A so-called advisor who doesn't ask many questions - it's likely they're really a salesperson. If someone pushes specific products before looking at your personality and whether you have any commercial experience, then it's definitely the case. In some circumstances, the training start-point for someone experienced in some areas is often massively dissimilar to someone without. Where this will be your opening stab at an IT exam then it may be wise to begin with some basic user skills first.

People at the beginning of their PC user learning curve should choose the ECDL. The "ECDL" will educate you on how to use the basic features connected with 'Windows', which is the Operating System for most PCs. What's more , it goes through how to get on to the net, to enable you to use email to send and receive correspondence, & browse the whole of the web. A bit is additionally taught about how to use spreadsheets and do a little word processing.

The next step is to gain some more formalised instruction to boost your CV or equip you for additional functions at work. One of the most common of these is more advanced training in Microsoft Office. The key certifications are the Microsoft Office Specialist ('MOS') and the Microsoft 'Certified Application Specialist' (MCAS.) MOS has been in use for longer & works with Office 2003 & XP, which continues to be very well used commercially. MCAS is based around Office 2007 and 'Vista', so undoubtedly carries better longevity. Both qualification paths have their own exams around the key Microsoft Office applications: Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheets), Access ('databases') & 'Powerpoint' ('presentations'.) These certifications will show a company that you're adequately skilled to implement these applications to their fullest level.

A number of people think that the state educational track is the way they should go. So why are commercially accredited qualifications beginning to overtake it? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, the IT sector has moved to the specialised training that can only come from the vendors - in other words companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time. They do this through concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with a relevant amount of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background detail and 'fluff' that degree courses can get bogged down in (to fill up a syllabus or course).

As long as an employer understands what they're looking for, then they simply need to advertise for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don't change between schools (as academic syllabuses often do).

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