If you would like to be an exceptional user to help you with your job, or study for a professional job in a supporting position, there are a number of training packages to help you get there. To learn about 'Office' 2003 ('XP') take a look at 'MOS' - Microsoft Office Specialist. For Office 2007 ('Vista') skillsets opt for 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 other people in an office environment.

You could equally be thinking of a technical job in the IT field, that would mean more in-depth and specialist MS accreditation training. 'Microsoft' have fairly recently re-vamped their accreditation structure, & whilst there are still many routes based on the 'MCP' certifications, we are increasingly looking at the move to 'MCITP' ('Microsoft Certified IT Professional') & MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) packages. Generally, the MCTS accreditations are taken en-route to the full 'MCITP' program.

Business communications around the globe are led by MS Network and Server Operating Systems. 'Windows' Server is utilised as the standard operating platform in approximately 80 - 90 per cent of business networks. This particular application has been through various up-dates now, beginning with NT Server, then becoming Server 2000, Server 2003 & currently Server 2008. Commercially, 'Server 2003' continues to be the most common, & it is likely that many organisations using this platform won't update to 2008. It is more likely that platform up-dates to Server 2008 will be needed by businesses that need to miss a generation or two, from 'NT' or 2000. More discussion about 'Server 2003' and '2008' can be found on our specific 'MCSE' & 'MCSA' training pages, where you'll also discover more about Microsoft Network and Server Operating-Systems.

'In-Centre' days are often sold as a great feature by a lot of trainers. After talking to many IT trainees who've attended a few, you'll begin to see a common thread - they are viewed as a difficulty to be 'got round' mainly due to the following:

- All that travelling - lots of visits and often 100's of miles each time.

- Accessibility to workshops; often Mon-Fri and two or three days in a row. This can be difficult to get the work-leave.

- I think you'd agree that we usually find 4 weeks annual leave is not really enough. Take away over half of it for training classes and see how much more difficult it makes things.

- Training classes often are over-subscribed, giving us the only option of a slot that doesn't really suit.

- Some trainees lean towards a slower or quicker pace than the rest of the class. This creates a lot of tension amongst the class.

- Many students report that the (not inconsiderable) costs of all the travelling back and forth to the venue while forking out for food and accommodation can get very high.

- Not wanting employers to know about the training can be high on the list of priorities to many attendees. Why would you want to lose any possible promotions, salary hikes or success with your current employer because you're getting trained in a different area. If your boss finds out you're putting yourself through qualification in another area entirely, what do you think they'll do?

- Raising questions in the presence of other class-mates can make us feel nervous. Ever avoided asking a question just because you didn't want to look foolish?

- When your work takes you away from home, you face the added difficulty that workshops are now very hard to attend - and yet, they've been paid for in advance.

It would be better to watch a video and gain knowledge from teachers one-to-one through pre-made classes, taking them at your convenience - not somebody else's. Training can take place wherever it suits you. If you have a laptop, you could get a bit of sunshine in your garden as you work. Any issues that arise just get onto the live 24x7 support. No matter how frequently you need to repeat a module, video tutors won't ever lose patience! And don't forget, because of this, you can forget taking notes. Everything is already there for you to use. Although this doesn't suddenly remove all study problems, it certainly reduces stress and eases things. You also have reduced costs, travel and hassle.

The principal 'Windows' software development environment is called MS Visual Studio. C#.Net & 'VB.Net' are the preferred languages to learn. You can find out about these by reading our dedicated Programming & Development web pages. The main certifications are currently the 'MCTS' & MCPD (having replaced the older 'MCAD' and MCSD.)

Microsoft MCSE Training Courses >>