'Exam Guarantees' are often bundled with training offers - this always means you have to pay for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. But before you get taken in by a course with such a promise, why not be aware of the facts:

Clearly it isn't free - you are paying for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. It's well known in the industry that when students fund their own exams, one after the other, they will be much more likely to pass first time - as they are conscious of their payment and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Sit the exam somewhere local and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it. Big margins are netted by some training companies that take the exam money up-front. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don't get to do their exams and so they pocket the rest. Astoundingly enough, there are companies around that actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that's where a lot of their profit comes from. Also, exam guarantees often have very little value. Most companies won't pay for re-takes until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won't fail again.

Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on 'Exam Guarantees' is foolish - when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is actually the key to your success.

Digital (or Computer) Forensics is reasonably new on the scene - TV programmes such as 'Crime Scene Investigation' may have made us aware of it. Obviously though the work in the real world will not be quite as stylised as the programmes would have us think! However for many people, it provides a very intriguing and satisfying career in technology based exploration. A Digital Forensics professional will trace & interpret digital-artefacts that can often be used to solve criminal offences.

Sitting between Digital Forensics and Security, comes the new field of Ethical Hacking. Experienced I.T. professionals can learn the principles of criminal hacking for legitimate ethical security reasons. The EC Council offers mid-high level qualifications, namely the CEH ('Certified Ethical Hacker') and the 'CHFI' ('Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator').

Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and don't really enjoy classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If this is putting you off studying, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. Research into the way we learn shows that memory is aided when we use all our senses, and we get physically involved with the study process.

Search for a course where you'll receive a selection of CD and DVD based materials - you'll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, and then have the opportunity to practice your skills in interactive lab's. It's wise to view some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you make your decision. The minimum you should expect would be video tutorials, instructor demo's and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where available, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want - ISP quality varies, so you don't want to be totally reliant on your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

When was the last time you considered how safe your job is? For the majority of us, this only rears its head when we experience a knock-back. Unfortunately, the lesson often learned too late is that our job security doesn't really exist anymore, for the vast majority of people. Now, we only experience security in a rapidly escalating marketplace, pushed forward by a lack of trained workers. It's this alone that creates the correct environment for market-security - a more attractive situation all round.

The computer industry skills shortfall around the country clocks in at roughly twenty six percent, according to a recent e-Skills survey. Basically, we're only able to fill three out of each four job positions in Information Technology (IT). This distressing fact reveals the urgent need for more appropriately certified computer professionals around the UK. No better time or market settings could exist for getting certified in this quickly expanding and budding industry.

If you are especially focused on Messaging or 'Security', then Microsoft have specialist MCSE's on offer to target these options. You may choose to go for Security+ with 'CompTIA', followed by the 'Certified Information Systems Security Professional' (CISSP). You'll find there are strict 'experience' requirements for the CISSP, & they need discussing and understanding prior to deciding to take this track. Our consistent recommendation is always to take part in an informed discussion prior to embarking on any kind of new career-training.

Microsoft MCSA or MCSE Self-Paced Multimedia Career Certification Courses >>