Anybody thinking about training for the computer industry will notice the number of diverse options on offer. Before embarking on a course, find a company with industry experts, so you can get information on the job roles your training program is designed for. Maybe you'll find jobs you didn't know about.

The range of courses is vast. Some re-trainers get started on Microsoft user skills, others want career skills such as courses on Web Design, Databases, Programming or Networking - and all can be catered for. But with this much choice, you don't have to decide alone. Why not talk to a company who has experience of the IT economy, and can help you arrive at the right destination.

By minimising their overheads, there are training providers today supplying up-to-the-minute courses with excellent training and mentoring for considerably less money than is expected from the old-style trainers.

Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, most definitely, starting to replace the traditional academic paths into the IT industry - why then should this be?

With the costs of academic degree's climbing ever higher, plus the IT sector's general opinion that accreditation-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, we've seen a great increase in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe certified training courses that provide key skills to an employee for much less time and money.

Academic courses, as a example, clog up the training with vast amounts of loosely associated study - and much too wide a syllabus. This holds a student back from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

The bottom line is: Recognised IT certifications let employers know exactly what you're capable of - the title says it all: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. Therefore an employer can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

We need to make this very clear: Always get full 24x7 instructor and mentor support. You will have so many problems later if you don't follow this rule rigidly.

Look for training where you can receive help at any time you choose (irrespective of whether it's the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you're constantly waiting for a call-back - probably during office hours.

Top training companies have many support offices around the globe in several time-zones. By utilising an interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, any time of the day or night, help is at hand, with no hassle or contact issues.

If you opt for less than 24x7 support, you'll regret it. You may avoid using the support during late nights, but what about weekends, late evenings or early mornings.

Every program under consideration must provide a commercially valid accreditation at the end - not a useless 'in-house' printed certificate to hang in your hallway.

If your certification doesn't come from a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then you'll probably find it will be commercially useless - because no-one will recognise it.

There are colossal changes coming via technology as we approach the second decade of the 21st century - and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year.

We've only just begun to scrape the surface of how technology will affect our lives in the future. Technology and the web will massively alter how we see and interrelate with the world around us over the years to come.

Always remember that the average salary in IT across the UK is considerably greater than average salaries nationally, therefore you will probably receive noticeably more in the IT sector, than you would in most typical jobs.

It's no secret that there is a substantial national need for certified IT specialists. It follows that with the marketplace continuing to expand, it looks like there's going to be for the significant future.