As there are a plethora of computer courses available, it's not always easy to know where to start. Go for one that's on a par with your personal character, and that will be a useful asset in the working environment. There's a huge choice with these training programs - right from office user skills up to training for web designers, networkers programmers etc. Take some counsel prior to committing yourself - speak to someone with knowledge of the industry. Someone who can help you select the right career path for you - that's both relevant to industry and will give you a stimulating career.

By minimising their overheads, computer training providers can now offer up-to-the-minute courses with excellent training and mentoring for much less than is asked for by old-school colleges.

So many training providers are all about the certification, and completely miss what you actually need - which is a commercial career or job. Always start with where you want to get to - don't make the journey more important than where you want to get to. It's an awful thing, but the majority of trainees commence training that sounds great in the sales literature, but which delivers a career that is of no interest at all. Try talking to typical university graduates and you'll see where we're coming from.

It's essential to keep your focus on what it is you're trying to achieve, and formulate your training based on that - don't do it the other way round. Keep your eyes on your goals and begin studying for a job that will keep you happy for many years. The best advice for students is to speak with experienced industry personnel before following a particular retraining programme. This is essential to ensure it contains the commercially required skills for the chosen career.

A lot of training providers will only offer support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Find a good quality service with help available at any time of the day or night (irrespective of whether it's the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it's always direct access to tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down - parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back - probably during office hours.

Keep looking and you'll come across professional training packages who offer direct-access support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. Don't under any circumstances take anything less. Support round-the-clock is the only kind that ever makes the grade with technical training. It's possible you don't intend to study late evenings; usually though, we're out at work at the time when most support is available.

The sometimes daunting task of getting your first job can be relieved by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance facility. But don't place too much emphasis on it - it's quite easy for companies marketing departments to overstate it's need. The fact of the matter is, the need for well trained IT people in Great Britain is the reason you'll find a job.

However, avoid waiting until you've passed your final exams before getting your CV updated. As soon as you start a course, enter details of your study programme and get it out there! It's possible that you won't have even got to the exam time when you will be offered your first junior support position; however this is not possible unless you've posted your CV on job sites. If it's important to you to find work near your home, then you may well find that an independent and specialised local employment service could be of more use than some national concern, for they're far more likely to have insider knowledge of local employment needs.

A regular aggravation for various course providers is how hard people are prepared to study to pass exams, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the position they've qualified for. Don't falter at the last fence.

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