Of Worlds

People researching courses for the computer or IT industry will soon realise that there are a huge amount of choices on offer. In the first instance, find a training company with industry experts, so you can be educated on the jobs your new knowledge will help you to get. You could uncover career paths you hadn’t previously thought of. If you’re thinking about advancing your technological abilities, maybe with some office user skills, or even loftier ambitions, you have lots of courses to choose from.

State-of-the-art training techniques currently give students the chance to be educated on an interactive course, that is far less expensive than old-style courses. The economies of scale of the new courses puts them within everyone’s reach.

It’s clear nowadays: There’s absolutely no individual job security anymore; there’s really only market or business security - any company is likely to fire a solitary member of staff if it meets their commercial interests. In actuality, security now only emerges through a rapidly increasing marketplace, fuelled by a shortage of trained workers. It’s this shortage that creates the right setting for a secure marketplace - a much more desirable situation.

The computing Industry skills shortfall around Great Britain clocks in at approximately 26 percent, as shown by the 2006 e-Skills study. Showing that for every four jobs that exist throughout computing, we have only 3 certified professionals to do them. Accomplishing the appropriate commercial computing accreditation is correspondingly a quick route to realise a long-term as well as worthwhile living. As the Information Technology market is expanding at such a speed, is there any other area of industry worth looking at for a new career.

Without a doubt, the computing market provides outstanding prospects. But, to arm ourselves with the correct information, what kind of questions should we ask, and what are the most important factors?

Frequently, a typical IT hopeful has no idea where to start with Information Technology, or even what sector they should be considering getting trained in. Scanning lists of IT career possibilities is a complete waste of time. Most of us don’t really appreciate what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so we’re in the dark as to the ins and outs of a particular IT career. Contemplation on many areas is imperative when you need to uncover the right answers:

* What nature of individual you consider yourself to be - which things you enjoy doing, and on the other side of the coin - what you hate to do.

* Do you want to get certified because of a specific motive - e.g. is it your goal to work based at home (self-employment?)?

* Is your income higher on your list of priorities than other factors.

* Always think in-depth about the time expected to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* You will need to take in what is different for each individual training area.

In all honesty, you’ll find the only real way to gain help on these matters is via a conversation with an experienced advisor who understands computing (and more importantly it’s commercial needs.)

Usually, trainers will provide a bunch of books and manuals. This can be very boring and isn’t the best way to go about taking things in. Our ability to remember is increased when all our senses are brought into the mix - learning experts have been saying this for decades now.

Interactive full motion video featuring instructor demo’s and practice lab’s beat books hands-down. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. Don’t take any chances and look at examples of the courseware provided before you make your decision. The minimum you should expect would be instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.

You should avoid purely online training. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where available, enabling them to be used at your convenience - and not be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

It’s quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on something of absolutely vital importance - the way their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the courseware sections, and into what particular chunks. Typically, you will join a program requiring 1-3 years study and receive a module at a time. This sounds logical on one level, until you consider this: Often, the staged breakdown insisted on by the company won’t suit you. It may be difficult to get through every element inside of their particular timetable?

Put simply, the perfect answer is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but get all the study materials at the start. You’re then in possession of everything should you not complete it as fast as they’d like.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always 24×7 round-the-clock support through trained professional instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Try and find training with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want direct access to tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down - constantly waiting for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.

We recommend that you search for training schools that incorporate three or four individual support centres around the globe in several time-zones. These should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access and also 24×7 access, when you want it, with no hassle. Never settle for less than this. Support round-the-clock is the only viable option with IT learning. Maybe burning the midnight-oil is not your thing; but for most of us, we’re at work during the provided support period.

Consider the following facts very carefully if you believe the marketing blurb about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

Patently it’s not free - you’re still paying for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. The fact is that when students fund their own exams, one by one, they will be much more likely to pass first time - as they are conscious of their payment and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Do the examinations as locally as possible and find the best deal for you at the time. Considerable numbers of questionable training course providers net huge amounts of money because they’re asking for exams at the start of the course and banking on the fact that many won’t be taken. You should fully understand that re-takes via companies with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. They’ll insist that you take mock exams first till you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass.

On average, exams cost approximately 112 pounds last year when taken at VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when any student knows that the best guarantee is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

All programs you’re considering should always lead to a fully recognised major exam as an end-goal - definitely not some ‘in-house’ piece of paper. All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA each have internationally renowned skills programmes. These big-hitters will make sure you’re employable.

The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator course is a great basis for men and women looking to get into network support. So if you’re just about to join the IT industry or already have knowledge but need to improve your CV with a recognised qualification, it’s possible to achieve your goals with the right training. If you want to get into the world of computers and this is your first experience, you’ll probably need to pick up some skills before tackling the 4 Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exams required to achieve MCSA certification. Search for a training organisation that’s willing to create an ideal program to suit your needs - you should be able to discuss this with an advisor to analyse the most suitable direction for you.

Seeing as the computing industry grants some marvellous job possibilities for everyone - what questions do we need to raise and what factors carry the most importance?

Of course: the training itself or a qualification is not what you’re looking for; the career that you want is. A lot of colleges seem to over-emphasise the qualification itself. Students often train for a single year but end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of opting for what may seem to be an ‘interesting’ course only to spend 20 years doing a job you hate!

Set targets for the income level you aspire to and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. This can often control what precise qualifications you’ll need to attain and what you can expect to give industry in return. Chat with an industry professional who knows about the sector you’re looking at, and who can give you a detailed description of the kind of things you’ll be doing on a daily basis. Getting all these things right before starting out on a study course makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 professional support from mentors and instructors. You will have so many problems later if you don’t follow this rule rigidly. Beware of institutions which use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ - with the call-back coming in during office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

Top training providers provide an online access round-the-clock facility combining multiple support operations across the globe. You will be provided with a simple environment which switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres at any time of day or night: Support when you need it. If you fail to get yourself direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You might not want to use the service during late nights, but consider weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

Students who consider this area of study can be very practical by nature, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and slogging through piles of books. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where you can learn everything on-screen. Where we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then we normally see dramatically better results.

Interactive full motion video featuring instructor demo’s and practice lab’s will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you’ll actually enjoy doing them. You’ll definitely want a look at some courseware examples from the training company. The package should contain expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and lab’s for you to practice your skills in.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where possible, enabling them to be used at your convenience - ISP quality varies, so you don’t want to be totally reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.

‘In-Centre’ days can be offered as a great feature by many training schools. When you chat with many computer industry students who’ve attended a few, you’ll likely realise that they’ve now become a difficulty to be ‘got round’ because of many things:

* Repeated visits to the centre - quite a distance away in more cases than not.

* If you work for a living, then weekday workshops cause problems at work. Typically you are facing at least 2, if not 3 days in a row.

* Holiday days lost - a lot of working people are given only twenty days of leave annually. If you use up half of that with educational events, that isn’t going to leave much vacation time for the family as a whole.

* ‘In-Centre’ workshop days usually end up too big.

* Often trainees hope to push through at quite a pace, but some like to take it easier and not be forced to adopt an uncomfortable speed for them. This will often generate tension and difficulty on many workshops.

* Rising travel prices - driving or taking public transport to and from the training centre and of course accommodation for the duration can start to get expensive with each visit. Assuming just an average of 5 to 10 centre-days costing around 35 pounds for a single over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15 pounds for food, we arrive at four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs on top.

* Do you really want any chance of being ignored for potential advancement or wage increases because of your studies.

* It’s quite usual for trainees not to put a question forward that they would like answered - just down to the fact that they’re amongst other classmates.

* You should remember, workshops are nigh on impossible to attend, where you live or work away from home for part of your week or month.

Doesn’t it make so much more sense to learn at a time that’s convenient for you - not the school - and use instructor-led videos with interactive lab’s. You can study from home on your desktop computer or why not in the garden on a laptop. Any questions that pop up, just utilise the 24×7 Support (that should come with any technical program.) It doesn’t matter how regularly you have to re-cover a topic, filmed tutors aren’t ever likely to rush you! And don’t forget, in this situation, you can say goodbye to note-taking. Everything’s laid out there for you to use. What could be more straightforward: You avoid travelling and wasting time and money; and you’ve got a much more peaceful study setting.

Massive developments are washing over technology over the next generation - and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. Many people are of the opinion that the revolution in technology we’ve had over recent years is lowering its pace. All indicators point in the opposite direction. We have yet to experience incredible advances, and most especially the internet is going to dominate how we conduct our lives.

The average IT employee across the UK will also receive noticeably more than equivalent professionals in another industry. Average salaries are some of the best to be had nationwide. It would appear there is not a hint of a downturn for IT sector increases throughout this country. The industry is still growing quickly, and as we have a skills gap that means we only typically have three IT workers for every four jobs it’s most unlikely that there’ll be any kind of easing off for decades to come.

What might you expect the most superior Microsoft accredited suppliers to provide a trainee in the UK today? Obviously, the most supreme Gold Partner Microsoft accredited programs, presenting a selection of courses to take you into a selection of professions with IT. Perhaps you’d like to talk to industry experts, who can give you some ideas on what sort of job would suit you, and the kind of tasks that are suitable for somebody with your character and ability. Training programs should be put together to match your current skills and aptitude. Consequently, after working out the right IT job for you, your next requirement is the most suitable program that will equip you for the role.

The world of information technology is amongst the most stimulating and innovative industries you could be involved with. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology is to do your bit in the gigantic changes affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. We’re only just starting to get a feel for how technology will affect our lives in the future. Computers and the web will massively alter how we regard and interrelate with the rest of the world over the years to come.

And keep in mind that the average salary in IT in the United Kingdom is considerably more than average salaries nationally, which means you’ll be in a good position to receive a lot more once qualified in IT, than you’d expect to earn elsewhere. It’s evident that we have a significant nationwide requirement for trained and qualified IT technicians. And as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it seems there’s going to be for years to come.

It’s indisputable, the computer industry promises marvellous opportunities. But, to investigate fully, what questions do we need to be posing, and what are the sectors we need to investigate?

Many companies focus completely on the certification process, and avoid focusing on the reasons for getting there - getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with the end in mind - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. Imagine training for just one year and then end up doing the job for 20 years. Avoid the mistake of opting for what may seem to be a program of interest to you only to waste your life away with a job you hate!

You also need to know how you feel about earning potential, career development, and if you’re ambitious or not. It’s vital to know what will be expected of you, what exams will be required and how to develop your experience. The best advice for students is to speak with an experienced advisor before deciding on their study path. This is required to ensure it has the required elements for that career path.

Usually, trainers will provide piles of reference manuals and workbooks. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not ideal for studying effectively. Years of research and study has repeatedly verified that connecting physically with our study, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.

Study programs now come via DVD-ROM discs, so you can study at your own computer. Video streaming means you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to perform the required skill, followed by your chance to practice - via the interactive virtual lab’s. Any company that you’re considering should be able to show you some samples of their courseware. You’re looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and a variety of interactive modules.

It’s usually bad advice to choose training that is only available online. Because of the variable quality and reliability of the ISP (internet service provider) market, it makes sense to have actual CD or DVD ROM’s.

One of the most important things to insist on has to be 24×7 round-the-clock support from professional mentors and instructors. Too many companies will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend. Look for training with proper support available at any time of the day or night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) You want access directly to professional tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you’re constantly waiting for a call-back - probably during office hours.

Top training companies have many support offices from around the world. They use an online interactive interface to join them all seamlessly, irrespective of the time you login, there is always help at hand, without any problems or delays. Never make do with a lower level of service. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only kind to make the grade with IT study. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we’re working when traditional support if offered.

Accredited exam simulation and preparation packages are vital - and really must be sought from your training company. Don’t fall foul of relying on non-accredited exam preparation systems. The type of questions asked can be completely unlike authorised versions - and often this creates real issues when the proper exam time arrives. You should make sure you check your depth of understanding by doing quizzes and practice in simulated exam environments to prepare you for taking the real thing.

Sometimes students assume that the tech college or university system is the way they should go. So why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, industry has had to move to specialist courses that the vendors themselves supply - for example companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay. Essentially, only required knowledge is taught. Actually, it’s not quite as pared down as that, but the principle objective is to cover the precise skills needed (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without trying to cram in every other area (as academia often does).

Imagine if you were an employer - and your company needed a person with some very particular skills. What’s the simplest way to find the right person: Wade your way through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, asking for course details and which trade skills they have, or choose particular accreditations that perfectly fit your needs, and make your short-list from that. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

Be on the lookout that any accreditations you’re working towards will be recognised by employers and are current. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are usually worthless. If your certification doesn’t come from a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco, then you’ll probably find it won’t be commercially viable - as it’ll be an unknown commodity.

Because you’re doing your research on Microsoft MCSE’s, the chances are you’re in one of two categories: Maybe you’re thinking of a radical change of career to the field of computers, and research demonstrates there’s a massive need for people with the right qualifications. On the other hand you’re already a professional - and you want to enhance your CV with the Microsoft qualification.

When looking into training companies, make sure you avoid those who reduce their out-goings by failing to provide the latest version from Microsoft. This will only hamper the trainee as they will have been learning from an out-of-date syllabus which doesn’t match the present exams, so it’s likely they’ll fail. The focus of a training company must be based upon doing the best thing for their clients, and they should care greatly about their results. Studying for a career isn’t just about passing exams - the process should be all about guiding you on the most valid way forward for you.

Being aware of the sheer volume of talk on the area of computing technology right now, how do we know what precisely to look for? …In order for us to glean the details required to make the best possible judgement?

Throw out a salesman that just tells you what course you should do without a thorough investigation to better understand your current abilities as well as level of experience. They should be able to select from a expansive choice of training products from which they could give you an appropriate solution. Occasionally, the starting point of study for a person with some experience will be vastly dissimilar to the student with none. If this is your initial crack at studying for an IT examination then you might also want to practice with user-skills and software training first.

Consider only training programs that’ll lead to industry accepted certifications. There are far too many trainers pushing unknown ‘in-house’ certificates which are worthless in today’s commercial market. Unless the accreditation comes from a company like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then you’ll probably find it could have been a waste of time and effort - as no-one will have heard of it.

One thing you must always insist on is comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support via professional mentors and instructors. So many companies we come across only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Many only provide email support (too slow), and phone support is often to a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor - who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, when it suits them. This is no use if you’re lost and confused and only have a specific time you can study.

We recommend that you search for study programmes that incorporate three or four individual support centres around the globe in several time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to enable simple one-stop access and also round-the-clock access, when you want it, without any problems. Never make do with less than this. Online 24×7 support is the only kind to make the grade with IT courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re at work when traditional support if offered.

The old fashioned style of teaching, involving piles of reference textbooks, is often a huge slog for most of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, check out study materials that are multimedia based. Studies have always verified that getting into our studies physically, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.

Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, so you can study at your own computer. Video streaming means you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to perform the required skill, with some practice time to follow - in a virtual lab environment. It would be silly not to view examples of the courseware provided before you hand over your cheque. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

Pick CD or DVD ROM based materials every time. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.

Review the facts below very carefully if you believe that old marketing ploy of a guarantee for your exam looks like a reason to buy:

It’s become essential these days that we have to be a little bit more aware of sales ploys - and generally we know that for sure we’re actually paying for it (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Students who enter their exams one by one, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They’re mindful of the cost and so are more inclined to be up to the task.

Doesn’t it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, not to pay any mark-up to the training course provider, and to take it closer to home - rather than possibly hours away from your area? What’s the point in paying early for exams when there was no need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are charging all their exam fees up-front - and then hoping that you won’t take them all. Pay heed to the fact that, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ - you are not in control of when you can do your re-takes. You will have to demonstrate an excellent pass-rate before they’ll approve a re-take.

With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric exams costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it’s common sense to fund them one by one. Not to fork out thousands extra in up-front costs. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

Many people question why traditional degrees are less in demand than the more commercial qualifications? Industry is now aware that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, proper accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is far more effective and specialised - and a fraction of the cost and time. Vendor training works by honing in on the skill-sets required (along with a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) rather than trawling through all the background non-specific minutiae that academic courses are prone to get tied up in (because the syllabus is so wide).

The bottom line is: Commercial IT certifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for - everything they need to know is in the title: as an example - I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. So companies can look at their needs and what certifications are required to fulfil that.

When was the last time you considered your job security? Typically, this issue only becomes a talking point when something goes wrong. But in today’s marketplace, The cold truth is that job security has gone the way of the dodo, for all but the most lucky of us. When we come across escalating skills shortages and growing demand of course, we almost always hit upon a newly emerging type of market-security; where, fuelled by a continual growth, businesses find it hard to locate the number of people required.

The computer industry skills shortage throughout the United Kingdom clocks in at roughly twenty six percent, as shown by the 2006 e-Skills investigation. It follows then that for every four jobs in existence around Information Technology (IT), organisations are only able to find enough qualified individuals for 3 of the 4. This single idea in itself clearly demonstrates why Great Britain needs considerably more people to enter the Information Technology market. Undoubtedly, now really is a fabulous time to consider retraining into IT.

With so many different choices of computer training courses to choose from, it’s a good idea to look for a training organisation that will offer guidance on the right one for you. Reputable companies will discuss at length the different job roles that might suit you, prior to deciding on a computer course that can take you where you want to go. Pick out training for Microsoft User Skills packages, or take a career track and specialise. Plain speaking courses will help you to realise your dreams.

Due to the vast number of low cost, easily understood courses and support, you’re sure to get to something that should take you where you want to go.

Listening to the sheer volume of debate about IT at present, how can we recognize what in particular to look for?

It’s important to understand: the actual training program or a qualification is not what you’re looking for; the career that you want is. A lot of colleges seem to place too much importance on the certificate itself. You could be training for only a year and end up doing the job for 20 years. Avoid the mistake of finding what seems like a program of interest to you and then spend decades in an unrewarding career!

It’s well worth a long chat to see what expectations industry may have of you. Which particular certifications they will want you to have and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. It’s definitely worth spending time setting guidelines as to how far you wish to build your skill-set as often it can control your selection of accreditations. Speak to a skilled advisor who understands the work you’re contemplating, and could provide detailed descriptions of what you actually do in that role. Establishing this before starting out on a retraining course will save you both time and money.

Watch out that all qualifications you’re working towards will be recognised by employers and are the most recent versions. Training companies own certificates are usually worthless. If the accreditation doesn’t feature a big-hitter like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA, then it’s likely it won’t be commercially viable - because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.

Many training companies will only offer support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use call-centres ‘out-of-hours’ - where you’ll get called back during standard office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

The very best training providers have many support offices active in different time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, any time of the day or night, there is always help at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. You can’t afford to accept anything less. Support round-the-clock is the only way to go with computer-based study. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; usually though, we’re working at the time when most support is available.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, involving piles of reference textbooks, is usually pretty hard going. If you’re nodding as you read this, look for learning programmes that are on-screen and interactive. Years of research and study has consistently verified that connecting physically with our study, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Modern training can now be done at home via self-contained CD or DVD materials. Through instructor-led video classes you’ll absorb the modules, one by one, through the expert demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by utilising the practice lab’s and modules. It’s imperative to see the type of training provided by your chosen company. It’s essential they incorporate full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

You should avoid purely online training. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where obtainable, enabling them to be used at your convenience - you don’t want to be reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

Often, students don’t think to check on a painfully important area - how their company divides up the courseware, and into what particular chunks. Usually, you’ll enrol on a course staged over 2 or 3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. This sounds logical on one level, until you consider this: What if you find the order offered by the provider doesn’t suit. What if you find it hard to complete all the elements at the speed required?

For future safety and flexibility, many trainees now want to insist that all study materials are posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It’s then your own choice in what order and how fast or slow you want to go.

It’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - this always means you have to pay for the exams at the start of your training. But before you get taken in by a course with such a promise, why not be aware of the facts:

It’s become essential these days that we are a bit more aware of hype - and generally we know that for sure it is actually an additional cost to us (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) If it’s important to you to get a first time pass, then the most successful route is to pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and be ready for the task.

Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, and hang on to your cash. You’ll also be able to choose where to take your exam - which means you can stay local. Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you’ve paid early for examinations when you didn’t need to? Huge profits are netted by organisations charging upfront for all their exams - and banking on the fact that many won’t be taken. Remember, in the majority of cases of ‘exam guarantees’ - the company decides when you can re-take the exam. They’ll only allow a re-take once completely satisfied.

VUE and Prometric examinations are approximately 112 pounds in the UK. Why pay exorbitant ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (often hidden in the cost) - when a quality course, support and exam preparation systems and a dose of commitment and effort are what’s required.

Huge changes are about to hit technology in the near future - and this means greater innovations all the time. Many people are of the opinion that the increase in technology we have experienced is easing off. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are huge changes to come, and the internet significantly will be the biggest thing to affect the way we live.

Let’s not ignore salaries either - the average salary in Great Britain for an average IT professional is much more than average salaries nationally. Chances are that you’ll receive a much greater package than you’d expect to earn doing other work. Excitingly, there is a lot more room for IT expansion in the United Kingdom. The sector is still growing rapidly, and with the skills shortage of over 26 percent that we’re experiencing, it’s highly unlikely that this will change significantly for decades to come.