The way in which your courseware is broken down for you is often missed by many students. How many parts is the training broken down into? And in what order and at what speed is it delivered? Usually, you'll enrol on a course that takes between and 1 and 3 years and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. It seems to make sense on one level, but consider these issues: How would they react if you didn't complete each and every module at the speed they required? Often the staged order doesn't work as well as another different route may.

For the perfect solution, you'd get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - enabling you to have them all to return to any point - irrespective of any schedule. This also allows you to vary the order in which you complete each objective where a more intuitive path can be found.

A basic idea of networks is an ideal first-base for anyone getting into the industry. Before you're confident about just how a Computer functions and 'communicates' with other PCs, the rest is nonsense. If you already have decent literacy skills, you will find packages that include 'CompTIA's A+' & 'Network+' provides you with an ideal grounding to begin your career. Particulars of these accreditations are available in the 'CompTIA' area of this site.

Moving on from this level you can look at the MS MCSA/MCSE or perhaps the 'Cisco' CCNA or CCNP, depending on whether you are more interested in the 'hardware' or 'software' end of things. That said, MS boasts a major domination within the majority of network-environments, which means an in-depth understanding of their 'software' is highly useful whatever your specialisation. You'll find additional accreditation details on this web-site in the specific MS & 'Cisco' sections.

Alternatively, you may want to remain on the vendor neutral track with more 'CompTIA' qualification (e.g. Security+, Server+ & Linux+ ) or even have a go at the wireless (Wi-Fi) side of things with the CWNP/CWNA.

Trainees hopeful to begin a career in computers and technology usually aren't sure which direction is best, let alone which area to get qualified in. After all, if you've got no background in the IT market, how are you equipped to know what some particular IT person actually does day-to-day? Let alone decide on what certification program will be most suitable for your success. Reflection on these different points is imperative if you want to expose the right solution that will work for you:

- Your personality can play a starring part - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the things that get you down.

- Are you driven to get qualified because of a precise motive - for instance, are you pushing to work based from home (being your own boss?)?

- Does salary have a higher place on your priority-list than other factors.

- Considering the huge variation that computing covers, you'll need to be able to understand the differences.

- You should also think long and hard about the amount of time and effort you're going to invest in your education.

The bottom line is, the only real way of checking this all out is from a meeting with someone who has enough background to give you the information required.

A proficient and practiced advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will want to thoroughly discuss your abilities and experience. This is paramount to establishing the starting point for your education. Don't forget, if in the past you've acquired any previous certification, then it's not unreasonable to expect to begin at a different level to someone new to the industry. Starting with a foundation course first will sometimes be the most effective way to get into your computer programme, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

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