Many training schools are still maintaining the rather old-fashioned idea of classroom attendance. Very often portrayed as a huge benefit, following a chat with most students who've had to attend a couple, you'll hear a common theme of many or most of these problems:

- Periodic travelling - 100's of miles usually.

- Weekday only access with classes can be usual, and getting two to three days out of work causes a lot of problems for the majority of students who work.

- At only twenty days annual leave, giving half of them to study events means we'll be hard-pushed to get a holiday with our families.

- With the high costs involved, many training providers have to put on larger classes - which is not ideal (and far less personal).

- A lot of attendees want to work as quickly as possible, but some like to take it easier and not be forced to adopt an uncomfortable speed for them. This generates difficulty and tension on many workshops.

- The growing costs associated with travel - arranging transport to and from the training premises plus bed and breakfast for the night can start to get expensive each time you attend. Assuming just 5-10 centre-days costing 35 pounds for an over-night room, plus a petrol cost of 40 pounds and 15.00 for food, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of add-on cost.

- A lot of attendees want training privacy and therefore avoiding all questions whilst in their current job.

- Many of us find it difficult to ask questions while sitting with our fellow attendees - so we don't appear ignorant.

- Where students have to at times live or work away from home, consider the added problems of making the needed events, as time becomes even more scarce.

To find a more flexible route, utilise pre-filmed classes wherever you want to take them - at a time that's convenient to you - not anybody else. Study at home on your desktop computer or if you've got a laptop, you can go anywhere. Any questions; then make use of the 24x7 support (that we hope you'll insist on with any technical courses.) Simply do the modules at any time you feel you need to. There's also no need to write any notes as you'll have direct access to the instruction whenever you want to go back to it. Although this doesn't stop every little difficulty, it definitely vastly reduces stress and simplifies things. And you've reduced hassle, costs and travel.

Now, why might we choose commercial qualifications and not the usual academic qualifications taught at the state educational establishments? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs increasing year on year, alongside the IT sector's growing opinion that vendor-based training is closer to the mark commercially, we've seen a big surge in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA certified training routes that educate students for considerably less. Clearly, a reasonable portion of associated detail has to be taught, but core specialisation in the particular job function gives a commercially educated student a distinct advantage.

The crux of the matter is this: Recognised IT certifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. Consequently companies can identify just what their needs are and what certifications are needed for the job.

The key Microsoft certification paths were brought up to date a few years ago, as they went from the older 'MCAD/MCSD' (Microsoft Certified Application/Solutions Developer) to the more modern MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) & MCPD ('Microsoft Certified Professional Developer') exams. Normally, there's two 'MCTS' pre requisite exams prior to moving on to the entire MCPD examination. If you are new to the IT industry and have not written programs before, (despite the fact that the very first unit from MS is classed a foundation module,) we'd say it's smart to study a programming introductory course first. We'd equally propose taking a support accreditation ahead of all this, so that you can obtain a suitable understanding of software-environments & support. A support accreditation will allow you to to get your first IT role. An entire career-track will take approximately 600 to 700 hours of training time, so if you are training part time you will be able to do the whole thing in about 12 - 18 months.

Far too many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget what you actually need - getting yourself a new job or career. You should always begin with the end goal - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle. Don't be one of those unfortunate students who choose a training program that on the surface appears interesting - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for an unrewarding career path.

It's well worth a long chat to see what expectations industry may have of you. What qualifications they will want you to have and in what way you can gain some industry experience. You should also spend a little time setting guidelines as to how far you'd like to go as often it can affect your choice of accreditations. All students are advised to speak with a skilled advisor before deciding on their learning course. This helps to ensure it has the required elements for the career path that has been chosen.

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