If professional I.T. work is your ultimate goal, you could begin with training in I.T. Support work. To support staff using computer systems in the office, you're going to have to have a technical accreditation like the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician. A program of this nature typically takes roughly 100 hours of study time.

We come onto full IT professional career training courses at the following level. The most popular starting point for hardware support, networking and security jobs would be the 'CompTIA' A+ & Network+ certifications. Training will include hardware and networking installations at a basic level, plus elements of security, support & administration. A program teaching both of them ought to take about 200-250 hrs to complete. This suggests a person learning part time around a full-time job could feasibly be at the exam stage in six months' time.

Charging for examinations upfront then giving it 'Exam Guarantee' status is a common method with many training course providers. But look at the facts:

We all know that we're still footing the bill for it - obviously it has been added into the gross price invoiced by the college. It's certainly not free - don't think these companies are so generous with their money! If you want to pass first time, you must fund each exam as you take it, give it the priority it deserves and be ready for the task.

Don't pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you're ready, and avoid college mark-up fees. You'll then be able to select where you do your exams - so you can choose somewhere closer to home. A lot of so-called credible training course providers make a great deal of profit because they're charging for examinations upfront then banking on the fact that many won't be taken. Also, you should consider what an 'exam guarantee' really means. Most companies won't pay for re-takes until you're able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.

Prometric and VUE exams are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in the United Kingdom today. Why pay exorbitant charges for 'Exam Guarantees' (often hidden in the cost) - 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.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, involving piles of reference textbooks, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, check out study materials which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that long term memory is improved when all our senses are involved, and we get physically involved with the study process.

Fully interactive motion videos with demonstrations and practice sessions will beat books every time. And they're far more fun. Every company that you look at should be able to show you some simple examples of their training materials. You should hope for instructor-led videos and many interactive sections.

Plump for disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) whenever you can. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

Any program that you're going to undertake must provide a widely recognised exam as an end-result - and not a worthless 'in-house' diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting. All the major commercial players such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA have internationally renowned skills courses. These heavyweights can make sure you stand out at interview.

Microsoft Systems Home-Based Multimedia Certification Training >>