Should you be looking to gain acknowledged certifications at the MCSA study level, the latest courses around are based on CD and DVD ROM's using interactive training. So if you have a certain amount of knowledge but are ready to polish up your CV, or are new to network support, you'll discover technologically advanced MCSA training tracks to cater for you. To become certified at the MCSA level there are four MCP's (Microsoft Certified Professional exams) needed to be passed. If you're joining the industry for the first time, it's likely you'll have to improve your skill-set prior to studying for all four MCP's. Search for a training organisation with people who will find the ideal program for you and can match a course start point to your current skill set.

Does job security really exist anywhere now? In the UK for example, where industry can change its mind on a whim, it certainly appears not. Where there are increasing skills deficits and escalating demand though, we generally reveal a fresh type of market-security; driven by conditions of continuous growth, companies are struggling to hire enough staff.

A rather worrying United Kingdom e-Skills survey highlighted that twenty six percent of all IT positions available remain unfilled mainly due to a huge deficit of well-trained staff. Accordingly, out of each 4 positions existing in IT, companies can only find properly accredited workers for three of the four. Highly skilled and commercially grounded new workers are correspondingly at a resounding premium, and it's estimated to remain so for a long time to come. With the market developing at such a quick pace, is there any other sector worth considering as a retraining vehicle.

An all too common mistake that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, and take their eye off where they want to get to. Universities are brimming over with direction-less students that chose an 'interesting' course - instead of the program that would surely get them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed. Never let yourself become part of the group who select a program that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - and end up with a certification for an unrewarding career path.

It's well worth a long chat to see what expectations industry may have of you. What precise accreditations you'll be required to have and how you'll build your experience level. Spend some time thinking about how far you wish to progress your career as it may control your selection of certifications. Sense dictates that you take guidance from an experienced advisor before you begin a particular learning programme, so there's no doubt that a program provides the skills for the job being sought.

So, why should we consider qualifications from the commercial sector rather than traditional academic qualifications taught at schools and Further Education colleges? With university education costs spiralling out of control, plus the IT sector's recognition that accreditation-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there has been a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA based training courses that educate students for much less time and money. They do this by focusing on the particular skills that are needed (along with a relevant amount of background knowledge,) instead of spending months and years on the background non-specific minutiae that degree courses can often find themselves doing (because the syllabus is so wide).

The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - the title is a complete giveaway: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network'. Consequently employers can look at their needs and which qualifications are required to perform the job.

The classroom style of learning we remember from school, using textbooks and whiteboards, is often a huge slog for most of us. If you're nodding as you read this, look for learning programmes that are on-screen and interactive. Research over recent years has repeatedly verified that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Top of the range study programs now offer interactive discs. Through instructor-led video classes you'll absorb the modules, one by one, by way of the expert demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by practicing and interacting with the software. It would be silly not to view some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you hand over your cheque. You should expect instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

It's usually bad advice to go for purely on-line training. With highly variable reliability and quality from your average broadband company, make sure you get CD or DVD ROM based materials.

Technology and IT is amongst the most exciting and ground-breaking industries you could be involved with. Being up close and personal with technology is to be a part of the massive changes affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. We're at the dawn of beginning to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. The way we interact with the world will be inordinately affected by technology and the web.

A typical IT professional in the UK can demonstrate that they receive noticeably more than his or her counterpart in other market sectors. Mean average remuneration packages are amongst the highest in the country. Excitingly, there is no easing up for IT growth in the United Kingdom. The sector continues to grow enormously, and with the skills shortage of over 26 percent that we're experiencing, it's highly unlikely that this will change significantly for the significant future.