The CompTIA A+ course covers 4 different sectors – the requirement is exam passes in 2 specialities to be seen as competent in A+. Because of this, many training establishments restrict their A+ to just two of the 4 sectors. To us, this is selling you short – of course you can gain accreditation, but knowledge of every section will set you apart in industry, where you’ll need a more comprehensive understanding. That’s the reason why you should train in everything.

A+ computer training courses are about fault finding and diagnosing – both remote access and hands-on, as well as building and fixing and working in antistatic conditions.

If you aspire to being responsible for networks of computers, add the very comprehensive Network+ to your training package. Taking this course as well will prepare you to command a more senior job role. Other ones that might be interesting to you are the Microsoft networking qualifications (MCP, MCSA and MCSE).

Remember: the actual training program or a qualification isn’t what this is about; a job you’re training for is. Far too many training organisations place too much importance on the piece of paper.

Never let yourself become part of that group who select a program that seems ‘fun’ or ‘interesting’ – and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for a job they hate.

Stay tuned-in to what you want to achieve, and create a learning-plan from that – not the other way round. Keep on track and ensure that you’re training for an end-result that’ll reward you for many long and fruitful years.

We recommend that students always seek guidance and advice from a professional advisor before you begin a learning path, so you’re sure from the outset that the content of a learning package provides the skills necessary.

Commercially accredited qualifications are now, without a doubt, starting to replace the older academic routes into the IT sector – why then should this be?

Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, proper accreditation from the likes of Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised – saving time and money.

Vendor training works through concentrating on the skills that are really needed (together with an appropriate level of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background ‘extras’ that computer Science Degrees often do (because the syllabus is so wide).

The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for – the title is a complete giveaway: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Windows XP Administration and Configuration’. So employers can identify exactly what they need and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

A service offered by some training providers is a programme of Job Placement assistance. The service is put in place to help you get your first commercial position. The fact of the matter is it isn’t so complicated as you might think to land your first job – once you’re trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

Ideally you should have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we’d encourage everyone to work on polishing up their CV right at the beginning of their training – don’t procrastinate and leave it until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.

It’s not uncommon to find that junior support roles have been offered to students who are still learning and haven’t got any qualifications yet. This will at least get you into the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s – rather than the ‘No’ pile.

The top companies to help you land that job are normally specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they have more incentive to get on with it.

Do ensure you don’t conscientiously work through your course materials, only to stop and imagine someone else is miraculously going to secure your first position. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Put as much resource into securing your first job as you did to gain the skills.

Can job security really exist anymore? In the UK for example, with businesses changing their mind on a whim, there doesn’t seem much chance.

However, a marketplace with high growth, where staff are in constant demand (as there is a massive shortage of properly qualified professionals), enables the possibility of real job security.

Taking a look at the IT sector, a recent e-Skills investigation demonstrated a 26 percent shortfall of skilled workers. To explain it in a different way, this shows that the UK can only find 3 certified professionals for each 4 job positions that exist at the moment.

Appropriately trained and commercially grounded new employees are accordingly at a complete premium, and it seems it will continue to be so for a long time to come.

No better time or market conditions is ever likely to exist for getting trained into this quickly expanding and evolving business.

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