Make sure that all your exams are current and what employers are looking for - don't bother with programmes which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. Only fully recognised examinations from the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will be useful to a future employer.

Commercial qualifications are now, undoubtedly, beginning to replace the more academic tracks into the IT sector - why then should this be? Industry now acknowledges that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, official accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field - saving time and money. The training is effectively done by honing in on the particular skills that are needed (together with a proportionate degree of background knowledge,) rather than spending months and years on the background 'padding' that computer Science Degrees often do (to fill up a syllabus or course).

The bottom line is: Authorised IT qualifications provide exactly what an employer needs - the title says it all: i.e. I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. Therefore employers can identify exactly what they need and what certifications are needed for the job.

Students will sometimes miss checking on a vitally important element - the way the company breaks up the training materials, and into how many parts. Normally, you will purchase a course taking 1-3 years and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. While this may sound logical on one level, consider this: With thought, many trainees understand that the company's usual training route is not what they would prefer. They might find a different order of study is more expedient. And what happens if they don't finish within their exact timetable?

The ideal solution is to have all the training materials delivered to your address right at the beginning; the entire thing! Then, nothing can hinder your progress.

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