We all have busy lives, and usually if we want to improve our career prospects, getting educated at the same time as holding down a job is the only option open to us. Training tracks certified by Microsoft could offer a solution. Perhaps you'd like to find advisors with experience of the IT industry, who can offer guidance on which job role would be best, and the kind of tasks that are a good match for a person with a personality like yours. Be sure your course is designed to your current skills and aptitude. The best companies will ensure that the course is appropriate for where you want to get to.

We can see a plethora of employment in computing. Picking the right one for you often proves challenging. Perusing long lists of different and confusing job titles is just a waste of time. Most of us don't even know what our good friends do at work - so we have no hope of understanding the complexities of a specific IT job. Arriving at an informed decision really only appears from a careful analysis covering many shifting key points:

* Your personality can play a major role - what gives you a 'kick', and what are the activities that you really dislike.

* Why it seems right moving into Information Technology - is it to conquer some personal goal such as working from home maybe.

* Any personal or home needs that guide you?

* Some students don't fully understand the energy needed to attain their desired level.

* You will need to understand the differences across each area of training.

For most of us, dissecting each of these concepts requires a good chat with someone that has direct industry experience. And we're not only talking about the qualifications - but also the commercial expectations and needs also.

The somewhat scary thought of landing your first computer related job is often made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. Often, people are too impressed with this facility, for it's relatively easy for well qualified and focused men and women to land a job in the IT industry - as employers are keen to find appropriately qualified personnel.

However, don't procrastinate and wait until you've completed your exams before bringing your CV up to date. As soon as you start a course, list what you're working on and get it out there! It's not unusual to find that you'll land your initial job whilst you're still studying (even when you've just left first base). If your course details aren't on your CV (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you don't stand a chance! You can usually expect quicker results from a specialised and independent local recruitment service than you'll get from a training company's centralised service, as they will be more familiar with the area and local employers.

A slight aggravation of various training course providers is how hard people are focused on studying to pass exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the job they're qualified for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.

Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, very visibly, already replacing the traditional routes into IT - but why is this happening? Industry now acknowledges that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, certified accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe often is more effective in the commercial field - at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Clearly, a reasonable degree of associated information has to be covered, but core specifics in the exact job role gives a vendor trained person a distinct advantage.

The crux of the matter is this: Commercial IT certifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - the title says it all: i.e. I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network'. So an employer can look at their needs and which qualifications are required to perform the job.

A study programme must provide a nationally accepted qualification at the end - and not some unimportant 'in-house' piece of paper. You'll find that only recognised qualifications from the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will be useful to a future employer.

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