For those ready to get certified at the MCSA level of study, the best devices on sale are CD or DVD ROM based training that works interactively. So if you have a certain amount of knowledge but are ready to polish up your CV, or are new to network support, you'll discover interactive MCSA study programmes to cater for you. If you're just getting started in the industry, it may well be necessary to improve your skill-set ahead of getting into your four Microsoft Certified Professional exams (MCP's) needed to gain MCSA certification. Find a training provider that will design a course to help you - one who will guide you to make sure that you're going in the right direction.

The perhaps intimidating chore of landing your first computer related job can be eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Sometimes, people are too impressed with this facility, because it's relatively easy for any focused and well taught person to secure work in the IT industry - because companies everywhere are seeking well trained people.

Whatever you do, don't procrastinate and wait until you've finished your training before bringing your CV up to date. The day you start training, enter details of your study programme and place it on jobsites! Various junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who're still on their course and haven't even passed a single exam yet. At the very least this will get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile. Actually, an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) should get better results than any centralised training company's service. Also of course they should know local industry and the area better.

To bottom line it, as long as you put the same commitment into finding your first job as into training, you're not likely to experience problems. A number of men and women inexplicably invest a great deal of time on their training course and just give up once they've got certified and seem to suppose that interviewers know they're there.

Commercial certification is now, most definitely, beginning to replace the traditional academic paths into the industry - but why is this the case? Corporate based study (in industry terminology) is most often much more specialised. The IT sector has acknowledged that this level of specialised understanding is necessary to cope with an acceleratingly technical world. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe dominate in this arena. They do this by honing in on the skill-sets required (together with a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) rather than going into the heightened depths of background 'padding' that degree courses can get bogged down in - to pad out the syllabus.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - it says what you do in the title: i.e. I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. So employers can identify exactly what they need and what certifications are needed for the job.

If you're like many of the students we talk to then you've always enjoyed practical work - a 'hands-on' personality type. Usually, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but it's not ideal. You should use video and multimedia based materials if books just don't do it for you. Memory is vastly improved with an involvement of all our senses - learning experts have been saying this for many years.

Find a course where you'll receive a library of CD and DVD based materials - you'll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, with the facility to use virtual lab's to practice your new skills. You really need to look at some example materials from the company you're considering. Be sure that they contain instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab's.

Often, companies will only use online training only; sometimes you can get away with this - but, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get a slow connection speed. A safer solution is the provision of CD and DVD ROM materials which removes the issue entirely.

Speak with a skilled consultant and they'll entertain you with many worrying experiences of how students have been duped by salespeople. Only deal with an experienced professional who digs deep to find out what's appropriate to you - not for their pay-packet! You must establish a starting-point that will suit you. With a bit of real-world experience or base qualifications, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is different from a beginner. If this is your opening crack at IT study then you might also want to start with user-skills and software training first.

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