Expert user skills can be acquired via specific Microsoft certification paths, & commercial support skills through others. To find out about Office 2003 ('XP') look at 'MOS' - Microsoft Office Specialist. For Office 2007 (Vista) skillsets choose MCAS - 'Microsoft Certified Application Specialist'. A grade up from MOS and 'MCAS' is 'MCDST' - Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician, which will give you the skill-set to support others within an office.

You might equally be thinking about a more technical position in the I.T. field, which would require more in-depth and specialist Microsoft certification training. Microsoft have recently revamped their certification structure, & while you will still find many tracks based on the 'MCP' qualifications, we're increasingly observing the change to 'MCITP' (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) & 'MCTS' ('Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist') programs. People on 'MCITP' packages usually build up via 'MCTS' training paths.

Students eager to kick off a career in computers and technology normally have no idea of which direction is best, or which area to get qualified in. Scanning a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is next to useless. The majority of us don't really appreciate what our good friends do at work - so what chance do we have in understanding the ins and outs of a new IT role. To get to the bottom of this, there should be a discussion of a number of unique issues:

- Your personal interests and hobbies - these can define what possibilities you'll get the most enjoyment out of.

- Do you hope to realise a key aim - like working from home as quickly as possible?

- What scale of importance is the salary - is it the most important thing, or do you place job satisfaction a little higher on the scale of your priorities?

- With everything that Information Technology encapsulates, you really need to be able to absorb what is different.

- It's wise to spend some time thinking about any sacrifices you'll need to make, as well as what commitment and time that you will set aside for your education.

In these situations, you'll find the only real way to seek advice on these issues will be via a meeting with a professional that has years of experience in IT (as well as it's commercial needs.)

Incorporating examination fees up-front then including an exam guarantee is a popular marketing tool with many training course providers. But look at the facts:

In this day and age, we are a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks - and usually we grasp that we are actually being charged for it (it's not a freebie because they like us so much!) If you want to pass in one, then the most successful route is to pay for each exam as you go, give it the necessary attention and apply yourself as required.

Do your exams as locally as possible and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it. Many so-called credible training course providers net huge profits because they're charging for exams at the start of the course and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. It's worth noting that exam re-takes via training course providers with an 'Exam Guarantee' are monitored with tight restrictions. You will be required to do mock exams so you can prove to them you have a good chance of passing.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE exams costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, by far the best option is to pay for them as you take them. There's no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

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