Should you want a career in network support then the MCSA course would be right for you. Whether you're about to join the IT industry or already have experience but need a professional certificate, a range of courses exist to fulfil your needs. Search for an organisation that's eager to get to know you, and can sort out the best route for you, even before they start thinking about the relevant training. They will also be in a position to tell you where to commence based on your present skill-set or lack of it.

Students looking to build an IT career generally don't know which path they should take, or which sector to build their qualifications around. What is our likelihood of grasping what is involved in a particular job when we haven't done that before? We normally have never met anyone who does that actual job anyway. Ultimately, an informed decision only comes through a careful analysis of many shifting factors:

* Personalities play a starring role - what things get your juices flowing, and what are the activities that really turn you off.

* What time-frame are you looking at for the retraining?

* Where do you stand on travelling time and locality vs salary?

* When taking into account all that computing covers, you'll need to be able to understand what's different.

* You should also think long and hard about what kind of effort and commitment you're going to invest in gaining your certifications.

For the average person, dissecting all these ideas will require meeting with an experienced pro who has direct industry experience. And not just the qualifications - you also need to understand the commercial needs and expectations of the market as well.

The somewhat scary thought of securing your first job can be made easier by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance service. At the end of the day it isn't so complicated as you might think to secure a job - assuming you're well trained and qualified; because there's still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

You would ideally have help with your CV and interview techniques though; and we'd encourage any student to bring their CV up to date as soon as they start a course - don't delay till you've finished your exams. Various junior support roles are offered to students who are in the process of training and have still to get qualified. At least this will get you on your way. The top companies to help you find a job are normally independent and specialised local recruitment services. Because they only get paid when they place you, they're perhaps more focused on results.

Various trainees, apparently, conscientiously work through their course materials (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to attempting to secure a good job. Introduce yourself... Make an effort to get yourself known. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, most definitely, taking over from the older academic routes into the industry - but why is this the case? Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is far more effective and specialised. Industry has become aware that such specialised knowledge is necessary to meet the requirements of a technically advancing workplace. Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA are the key players in this arena. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but the principle objective is to cover the precise skills needed (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without going into too much detail in all sorts of other things (as academia often does).

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty: Commercial IT certifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - the title is a complete giveaway: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. Therefore an employer can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are required to perform the job.

IT has become one of the more exciting and ground-breaking industries you could be involved with. To be dealing with leading-edge technology is to be a part of the massive changes that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We're only just starting to get an inclination of how technology will influence everything we do. Computers and the web will profoundly transform the way we regard and interrelate with the world around us over the years to come.

The standard IT technician throughout Britain can demonstrate that they earn a lot more money than his or her counterpart in much of the rest of the economy. Standard IT incomes are amongst the highest in the country. The requirement for appropriately qualified IT professionals is assured for many years to come, due to the ongoing increase in the marketplace and the massive deficiency that we still have.