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If Cisco training is your aspiration, and you’ve not yet worked with routers or network switches, the chances are your first course should be the Cisco CCNA qualification. This will give you skills for setting up and maintaining routers. The internet is made up of hundreds of thousands of routers, and large companies with various different locations also utilise routers to allow their networks to keep in touch.

As routers are connected to networks, it’s important to understand how networks function, or you will be out of your depth with the program and be unable to follow the work. Find training that covers networking fundamentals (such as CompTIA) before you get going on CCNA.

Qualifying up to the CCNA level is where you should be aiming; at this stage avoid being tempted to do the CCNP. Once you’ve worked for a few years, you’ll know whether CCNP is something you want to do. Should that be the case, your experience will serve as the background you need for the CCNP – which is quite a hard qualification to acquire – and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Many people question why traditional degrees are being replaced by more commercial certificates?

With university education costs climbing ever higher, alongside the IT sector’s increasing awareness that accreditation-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there’s been a large rise in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe certified training routes that provide key skills to an employee at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.

Essentially, only required knowledge is taught. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the most important function is always to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) – without trying to cram in every other area (as academia often does).

If an employer understands what they’re looking for, then all they have to do is advertise for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Vendor-based syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and aren’t allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).

Getting your first commercial position can be a little easier if you’re offered a Job Placement Assistance service. It can happen though that there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, as it’s relatively easy for any focused and well taught person to land work in the IT environment – as employers are keen to find appropriately trained staff.

Help with your CV and interview techniques is sometimes offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you update that dusty old CV today – don’t leave it till you pass the exams!

It’s not uncommon to find that junior support jobs have been bagged by trainees who are still learning and have still to get qualified. This will at the very least get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile.

The top companies to help get you placed are generally specialised and independent recruitment consultants. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.

Not inconsiderable numbers of students, apparently, invest a great deal of time on their training course (sometimes for years), only to give up at the first hurdle when trying to get their first job. Promote yourself… Work hard to put yourself out there. Don’t expect a job to just fall into your lap.

At times individuals don’t really get what information technology means. It is thrilling, changing, and means you’re a part of the huge progress of technology affecting everyones lives in the 21st century.

We’re only just starting to get a feel for how technology is going to shape our lives. The internet will massively transform the way we regard and interact with the entire world over the coming decades.

The standard IT technician in Great Britain can demonstrate that they earn a lot more money than fellow workers outside of IT. Standard IT wages are some of the best to be had nationwide.

Demand for appropriately qualified IT professionals is assured for a good while yet, because of the substantial increase in IT dependency in commerce and the massive deficiency that we still have.

A study programme has to build towards a widely recognised exam at the end – not a useless ‘in-house’ diploma – fit only for filing away and forgetting.

All the major IT organisations such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA have globally renowned proficiency programs. Huge conglomerates such as these will ensure your employability.

(C) S. Edwards 2010. Look at Microsoft Course or www.CareerChangeOptions.co.uk/acco.html.

Because you’re looking at information about MCSE training programs, you’ll probably be in one of two categories: You’re possibly contemplating a dynamic move to the field of computers, and your research tells you there’s a huge demand for people with the right qualifications. Or you’re someone with a certain amount of IT knowledge – and you’d like to consolidate your skill-set with a qualification such as MCSE.

When researching training companies, steer clear of any who reduce their out-goings by failing to provide the most up-to-date Microsoft version. Over time, this will mean the student has to pay a great deal more due to the fact that they’ve been educated in an out-of-date syllabus which will require an up-date very quickly.

Don’t rush into buying a training program without a proper consultation. Find a company that will put effort into advising you on the most suitable training path for meeting your goals.

Most people don’t even think to ask about a painfully important area – the way the company breaks up the courseware elements, and into how many bits.

Trainees may consider it sensible (with most training taking 1-3 years for a full commercial certification,) for a training company to release one section at a time, as you pass each element. But:

What if you don’t finish every single exam? And what if you find the order of the modules counter-intuitive? Due to no fault of yours, you might take a little longer and therefore not end up with all the modules.

In all honesty, the best option is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. It’s then all yours in the event you don’t complete everything quite as quick as they’d want.

Only consider retraining programmes which will move onto commercially recognised accreditations. There are loads of small companies suggesting unknown ‘in-house’ certificates which will prove unusable when it comes to finding a job.

If your certification doesn’t come from a major player like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then you may discover it won’t be commercially viable – because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.

It’s essential to have the very latest Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages.

Some students can find themselves confused by going through practice questions that don’t come from authorised sources. It’s not uncommon that the terminology in the real exams is unfamiliar and you should be prepared for this.

Obviously, it’s very important to know that you’re absolutely ready for the real exam before taking it. Practicing ‘mock’ exams logs the information in your brain and helps to avoid wasted exam attempts.

A typical blunder that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, rather than starting with where they want to get to. Training academies are stacked to the hilt with direction-less students that chose a program because it looked interesting – instead of the program that would surely get them the job they want.

Don’t let yourself become one of those unfortunate people that choose a course that on the surface appears interesting – and end up with a plaque on the wall for an unrewarding career path.

Get to grips with earning potential and the level of your ambition. This can often control what precise accreditations will be required and what’ll be expected of you in your new role.

Seek out help from an experienced industry professional who understands the sector you wish to join, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ understanding of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking on a day-to-day basis. It makes good sense to ensure you’re on the right track before you commence your studies. There’s little point in starting your training only to find you’ve taken the wrong route.

(C) 2010 Scott Edwards. Try Cisco Course or www.MCSA-MCSE-2U.co.uk.