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For those interested in joining a web design team, Adobe Dreamweaver is an absolute must to gain professional credentials that are recognised around the world. The complete Adobe Web Creative Suite should also be learned in-depth. Doing this will familiarise you in Flash and Action Script, (and more), and will prepare you for the Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) or an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) qualification.

Constructing a website is only the start of the learning required by professional web masters today. Why not only accept a course that incorporates subjects such as PHP, HTML and MySQL to enable you to appreciate how to create traffic, maintain content and program dynamic sites that are database driven.

Some commercial training providers will only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Don’t accept study programmes that only provide support to students via a call-centre messaging service outside of normal office hours. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. But, no matter how they put it - you need support when you need support - not when it suits them.

The most successful trainers utilise several support facilities across multiple time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, any time of the day or night, help is just seconds away, without any contact issues or hassle. Never compromise when you’re looking for the right support service. The majority of students that throw in the towel, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

When did you last consider your job security? For the majority of us, we only think of this after we get some bad news. However, the painful truth is that our job security is a thing of the past, for most of us. When we come across increasing skills deficits together with increasing demand though, we almost always find a fresh type of market-security; driven by a continual growth, employers are struggling to hire the influx of staff needed.

With the Information Technology (IT) industry for instance, a recent e-Skills investigation highlighted a skills gap in the UK around the 26 percent mark. Quite simply, we can only fill 3 out of 4 positions in IT. This alarming concept reveals the requirement for more appropriately certified Information Technology professionals across the United Kingdom. Undoubtedly, now really is a critical time to consider retraining into the IT industry.

Remember: the course itself or a certification is not what you’re looking for; the job or career that you want is. Many trainers unfortunately put too much weight in just the training course. It’s a sad fact, but the majority of trainees kick-off study that often sounds spectacular from the marketing materials, but which delivers a career that doesn’t satisfy. Try talking to typical university graduates for a real eye-opener.

You need to keep your eye on what you want to achieve, and formulate your training based on that - don’t do it the other way round. Stay focused on the end-goal and ensure that you’re training for a job that will keep you happy for many years. We recommend that students seek advice from an experienced industry advisor before making your final decision on some particular training path, so there’s little doubt that the content of a learning package provides the skill-set required for your career choice.

Commencing from the viewpoint that we have to locate the job we want to do first and foremost, before we’re able to contemplate which career training would meet that requirement, how are we supposed to find the correct route? As without any solid background in the IT industry, how can most of us know what any job actually involves? Consideration of the following areas is vital if you want to dig down the right answer for you:

* Your personality type and what you’re interested in - the sort of working tasks you love or hate.

* Are you looking to pull off a closely held dream - for example, being your own boss someday?

* The income needs that guide you?

* When taking into account all that the IT industry encapsulates, it’s important to be able to understand what is different.

* How much effort you will spend on the training program.

To cut through the industry jargon, and reveal the best path to success, have an in-depth discussion with an advisor with years of experience; an individual that appreciates and can explain the commercial realities and of course the certifications.

Massive developments are washing over technology over the next few decades - and it only gets more exciting every day. Technology, computers and connections through the internet will radically shape our lives in the future; overwhelmingly so.

The usual IT technician over this country as a whole has been shown to earn significantly more than equivalent professionals in much of the rest of the economy. Standard IT wages are hard to beat nationally. Apparently there’s no easing up for IT industry expansion in the UK. The industry is continuing to expand quickly, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it’s not likely that this will change significantly for decades to come.

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To become a proficient web designer qualified appropriately for the job market today, you should find training in Adobe Dreamweaver. The complete Adobe Web Creative Suite additionally should be understood in detail. This will introduce you to Action Script and Flash, (and more), and will prepare you for the Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) or Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) accreditation.

Creating the website is only the beginning of the skills needed though - to create traffic, maintain its content, and work with dynamic database-driven sites, you’ll be required to have other programming skills, for example HTML, PHP and MySQL. A good web designer will additionally develop a practical knowledge of E-Commerce and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Can job security really exist anywhere now? In the UK for instance, with businesses changing their mind on a whim, it certainly appears not. It’s possible though to locate market-level security, by looking for areas that have high demand, coupled with work-skill shortages.

The Information Technology (IT) skills shortage throughout Great Britain falls in at just over 26 percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills survey. Alternatively, you could say, this means that the UK can only find 3 certified professionals for each 4 positions that are available currently. This single notion alone underpins why Great Britain needs considerably more people to get into the IT sector. While the market is developing at such a quick pace, it’s unlikely there’s any better market worth considering for your new career.

Beginning from the idea that we have to home-in on the area of most interest first, before we can weigh up what training course meets that requirement, how do we know the correct route? How can we possibly grasp what is involved in a particular job when it’s an alien environment to us? Often we haven’t met someone who works in that sector anyway. To get through to the essence of this, we need to discuss many different aspects:

* The type of personality you have as well as your interests - what working tasks you love or hate.

* Why you want to consider starting in the IT industry - maybe you’d like to overcome some personal goal like self-employment maybe.

* What scale of importance is the salary - is it the most important thing, or do you place job satisfaction further up on your priority-list?

* Many students don’t properly consider the work expected to attain their desired level.

* It makes sense to take in what is different for the myriad of training options.

In actuality, you’ll find the only real way to seek advice on these issues is via a conversation with someone who understands the IT industry (and more importantly it’s commercial needs and requirements.)

An advisor that doesn’t ask many questions - the likelihood is they’re just a salesperson. If they push a particular product before looking at your personality and current experience level, then you know it’s true. Often, the training inception point for a trainee with experience can be largely dissimilar to the student with no experience. If this is your initial stab at IT study then you should consider whether to begin with a user-skills course first.

Getting your first commercial position can feel more straightforward if you’re offered a Job Placement Assistance program. The honest truth is that it isn’t a complex operation to get the right work - as long as you’re correctly trained and certified; employers in this country need your skills.

Nevertheless, don’t leave it until you’ve qualified before bringing your CV up to date. As soon as you start a course, list what you’re working on and place it on jobsites! Getting onto the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior jobs are offered to people who are still at an early stage in their studies. If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you may well find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy could serve you better than some national concern, because they are much more inclined to know what’s available near you.

Certainly make sure you don’t conscientiously work through your course materials, only to stop and leave it up to everyone else to secure your first position. Stop procrastinating and get out there. Put as much focus into finding the right position as you did to get trained.

It’s so important to understand this key point: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock professional support from mentors and instructors. You’ll severely regret it if you let this one slide. Email support is too slow, and phone support is often to a call-centre who will take the information and email an instructor - who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, when it suits them. This is no good if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and can only study at specific times.

Keep your eyes open for training schools that have multiple support offices active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to give a single entry point as well as 24 hours-a-day access, when you need it, with no hassle. Find a trainer that cares. Only proper 24×7 round-the-clock live support truly delivers for technical programs.

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In today’s high speed society, support workers who have the ability to solve problems with networks and PC’s, and give ongoing help to users, are hugely valuable in all sections of the business environment. Because of the daunting complexities of technology, growing numbers of IT professionals are needed to look after the various different areas we rely on.

We can see a myriad of jobs and positions available in Information Technology. Arriving at the correct choice for you often proves challenging. As in the absence of any commercial skills in the IT industry, how should we possibly understand what anyone doing a particular job actually does? Generally, the way to deal with this problem properly flows from a full conversation around several areas:

* Your personal interests and hobbies - these can show the possibilities will provide a happy working life.

* Why you want to consider stepping into IT - maybe you’d like to achieve some personal goal like working from home for example.

* The income needs you have?

* When taking into account all that Information Technology covers, it’s obvious you’ll need to be able to see what’s different.

* You will need to understand the differences across all the training areas.

Ultimately, your only chance of understanding everything necessary is from an in-depth discussion with an advisor who through years of experience will lead you to the correct decision.

We’re often asked why academic qualifications are being overtaken by more qualifications from the commercial sector? Key company training (in industry terminology) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry has become aware that this level of specialised understanding is essential to handle an increasingly more technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe are the key players in this arena. Clearly, a certain amount of closely linked detail must be taught, but core specialised knowledge in the required areas gives a vendor educated person a real head start.

Think about if you were the employer - and you needed to take on someone with a very particular skill-set. Which is the most straightforward: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from several applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which vocational skills they’ve acquired, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that specifically match what you’re looking for, and then choose your interviewees based around that. Your interviews are then about personal suitability - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

You should only consider retraining programmes which move onto commercially accepted certifications. There’s a plethora of minor schools proposing their own ‘in-house’ certificates that are essentially useless in today’s commercial market. All the major commercial players such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco all have internationally renowned skills programs. Huge conglomerates such as these will ensure your employability.

Look at the following points and pay great regard to them if you think that over-used sales technique about ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:

You’re paying for it by some means. One thing’s for sure - it isn’t free - it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole. Trainees who take each progressive exam, paying for them just before taking them are much more likely to pass. They’re aware of their spending and revise more thoroughly to be ready for the task.

Doesn’t it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you’re ready, not to pay any mark-up to the training college, and to do it in a local testing office - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying in advance for exam fees (plus interest - if you’re financing your study) is bad financial management. Don’t line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours only to please their Bank Manager! Many will hope you won’t get round to taking them - so they don’t need to pay for them. It’s worth noting that exam re-takes via organisations with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are monitored with tight restrictions. You will be required to do mock exams till you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is foolish - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and avoid focusing on the reasons for getting there - which is of course employment. You should always begin with where you want to get to - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. Never let yourself become part of that group who set off on a track that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ - only to end up with a qualification for a job they hate.

It’s well worth a long chat to see what expectations industry may have of you. Which particular certifications they’ll want you to gain and how to gain experience. Spend some time thinking about how far you’d like to go as it will often force you to choose a particular set of exams. We recommend that students always seek guidance and advice from a skilled advisor before making your final decision on some particular learning course, so there’s little doubt that the specific package will give the skills necessary.

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If you’re thinking about a future in supporting networks then the MCSA course would be right for you. So if you’re just about to get into IT or already have experience but no certificate, there’s a range of courses to suit your requirements. Each scenario should have a specialised course, so ensure you’ve got the correct program prior to spending your money. Search for a training company that takes the time to get to know what you’d like to do, and will give you direction on how it will all work, before they advise on a course.

One of the most important things to insist on has to be 24×7 round-the-clock support via expert mentors and instructors. 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. Look for training where you can receive help at all hours of the day and night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you’re constantly waiting for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers who provide their students direct-access online support 24×7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. Unless you insist on 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. You may not need it during late nights, but what about weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Some training academies still use the slightly musty old method of classroom attendance. Often sold as a benefit, following a chat with most students who’ve had to attend a couple, you’ll find them listing some or all of the following problems:

* A lot of journeys to the workshops - often hundreds of miles.

* Accessibility to workshops; often Mon-Fri and two or three days in a row. This can be difficult to get the work-leave.

* The majority of us discover 4 weeks holiday each year is not really enough. Take away over half of it for study days and see your problems doubled.

* ‘In-Centre’ workshop days sometimes are over-subscribed, so we end up having to take something that we don’t really want.

* Tension can run high in mixed classes as different students want to work at different paces.

* Take into account all of all the travel, fares, accommodation, food and parking and you’ll be in for a big surprise. Students have reported extra costs of between several hundred and a couple of thousand pounds. Work it out - and understand where they’re coming from.

* Do you really want any chance of being passed-over for a lift up the ladder or wage increases just because you’re retraining.

* It’s really not that uncommon for attendees not to pose the question that’s bugging them - simply due to the reason that they’re amongst other classmates.

* If your work takes you away from home, it’s apparent that workshops are now awkward to keep up - unfortunately however, they’ve already been paid for.

It obviously makes much more sense to study when it suits you — not the training company - and utilise virtual lab environments with videos of your instructors. Whenever you experience difficulties, logon to the 24×7 support facility (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) Keep in mind, if you have a laptop, you can study just about anywhere. No matter how regularly you would like to re-take a quiz or test, video-based teachers aren’t ever likely to rush you! And remember, as a consequence, there’s no need to take notes. It’s already there for you. Quite simply: Time and money is saved, you have reduced hassle and you avoid polluting the skies.

At times folks don’t really get what information technology is about. It is stimulating, innovative, and puts you at the fore-front of developments in technology that will change our world over the next few decades. We’ve only just begun to see just how technology will influence everything we do. Computers and the web will profoundly revolutionise how we regard and interact with the entire world over the coming years.

And keep in mind that on average, the income of a person in the IT industry throughout this country is much more than the national average salary, so you’ll more than likely gain much more once qualified in IT, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. There is a substantial UK-wide demand for professionally qualified IT workers. And as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it appears there’s going to be for years to come.

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What kind of things do you expect the finest Microsoft accredited suppliers to give a student in the United Kingdom at present? Clearly, the ultimate in Microsoft authorised training routes, supplying a selection of courses to lead you into a selection of professions with IT. Perhaps you’d want to be given advice on the types of jobs available to you when you’ve finished studying, and what sort of person those jobs might be right for. The majority of students like to discuss what would suit them individually. Training must be tailored to make the most of your skills and abilities. So, once you’ve decided on the most fruitful career for you, you’ll then need to look at what is the most suitable program to see you into your career.

Commencing with the idea that it’s necessary to find the job we want to do first, before we can even mull over which development program fulfils our needs, how can we choose the way that suits us? Reading long lists of different and confusing job titles is no use whatsoever. Surely, most of us have no concept what the neighbours do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the complexities of a particular IT career. Getting to an informed decision really only appears through a meticulous examination covering many shifting factors:

* What hobbies you’re involved with in your spare-time - these can define what areas will provide a happy working life.

* Why you’re looking at getting involved with the IT industry - it could be you’re looking to overcome a life-long goal such as being self-employed for example.

* Does salary have a higher place on your list of priorities than other requirements.

* Looking at the many markets that Information Technology encapsulates, you’ll need to be able to understand the differences.

* Our advice is to think deeply about the amount of time and effort you’ll put into your training.

When all is said and done, the best way of investigating all this is by means of a meeting with an advisor who understands the market well enough to give you the information required.

Each programme of learning must provide a properly recognised certification as an end-result - and not some unimportant ‘in-house’ piece of paper. Unless the accreditation comes from a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then chances are it will have been a waste of time - because no-one will recognise it.

Validated exam preparation and simulation materials are a must - and must be offered by your training supplier. Avoid depending on unofficial exam preparation questions. The way they’re phrased is sometimes startlingly different - and this could lead to potential problems once in the actual exam. It’s a good idea to request some practice exams so you can test your comprehension at any point. Simulations of exams log the information in your brain - then you’re much more at ease with the real thing.

Often, people don’t comprehend what information technology is about. It’s stimulating, innovative, and means you’re a part of the huge progress of technology that will affect us all over the next generation. Technological changes and dialogue on the internet will noticeably change our lifestyles in the near future; overwhelmingly so.

Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored either - the typical remuneration in the United Kingdom for an average IT worker is much greater than remuneration packages in other sectors. It’s a good bet that you’ll earn quite a bit more than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries. It’s no secret that there is a great country-wide demand for certified IT specialists. In addition, with the marketplace continuing to expand, it is likely this pattern will continue for the significant future.

We’re often asked why traditional degrees are being replaced by more commercial certificates? Industry is of the opinion that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, certified accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance - at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Higher education courses, for example, become confusing because of vast amounts of background study - and a syllabus that’s too generalised. Students are then prevented from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

Assuming a company is aware what work they need doing, then they simply need to advertise for the particular skill-set required. Vendor-based syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and can’t change from one establishment to the next (in the way that degree courses can).

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If it’s Cisco training you’re after, but you’re new to working with routers, the chances are your first course should be the Cisco CCNA qualification. This educates you in the knowledge you need to understand routers. The internet is constructed from huge numbers of routers, and large companies with multiple departments and sites also rely on them to allow their networks of computers to communicate.

Getting this certification will mean it’s likely you’ll end up working for large commercial ventures that are spread out geographically, but still want internal communication. Other usual roles could be with an internet service provider. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

Find a bespoke training program that will take you through a specific training path to make sure that you have comprehensive skills and knowledge prior to embarking on the Cisco skills.

Some training companies are still using a now out-dated method of training - classroom days. Usually touted as a major benefit, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, you’ll find them listing some or all of these:

* A lot of driving back and forth from the training centre - sometimes quite a distance away.

* If you’re working, then Monday to Friday workshops cause problems at work. Typically you are facing 2-3 days at a time as well.

* Lost annual leave - the majority of working people get just four weeks holiday each year. If you use up half of that with educational days, you haven’t got a great deal of holiday time remaining for students and their families.

* Classes usually become quickly full, leaving us with the ‘2nd best’ solution.

* You may prefer to move at a somewhat more suitable pace - rather than be dictated to by the rest of the class. Sometimes this causes a lot of tension amongst the class.

* A lot of trainees report that the (not inconsiderable) costs of travelling back and forth to the training venue and paying for food and accommodation gets very expensive.

* Most students want their training to remain private thus avoiding all come-back in their work.

* Asking questions in front of other class-mates often makes us feel uncomfortable. Surely, at some point, you’ve avoided asking a question just because you didn’t want to look foolish?

* Working and living away - a fair few attendees need to live or work somewhere else for certain parts of their study. Days in-centre are hard to get to, yet the monies have already been handed over with your initial fees.

For a far more flexible approach, utilise ready-made, videoed classes in the comfort of your own home - and do it when it’s convenient to you - not some other person. Whenever you get stuck, use the provided 24×7 live support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Bear in mind, if you own a laptop, you could study in breaks at work. Just come back to any of the study units whenever you need to. And of course, you don’t have to make notes as you’ll have direct access to the instruction whenever you want to go back to it. Basically: You save time, hassle, money and avoid polluting the skies.

The market provides an excess of job availability in IT. Arriving at the correct choice for yourself is a mammoth decision. Working through a list of IT job-titles is a complete waste of time. Surely, most of us don’t even know what our own family members do for a living - so what chance do we have in understanding the intricacies of a particular IT career. Achieving any kind of right answer will only come through a meticulous study across many changing factors:

* Your individual personality and interests - what work-oriented areas please or frustrate you.

* For what reasons you’re starting in Information Technology - is it to conquer some personal goal like being self-employed for instance.

* What salary and timescale requirements that are important to you?

* Considering all that IT covers, it’s a requirement that you can understand the differences.

* Our advice is to think deeply about the level of commitment that you will set aside for your education.

For most people, considering each of these concepts will require meeting with a professional that knows what they’re talking about. And we don’t just mean the qualifications - but the commercial expectations and needs also.

We’re often asked why academic qualifications are now falling behind more commercial qualifications? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, industry has of necessity moved to the specialised core-skills learning only available through the vendors themselves - namely companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. Academic courses, for example, often get bogged down in a lot of background study - with a syllabus that’s far too wide. This prevents a student from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

Imagine if you were an employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from several applicants, trying to establish what they know and what commercial skills have been attained, or choose a specific set of accreditations that specifically match what you’re looking for, and then select who you want to interview from that. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of long discussions on technical suitability.

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People researching courses for the computer or IT industry will soon realise that there are a variety of courses available to them. In the first instance, look for a training provider with a team of advisors, so you can be fully informed on the job roles your training will prepare you for. Maybe you’ll find job roles you hadn’t previously thought of. Should you be thinking of improving your computer skills, maybe with some office user skills, or possibly becoming professionally qualified, you can choose from many training options.

Because there are such a lot of low cost, simple to follow training programs and help, you’re sure to find something that will get you to your destination.

Sometimes, people don’t really get what IT means. It’s ground-breaking, exciting, and means you’re doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We’ve barely started to see just how technology is going to shape our lives. Technology and the web will massively revolutionise the way we view and interrelate with the world around us over the next few years.

A regular IT worker over this country as a whole will also receive significantly more money than fellow workers in much of the rest of the economy. Average remuneration packages are around the top of national league tables. The search for properly certified IT professionals is guaranteed for the significant future, because of the constant expansion in the technology industry and the huge shortage still in existence.

Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If this is putting you off studying, go for more modern interactive training, where learning is video-based. Studies have consistently confirmed that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Programs are now found on CD and DVD discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you can watch instructors demonstrating how something is done, and then have a go at it yourself - with interactive lab sessions. It’s very important to see some example materials from any company that you may want to train through. You’ll want to see that they include video, demonstrations and various interactive elements.

It’s folly to choose training that is only available online. With highly variable reliability and quality from the ISP (internet service provider) market, you should always obtain CD or DVD ROM based materials.

An all too common mistake that many potential students make is to concentrate on the course itself, instead of focusing on the desired end-result. Training academies are brimming over with unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good - in place of something that could gain them an enjoyable career or job. It’s common, for instance, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a tiresome job role, as a consequence of not performing some decent due-diligence when you should’ve - at the outset.

Get to grips with earning potential and how ambitious you are. Usually, this will point the way to what precise accreditations will be expected and what you can expect to give industry in return. Your likely to need help from a professional that can best explain the industry you think may suit you, and will be able to provide ‘A day in the life of’ explanation for that career-path. These things are absolutely essential because you need to know if you’re going down the right road.

A sneaky way that training companies make a lot more is through up-front charges for exams then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status. This looks like a great idea for the student, until you think it through:

Obviously it isn’t free - you’re still coughing up for it - it’s just been included in your package price. It’s well known in the industry that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one after the other, they will be much more likely to pass first time - since they’re aware of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Shouldn’t you be looking to go for the best offer at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by a college, and to do it locally - instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call? A lot of extra profit is made by a number of companies that take the exam money up-front. For various reasons, many students don’t take their exams and so they pocket the rest. Believe it or not, providers exist who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass - so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Prometric and VUE exams are approximately 112 pounds in the UK. What’s the point of paying huge ‘Exam Guarantee’ fees (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Throw out a salesman who recommends a training program without a decent chat so as to understand your abilities as well as level of experience. Ensure that they have a generous array of training so they can give you an appropriate solution. With some commercial experience or certification, you may find that your starting point is not the same as someone new to the industry. Consider starting with some basic user skills first. This can help whip your basic knowledge into shape and make the learning curve a much easier going.