The CompTIA A+ course comprises of 4 specialised sectors - you need to pass exams in just two sectors to be seen as competent in A+. Because of this, most training providers limit their course to 2 of the 4 sectors. We think this isn't enough - sure, you can pass an exam, but knowledge of every section will give you greater confidence in the workplace, where you'll need to know about all of them. That's the reason why you should train in all four areas.

CompTIA A+ by itself will give you the ability to repair and fix stand-alone PC's and MAC's; ones which are usually not part of a network - this generally applies to home use and small companies. Perhaps you see yourself as the kind of individual who is involved with a big team - supporting, fixing and maintaining networks, add Network+ to your CompTIA A+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft to give you a better comprehension of the way networks operate.

It only makes sense to consider learning programs which grow into commercially approved exams. There are loads of small colleges promoting their own 'in-house' certificates which will prove unusable when you start your job-search. You'll find that only recognised examinations from the top companies like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA and Cisco will open the doors to employers.

Many individuals don't understand what IT is doing for all of us. It's thrilling, changing, and means you're working on technology that will change our world over the next few decades. We're only just starting to get a handle on how all this will mould and change our lives. How we interact with the world will be profoundly affected by technology and the web.

The average IT man or woman throughout Britain has been shown to get a lot more than fellow workers outside of IT. Standard IT wages are hard to beat nationally. There is a great national demand for qualified IT professionals. And as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it appears there will be for years to come.

Consider the points below carefully if you're inclined to think that over-used sales technique about an 'Exam Guarantee' sounds great value:

It's become essential these days that we have to be a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks - and usually we know that for sure it is something we're paying for (it isn't free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Qualifying on the first 'go' is what everyone wants to do. Progressively working through your exams when it's appropriate and funding them one at a time puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you prepare appropriately and are conscious of what you've spent.

Do the examinations somewhere local and find the best exam deal or offer available then. What's the point in paying early for exams when you didn't need to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are charging all their exam fees up-front - and then hoping that you won't take them all. Don't forget, with 'Exam Guarantees' from most places - the company decides when you are allowed to do a re-take. They'll only allow a re-take once completely satisfied.

Exam fees averaged about 112 pounds in the last 12 months through UK VUE or Prometric centres. So what's the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that the best guarantee is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

Some commercial training providers only provide basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Always avoid study programmes that only provide support to students via an out-sourced call-centre message system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Training organisations will always try to hide the importance of this issue. The simple fact of the matter is - you need support when you need support - not as-and-when it's suitable for their staff.

If you look properly, you'll find professional companies that recommend and use direct-access support 24x7 - even in the middle of the night. If you fail to get yourself online 24x7 support, you'll regret it very quickly. You might not want to use the service in the middle of the night, but consider weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.