All of us are short of time, and generally should we have cause to learn a new profession, taking a course outside of working hours is the only option open to us. Certified training from Microsoft could be the answer. Try to shortlist your ideas with someone who has knowledge of the commercial needs of the market, and can influence your choice of the most appropriate area to match your character. When you've chosen the area you want to get into, a suitable training program has to be chosen that's is in line with your needs. Make sure it's well designed for you as an individual.

Some training providers offer a Job Placement Assistance service, to help you into your first commercial role. Often, too much is made of this feature, for it's really not that difficult for well qualified and focused men and women to find a job in the IT environment - as there is such a shortage of skilled employees.

Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don't wait until you've graduated or passed any exams. It can happen that you haven't even passed your first exam when you'll secure your initial junior support position; although this is not possible if interviewers don't get sight of your CV. In many cases, a specialist independent regional employment agency (who will get paid by the employer when they've placed you) is going to give you a better service than a recruitment division from a training organisation. They should, of course, also know the area and local employers better.

Many men and women, it would appear, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to looking for their first job. Promote yourself... Do your best to put yourself out there. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

If an advisor doesn't question you thoroughly - it's likely they're really a salesperson. If they push a particular product before getting to know your background and experience, then it's very likely to be the case. With a little work-based experience or certification, you may find that your starting point is not the same as someone new to the industry. Working through a foundation module first is often the best way to get up and running on your computer programme, depending on your current skill level.

Trainees looking at this market can be very practical by nature, and don't always take well to classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you're thinking this sounds like you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where you can learn everything on-screen. We see a huge improvement in memory retention when multiple senses are involved - learning experts have been saying this for many years.

Modern training can now be done at home via interactive CD and DVD ROM's. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you'll absorb the modules, one by one, through the demonstrations and explanations. You can then test yourself by practicing and interacting with the software. You'll definitely want a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. The materials should incorporate slide-shows, instructor-led videos and interactive labs where you get to practice.

It's unwise to opt for on-line only training. With highly variable reliability and quality from all internet service providers, you should always obtain actual CD or DVD ROM's.

A question; why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications and not familiar academic qualifications obtained from the state educational establishments? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs spiralling out of control, plus the IT sector's general opinion that vendor-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, we have seen a big surge in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training programmes that provide key skills to an employee for considerably less. Many degrees, as a example, become confusing because of too much loosely associated study - and a syllabus that's too generalised. Students are then held back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Think about if you were the employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through a mass of different academic qualifications from several applicants, asking for course details and what vocational skills have been attained, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that perfectly fit your needs, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. The interview is then more about the person and how they'll fit in - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

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