Proper support should never be taken lightly - find a program that includes 24x7 access, as anything less will not satisfy and will also put a damper on the speed you move through things. Look for training with help available at any time of the day or night (even if it's early hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it's always access directly to professional tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you're constantly waiting for a call-back at a convenient time for them.

The very best programs opt for an internet-based round-the-clock package involving many support centres over many time-zones. You get a simple interface which seamlessly selects the best facility available at any time of day or night: Support when you need it. Find a trainer that goes the extra mile. Only true round-the-clock 24x7 support gives you the confidence to make it.

Make sure you don't get caught-up, as can often be the case, on the training course itself. You're not training for the sake of training; this is about employment. Focus on the end-goal. Imagine training for just one year and then end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Don't make the mistake of choosing what sounds like an 'interesting' course only to spend 20 years doing an unrewarding career!

Stay tuned-in to where you want to go, and formulate your training based on that - avoid getting them back-to-front. Stay focused on the end-goal - making sure you're training for an end-result that'll reward you for many long and fruitful years. Seek advice from an experienced advisor, even if you have to pay a small fee - it's considerably cheaper and safer to investigate at the start if your choices are appropriate, instead of finding out after two full years that you're doing entirely the wrong thing and now need to go back to square one.

Most people don't even think to ask about a vitally important element - the way the company segments the training materials, and into how many bits. The majority of training companies will set up a program spread over 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you get to the end of each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: What if you find the order pushed by the company's salespeople doesn't suit all of us. What if you find it hard to complete every element within their timetable?

Truth be told, the perfect answer is to get an idea of what they recommend as an ideal study order, but to receive all the materials up-front. You're then in possession of everything in case you don't finish as fast as they'd like.

A couple of specialist subjects also exist on the 'MCSE' training track; they are messaging & security. This can mean taking an extra 2 MCPs, or just one based upon which were chosen from the first seven. It makes sense to think about this from the beginning if you're focused on one or both of these areas, since some forward planning will mean you only have a maximum of eight MCPs to sit. MS also have released a Server-2008 MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) update exam for the 'MCSA' (exam 70-648) and for the MCSE (exam 70-649.) It's sensible to think about including one of these (or maybe an equivalent) as soon as possible. If you do, you will increase your eligibility to get more work, & be future-proofed to some extent.

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