounded on this for years now.

Find a course where you’ll receive a library of DVD-ROM’s – you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, followed by the chance to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions. You must ensure that you see courseware examples from any company that you may want to train through. It’s essential they incorporate instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s.

It doesn’t make sense to choose training that is only available online. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across the ISP (internet service provider) market, you should always obtain CD or DVD ROM based materials.

A lot of commercial training providers will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Email support is too slow, and phone support is usually just a call-centre which will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you’re there), when it suits them. This is not a lot of use if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and can only study at specific times.

The best trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, any time of the day or night, there is always help at hand, without any contact issues or hassle. Don’t accept second best with the quality of your support. The vast majority of students who fall by the wayside, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

Adding in the cost of exam fees as an inclusive element of the package price then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status is popular with many training course providers. Consider the facts:

Thankfully, today we tend to be a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and the majority of us ought to realise that of course it is actually an additional cost to us – they’re not just being charitable and doling out freebies! Evidence shows that if students pay for each examination, one after the other, there’s a much better chance they’ll get through on the first attempt – since they’ll be conscious of the cost and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.

Do your exams somewhere local and go for the best offer you can find when you’re ready. Considerable numbers of current training course providers make big margins because they’re charging for exam fees early then hoping that you won’t take them all. It’s also worth noting that exam guarantees often have very little value. Many training companies won’t be prepared to pay again for an exam until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won’t fail again.

Prometric and VUE exams are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in Great Britain. Why spend so much more on ‘Exam Guarantee’ fees (most often hidden in the package) – 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.

Commercial certification is now, undoubtedly, taking over from the older academic routes into the industry – but why is this? With fees and living expenses for university students increasing year on year, alongside the industry’s recognition that vendor-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there’s been a great increase in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe accredited training routes that supply key solutions to a student for considerably less. Many degrees, for example, can often get caught up in a great deal of loosely associated study – and much too wide a syllabus. This holds a student back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

In simple terms: Accredited IT qualifications provide exactly what an employer needs – the title says it all: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network’. Therefore employers can identify just what their needs are and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

Working on the cutting-edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. Your actions are instrumental in shaping the next few decades. We’re only just starting to see just how technology will influence everything we do. Computers and the Internet will significantly change the way we view and interrelate with the world as a whole over the coming years.

And keep in mind that the average salary in the IT sector in Great Britain is a lot more than remuneration packages in other industries, so you will more than likely earn a lot more as a trained IT professional, than you’d get in most other industries. It’s no secret that there is a significant country-wide need for trained and qualified IT technicians. In addition, with the constant growth in the marketplace, it seems this will be the case for a good while yet.