Any advisor who doesn't question you thoroughly - chances are they're just trying to sell you something. If they push a particular product before learning about your history and current experience level, then you know it's true. An important point to note is that, if you have some relevant work-experience or certification, then you can sometimes expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to a trainee with no history to speak of. If this is your first crack at an IT exam then you might also want to start out with a user-skills course first.

We'd all like to believe that our jobs will remain secure and our work prospects are protected, but the likely scenario for most sectors throughout the United Kingdom currently is that there is no security anymore. We could however reveal market-level security, by searching for areas of high demand, mixed with work-skill shortages.

Looking at the computer market, a recent e-Skills survey brought to light an over 26 percent shortage in trained professionals. Put directly, we can't properly place more than just 3 out of every four jobs in IT. This alarming fact reveals an urgent requirement for more appropriately accredited computer professionals around Great Britain. In reality, gaining new qualifications in IT over the coming years is likely the greatest career move you'll ever make.

Many trainees are under the impression that the school and FE college path is still the most effective. So why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it? The IT sector is now aware that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, the right accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is far more effective and specialised - and a fraction of the cost and time. Academic courses, for example, clog up the training with vast amounts of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. Students are then prevented from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Assuming a company knows what areas need to be serviced, then all it takes is an advert for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don't change between schools (as academic syllabuses often do).

Traditional teaching in classrooms, with books and manuals, is usually pretty hard going. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, find training programs which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. We see a huge improvement in memory retention when all our senses are brought into the mix - learning experts have been saying this for as long as we can remember.

Programs are now found in the form of CD and DVD ROM's, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you can watch instructors demonstrating how to perform the required skill, and then have a go at it yourself - in a virtual lab environment. You must ensure that you see courseware examples from the company you're considering. They have to utilise video, demonstrations and various interactive elements.

It's unwise to select online only courseware. With highly variable reliability and quality from most broadband providers, you should always obtain physical media such as CD or DVD ROM's.

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