Network and computer support technicians are ever more in demand in this country, as businesses rely heavily upon their knowledge and ability to fix and repair. Our country's need for better commercially qualified individuals multiplies, as human beings become vastly more reliant on PC's in the twenty first century.

We can see an excess of job availability in IT. Finding the particular one for you is generally problematic. Working through a list of IT job-titles is a complete waste of time. The vast majority of us don't even know what our good friends do at work - let alone understand the complexities of a particular IT career. Contemplation on these points is required when you want to discover the right answer for you:

* The type of personality you have plus what interests you - what kind of work-oriented areas you like and dislike.

* What sort of time-frame do you want for retraining?

* What are your thoughts on salary vs job satisfaction?

* Considering all that computing encompasses, you really need to be able to see the differences.

* It's wise to spend some time thinking about the level of commitment you're going to give to the accreditation program.

To cut through the confusing industry jargon, and discover what'll really work for you, have an informal chat with an experienced professional; an individual who appreciates and can explain the commercial realities while explaining each qualification.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - this always means you have to pay for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. Before you get carried away with the chance of a guarantee, look at the following:

It's become essential these days that we tend to be a little more 'marketing-savvy' - and most of us realise that of course it is actually an additional cost to us (it's not a freebie because they like us so much!) It's everybody's ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations in order and funding them one at a time puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you've made.

Do the examinations as locally as possible and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it. Including money in your training package for examination fees (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is insane. Don't line companies bank accounts with your money only to please their Bank Manager! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you won't get to do them all - then they'll keep the extra money. The majority of companies will insist that you take mock exams first and hold you back from re-takes until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing - which makes an 'Exam Guarantee' frankly useless.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric examinations in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

The somewhat scary thought of securing your first IT job is often relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. But don't place too much emphasis on it - it isn't unusual for training companies to make it sound harder than it is. The fact of the matter is, the massive skills shortage in this country is the reason you'll find a job.

CV and Interview advice and support should be offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It's essential that you update that dusty old CV today - don't leave it till you pass the exams! Getting your CV considered is more than not being regarded at all. Many junior jobs are offered to students in the early stages of their course. The best services to get you a new position are generally specialist locally based employment services. Because they get paid commission to place you, they're perhaps more focused on results.

Fundamentally, if you put as much hard work into landing your first job as into studying, you won't have any problems. Some trainees bizarrely conscientiously work through their training course and then just stop once qualified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

Proper support is incredibly important - look for a package that includes 24x7 access, as anything less will frustrate you and could put a damper on the speed you move through things. Email support is too slow, and phone support is usually just a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor - who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you're there), when it's convenient to them. This is all next to useless if you're stuck with a particular problem and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.

Be on the lookout for providers that utilise many support facilities from around the world. These should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access together with 24x7 access, when you need it, with the minimum of hassle. Don't compromise when it comes to your support. The vast majority of trainees that drop-out or fail, are in that situation because they didn't get the support necessary for them.