As you've arrived here it's possible that you're about to make a move into the great world of IT and an MCSE certificate appeals to you, or you're already a professional and it's apparent that the next stage is a qualification such as MCSE.

Take care to ensure you prove conclusively that your training company is actually training you on the most up-to-date Microsoft version. Many students become very demoralised when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated MCSE program which will have to be revised. Providers ought to be devoted to finding the right path for aspiring trainees. Directing learning is equally about guiding people on establishing which way to go, as it is giving them help to reach their destination.

One area often overlooked by trainees weighing up a particular programme is 'training segmentation'. Basically, this means the way the course is divided up for timed release to you, which vastly changes the point you end up at. Many companies enrol you into a program typically taking 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you pass each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: It's not unusual for trainees to realise that the company's usual training route isn't as suitable as another. Sometimes, a slightly different order suits them better. Perhaps you don't make it in the allotted time?

In an ideal situation, you'd get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - enabling you to have them all for the future to come back to - at any time you choose. Variations can then be made to the order that you attack each section if another more intuitive route presents itself.

When was the last time you considered the security of your job? For most people, this issue only becomes a talking point when something dramatic happens to shake us. But really, the painful truth is that our job security doesn't really exist anymore, for the vast majority of people. Where there are growing skills deficits and growing demand however, we can find a fresh type of security in the marketplace; as fuelled by conditions of continuous growth, organisations struggle to find the influx of staff needed.

Taking the IT sector for instance, the 2006 e-Skills investigation highlighted major skills shortages in the UK in excess of 26 percent. Or, to put it differently, this shows that the country only has three properly accredited workers for each 4 job positions that exist now. This single concept alone underpins why Great Britain urgently requires so many more trainees to become part of the industry. Surely, now really is such a perfect time to retrain into the computer industry.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and completely avoid what it's all actually about - which is a commercial career or job. Always begin with the final destination in mind - don't make the vehicle more important than the destination. Avoid becoming one of the unfortunate masses who set off on a track which looks like it could be fun - and end up with a certification for a job they hate.

It's essential to keep your focus on 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 a job that will keep you happy for many years. Our recommendation would be to always seek guidance and advice from an experienced industry advisor before making your final decision on a study programme, so you're sure from the outset that a program provides the appropriate skill-set.

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