Many men and women think that the school and FE college path is still the most effective. So why then are qualifications from the commercial sector beginning to overtake it? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, the IT sector has been required to move to the specialised core-skills learning that can only be obtained from the actual vendors - that is companies like Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. In essence, only required knowledge is taught. It's not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle remains that students need to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without attempting to cover a bit about everything else (as universities often do).

Just like the advert used to say: 'It does what it says on the tin'. The company just needs to know where they have gaps, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

Searching for your first position in IT can feel more straightforward with the help of a Job Placement Assistance service. With the massive shortage of skills in this country even when times are hard, there's no need to make too much of this option though. It isn't so complicated as you might think to find a job once you're properly qualified.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews might be provided (if not, see one of our sites for help). It's essential that you bring your CV right up to date today - don't leave it till you pass the exams! Being considered a 'maybe' is better than being rejected. A decent number of junior support jobs are given to students (who've only just left first base.) Generally, 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. It also stands to reason that they'll be familiar with the area and local employers better.

To bottom line it, as long as you focus the same level of energy into landing your first job as into studying, you're not likely to experience problems. Some men and women bizarrely conscientiously work through their learning program and then call a halt once they've passed their exams and seem to suppose that interviewers know they're there.

We'd hazard a guess that you're a practical sort of person - a 'hands-on' personality type. If you're anything like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals would be considered as a last resort, but it doesn't suit your way of doing things. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if you'd really rather not use books. We see a huge improvement in memory retention with an involvement of all our senses - learning experts have been saying this for years now.

Learning is now available in the form of CD and DVD ROM's, so everything is learned directly from your own PC. Video streaming means you can watch instructors demonstrating how to perform the required skill, with some practice time to follow - via the interactive virtual lab's. All companies should willingly take you through some samples of the type of training materials they provide. You should hope for instructor-led videos and a wide selection of interactive elements.

Choose CD and DVD ROM based physical training media where possible. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

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