Everybody is busy these days, and usually should we have cause to learn a new profession, taking a course at the same time as holding down a job is what we have to do. Training tracks certified by Microsoft can be the way to do it. Perhaps you'd like to look for a person who's got industry experience, who can give you some ideas on whereabouts in industry would suit you most, and what sort of duties are suitable for a person with your personality. Once you've decided on the career path you want, an applicable training course must be picked that's reflects your current skills and aptitude. You should expect to be offered a bespoke package for you.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but landing your first role in IT can be relieved by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance facility. Sometimes, people are too impressed with this facility, because it is actually not that hard for a well trained and motivated person to get a job in the IT industry - as there is such a shortage of skilled employees.

Having said that, it's important to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; additionally, we would recommend any student to work on polishing up their CV as soon as training commences - don't wait until you've qualified. It's not uncommon to find that junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who are still learning and have still to get qualified. This will at the very least get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile. Generally, a specialist independent regional recruitment consultancy (who will get paid commission to place you) will be more pro-active than a recruitment division from a training organisation. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the local industry and employment needs.

A slight grievance for many training providers is how much trainees are prepared to work to get top marks in their exams, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the position they're acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.

A ridiculously large number of organisations focus completely on the certification process, and forget the reasons for getting there - which is a commercial career or job. You should always begin with the end in mind - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle. It's common, for instance, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a career that does nothing for you, simply because you did it without some decent due-diligence at the outset.

It's well worth a long chat to see the expectations of your industry. What precise exams they will want you to have and in what way you can gain some industry experience. Spend some time assessing how far you'd like to build your skill-set as often it can control your selection of accreditations. We'd recommend you look for advice and guidance from a professional advisor before settling on a training course, so you're sure from the outset that the specific package will give the skill-set required for your career choice.

If your advisor doesn't question you thoroughly - it's likely they're actually nothing more than a salesman. If someone pushes specific products before looking at your personality and current experience level, then it's definitely the case. With a strong background, or even a touch of live experience (some certifications gained previously perhaps?) then it's likely the level you'll need to start at will be very different from a student that is completely new to the industry. Opening with a user skills module first may be the ideal way to start into your IT studies, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

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