By Jason Kendall

People researching courses for the computer or IT industry will soon realise that there are a variety of courses available to them. In the first instance, look for a training provider with a team of advisors, so you can be fully informed on the job roles your training will prepare you for. Maybe you'll find job roles you hadn't previously thought of. Should you be thinking of improving your computer skills, maybe with some office user skills, or possibly becoming professionally qualified, you can choose from many training options.

By keeping costs to a minimum, computer training providers can now offer contemporary courses that feature outstanding training and guidance for much less than is asked for by more out-dated organisations.

Working on revolutionary new technology gives you the best job satisfaction ever. Your actions are instrumental in shaping the next few decades. We are really only just starting to get a handle on what this change will mean to us. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be significantly affected by technology and the internet.

If money is high on your list of priorities, you'll welcome the news that the regular income of IT employees in general is noticeably more than with most other jobs or industries. Demand for properly certified IT professionals is guaranteed for a good while yet, because of the ongoing increase in this sector and the huge skills gap that remains.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, involving piles of reference textbooks, is often a huge slog for most of us. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, dig around for more practical courses which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Where possible, if we can involve all our senses in the learning process, our results will often be quite spectacular.

Learning is now available in the form of CD and DVD ROM's, so you can study at your own computer. Video streaming means you can watch instructors demonstrating how to perform the required skill, and then practice yourself - in an interactive lab. It makes sense to see some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you make your decision. You should expect videoed instructor demonstrations and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab's.

Choose disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) where possible. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with the variability of broadband quality and service.

A fatal Faux-Pas that we encounter all too often is to focus entirely on getting a qualification, instead of focusing on where they want to get to. Training academies have thousands of unaware students who took a course because it seemed fun - instead of the program that would surely get them an enjoyable career or job. You may train for one year and then end up doing the job for 20 years. Don't make the mistake of finding what seems like an 'interesting' course only to spend 20 years doing an unrewarding career!

It's a good idea to understand the expectations of your industry. Which precise certifications you'll need and how you'll build your experience level. Spend some time considering how far you wish to progress your career as it may present a very specific set of qualifications. Before setting out on a particular learning course, you'd be well advised to chat over specific career needs with an experienced advisor, so as to be sure the study programme covers all that is required.

Consider the points below in detail if you're inclined to think that old marketing ploy of examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

It's very clear we're still footing the bill for it - it's not so hard to see that it's been added into the overall price charged by the training company. It's certainly not free - don't think these companies are so generous with their money! The honest truth is that if students pay for each examination, when they're ready to take them and not before, they'll be in a better position to pass first time - because they are conscious of what they've paid and their application will be greater.

Go for the best offer you can find at the time, and avoid college mark-up fees. In addition, it's then your choice where to do the examinations - which means you can stay local. Including money in your training package for examinations (plus interest - if you're financing your study) is madness. Why fill a company's coffers with extra money of yours simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won't get round to taking them - then they'll keep the extra money. The majority of organisations will require you to sit pre-tests and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you've completely proven that you're likely to pass - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.

With average Prometric and VUE exams in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it's common sense to fund them one by one. It's not in the student's interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

Speak with any specialised advisor and we'd be amazed if they couldn't provide you with many terrible tales of salespeople ripping-off unsuspecting students. Ensure you only ever work with an experienced advisor that asks lots of questions to find out what's right for you - not for their bank-account! You must establish the right starting point of study for you. If you've got any commercial experience or base qualifications, your starting-point of learning is not the same as someone new to the industry. It's usual to start with some basic PC skills training first. It will usually make the slope up to the higher-levels a much more gentle.

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