Without a continuous flood of knowledgeable PC and network support personnel, industry in the UK (as elsewhere) could well be brought to its knees. Consequently, there's an on-going demand for technically able people to support both the users themselves and their networks. As we get to grips with the complex nature of technology, greater numbers of competent professionals are needed to dedicate themselves to the various different areas we rely on.

Wouldn't it be great to know for sure that our careers will always be safe and our work prospects are protected, but the likely scenario for most jobs around the United Kingdom currently is that security just isn't there anymore. But a fast growing sector, with huge staffing demands (as there is an enormous shortfall of trained staff), enables the possibility of proper job security.

The computer industry skills shortage around Great Britain falls in at approximately 26 percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills investigation. This shows that for every 4 jobs that are available around the computer industry, there are only 3 trained people to perform that task. Well taught and commercially certified new workers are thus at a total premium, and it looks like they will be for many years longer. In reality, retraining in Information Technology throughout the years to come is most likely the finest career move you'll ever make.

Quite often, students have issues with one aspect of their training which doesn't even occur to them: How the training is broken down and delivered to your home. Often, you will join a program staged over 2 or 3 years and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. While this may sound logical on one level, consider this: What if there are reasons why you can't finish every single section? What if you don't find their order of learning is ideal for you? Because of nothing that's your fault, you may go a little slower and not receive all the modules you've paid for.

Truth be told, the best solution is to have their ideal 'order' of training laid out, but to receive all the materials up-front. It's then all yours if you don't manage to finish at their required pace.

A number of students presume that the school and FE college system is the right way even now. So why then are commercially accredited qualifications becoming more popular with employers? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, the IT sector has had to move to the specialised core-skills learning that the vendors themselves supply - namely companies like Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. In a nutshell, only required knowledge is taught. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but the principle remains that students need to focus on the exact skills required (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without attempting to cover a bit about everything else - in the way that academic establishments often do.

It's rather like the advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. Employers simply need to know what areas need to be serviced, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.

Considering the amount of options that are available, there's no surprise that the majority of career changers don't really understand the best career path they will enjoy. I mean, if you don't have any background in the IT sector, how are you equipped to know what any qualified IT worker fills their day with? How can you possibly choose which accreditation path would be most appropriate for success. Deliberation over these factors is imperative when you want to dig down the right answers:

* Personality plays a starring part - what gets you 'up and running', and what are the areas that get you down.

* For what reasons you're getting involved with IT - maybe you'd like to triumph over some personal goal like working for yourself maybe.

* What salary and timescale needs you have?

* When taking into account all that the IT industry covers, it's a requirement that you can take in what is different.

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

The bottom line is, your only chance of investigating all this is by means of a long chat with someone that through years of experience will be able to guide you.

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