Generally there are several distinct career groups for I.T. experts: 1) Networking, Security and Support, 2) Programming & Software Development, 3) Database Administration and Development & 4) Web-Design, - both creative and technical aspects. Inside each field there are specific skill-sets to get to grips with, & certifications to attain. Each sector has a selection of certification levels achieve. The choice may appear a bit over-whelming to anybody who is a new comer to I.T.. Some aspects are suited to certain personalities better than others, and different instruction methods may benefit particular people as well. All of these topics can be clarified by an industry-advisor.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, before you've even made a start on the course. Before you get carried away with guaranteed exams, look at the following:

In this day and age, we have to be a little more 'marketing-savvy' - and usually we know that for sure it is something we're paying for - they're not just being charitable and doling out freebies! Should you seriously need to pass in one, then the most successful route is to pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.

Why pay the training college up-front for exam fees? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, don't pay mark-ups - and take it closer to home - rather than possibly hours away from your area. A surprising number of so-called credible training companies net a great deal of profit by getting in the money for exams at the start of the course then hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. The majority of companies will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.

On average, exams cost about 112 pounds in the last 12 months when taken at UK VUE or Prometric centres. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when it's no secret that the responsible approach is consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software.

It's essential to have an authorised exam preparation system as part of your course package. Sometimes people can find themselves confused by practising exam questions that don't come from official boards. It's not uncommon that the question formats and phraseology can be completely unlike un-authorised versions and it's important to prepare yourself for this. Simulations and practice exams can be very useful in helping you build your confidence - so when it comes to taking your actual exams, you don't get uptight.

Every program under consideration has to build towards a commercially valid exam as an end-result - not a useless 'in-house' printed certificate to hang in your hallway. Unless your qualification is issued by a major player like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then it's likely it will have been a waste of time - because no-one will recognise it.

All those at the beginning of their computer user learning-curve should elect to complete the ECDL. The majority of personal computers run on a system referred to as "Windows", and the ECDL addresses how you can run it's standard basic elements. You can also learn about web-browsers (so that you can browse the web,) plus e-mail software (to help you to be in contact with your friends.) A little is additionally covered on how to benefit from spreadsheets and perform a little word-processing.

Taking things a stage further, you may possibly be looking for more professional instruction to improve your career prospects. A specialist working knowledge of Microsoft 'Office' would be your next reasonable step. The two well recognised accreditation programmes are 'MOS' (Microsoft 'Office Specialist') and MCAS (Microsoft 'Certified Application Specialist'). The MOS emphasises the 'Microsoft Office' 2003 environment in Windows 'XP' (which is still probably the most commonly used in business), whereas the MCAS features Windows 'Vista' & 'Office' 2007, and so could be better placed for the long run. Each Microsoft Office application is examined with each of the accreditations, namely - 'Word' (word processing), 'Excel' (spreadsheets), Access (databases) & PowerPoint (presentations.) The benefit of having these qualifications is that they confirm your advanced ability level for working with these packages.

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