If you're seeking Microsoft authorised training, you will no doubt be hoping for training providers to provide a wide range of the most superior courses currently available. Try to shortlist your ideas with somebody who knows about the requirements in the workplace, and will help you select the most fruitful career to suit your abilities and character. When you've settled on the job you'd like to get into, an appropriate course has to be chosen that's goes with your skills and abilities. Make sure it's well designed for you.

Looking at the myriad of choice out there, does it really shock us that a large majority of trainees get stuck choosing the job they could be successful with. Perusing long lists of different and confusing job titles is no use whatsoever. The vast majority of us don't even know what our own family members do for a living - so we're in the dark as to the ins and outs of any specific IT role. Contemplation on these areas is imperative when you need to expose the right answers:

* Which type of individual you are - what tasks do you really enjoy, and on the other side of the coin - what don't you like doing.

* What is the time-frame for the retraining?

* Where do you stand on travelling time and locality vs salary?

* Getting to grips with what typical career roles and sectors are - plus how they're different to each other.

* The level of commitment and effort you'll commit your training.

To completely side-step the barrage of jargon, and find what'll really work for you, have an informal meeting with an industry expert and advisor; someone who will cover the commercial realities and truth while explaining each certification.

Several companies offer a Job Placement Assistance service, to assist your search for your first position. With the massive skills shortage in the UK at the moment, there isn't a great need to make too much of this option though. It's not as difficult as you may be led to believe to secure a job once you're well trained and qualified.

One important thing though, don't procrastinate and wait until you've passed your final exams before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start a course, list what you're working on and tell people about it! Being considered a 'maybe' is better than being rejected. Often junior support roles are given to trainees (sometimes when they've only just got going.) The best services to help you find a job are usually specialist locally based employment services. As they will get paid by the employer when they've placed you, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

A good number of students, it would appear, conscientiously work through their course materials (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to trying to get a good job. Sell yourself... Do everything you can to get yourself known. A job isn't just going to bump into you.

Far too many companies only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and avoid focusing on the reasons for getting there - getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with where you want to get to - too many people focus on the journey. It's a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but thousands of new students start out on programs that sound amazing in the prospectus, but which provides the end-result of a job that doesn't satisfy. Talk to many college leavers for examples.

You also need to know your feelings on earning potential, career development, plus your level of ambition. You should understand what (if any) sacrifices you'll need to make for a particular role, which exams are required and where you'll pick-up experience from. Seek help from a professional advisor that 'gets' the commercial realities of the area you're interested in, and will be able to provide 'A day in the life of' synopsis of what duties you'll be performing during your working week. It makes good sense to understand whether or not this is right for you well before the training program is started. What's the point in beginning your training and then find you've gone the wrong way entirely.

Every program under consideration has to build towards a widely recognised accreditation as an end-result - definitely not some 'in-house' diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting. From an employer's viewpoint, only the top companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (for instance) will open the right doors. Anything less won't make the grade.

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