Training Courses in Microsoft deal with a wide variety of choices. At one side of the scale, you may need some training on Word or Excel, on the other you may be looking for a number of 'MCP's' in order to get certified in I.T. at the professional grade. It's very important, as with all training, to be sure of what job you would like to get to, and what your reasons are to get there, as these will hugely impact what track you take and what learning-style you utilise. If you're planning to have a change of career into IT, or wish to enhance your prospects within the industry, then don't leave it to chance. Talk to an expert training consultant who can help you avoid any pitfalls.

'Microsoft' means the operating system Windows to many people who use computer systems. To some, it's synonymous with the leading Office programs used, either at home or at the office, to complete particular every-day functions. MS 'Word' is the most widely used program for word processing around the globe. 'Excel' is also a remarkably well known program for spread-sheets, followed by Access that allows us to build databases. The last one of the main 4 software programs in Office is PowerPoint, which is commonly used for delivering presentations. (Having said that there are many more within the Microsoft portfolio, such as 'Outlook', which is very widely as an e-mail, 'messaging' & calendar solution.)

Whether you are looking to gain an entry level knowledge of these systems & packages, or perhaps a more complete professional comprehension to help you support other people, there are several certifications that could help. To learn about Office 2003 ('XP') check out MOS - 'Microsoft Office Specialist'. For Office 2007 ('Vista') skillsets opt for MCAS - Microsoft Certified Application Specialist. A grade up from 'MOS' & 'MCAS' is MCDST - Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician, which will give you the skill set to support others within an office.

Or, you could be considering getting in to a professionally skilled job within the IT sector, and require higher level Microsoft certification. The examination structure at 'Microsoft' has fairly recently experienced a significant over-haul. Many career routes still lead to 'MCP' qualifications, however the direction is progressively moving towards MCITP and MCTS programs (Microsoft Certified IT Professional and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist respectively). Generally, the MCTS accreditations are taken on the way to the full MCITP program.

'Microsoft' own 'Visual Studio', which is the fore-most 'Windows' software program development environment. They provide a variety of 'languages', with 'C#.Net' and 'VB.Net' ('Visual Basic') being the most extensively used. They're covered under the Programming and Development pages on this site. The most broadly accepted qualifications are now the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist & the 'Microsoft Certified Professional Developer'.

A unique 'language' has been formulated for working on and interrogating Databases, known as 'SQL', or Structured Query Language. Structured Query Language is key to how information is saved on a Database and extracted out of it. Consequently an understanding of the language is crucial for anybody who is aiming for a professional database career. DBA's (Database-Administrators) effectively control Database information & reporting, while 'DB Developers' set-up and design 'databases'. DB Developers often also learn programming-skills to enable them to write database software - this means an extra qualification in Visual Basic or 'C#'.

If we think of the core I.T. systems we can then examine the certification programs that Microsoft has put in place. They are specifically Networking (& Server Operating Systems), Databases (both Administration and Development) and Programming (& Software Development in 'Windows'). There are particular and quite different certification groups regarding each of these tracks; visit the appropriate sectors on this web-site for more specifics.

Microsoft Networking & Server Operating-Systems lead the commercial environment. The standard platform for at least eight or nine out of ten office networks is estimated to be Windows Server. This application has experienced a number of up-grades now, starting with 'NT' Server, then becoming 'Server 2000', Server 2003 and currently 'Server 2008'. In business, Server 2003 continues to be the most established, & it's probable that a great many companies using this platform will never update to Server 2008. There are still businesses with 'NT' or '2000' platforms, and they are the organisations with the biggest need to up-date to 'Server 2008'. You'll find further information on 'Microsoft' Networking & Server Operating Systems in the MCSE/MCSA web-pages, as well as advice about the 'Server 2003' versus Server 2008 issue.

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