Computer training for CompTIA A+ has four specialist sections - the requirement is exam passes in 2 different areas to be A+ competent. Because of this, many training establishments restrict their A+ to just two of the four areas. We consider that this is too much of a compromise - of course you can gain accreditation, but knowing about the others will give you a distinct advantage in industry, where you'll need a more comprehensive understanding. That's the reason why you deserve training in the whole course.

A+ certification by itself will mean that you're able to repair and fix stand-alone PC's and MAC's; ones that are most often not part of a network - which means the home or small business market. Were you to add Network+ to your CompTIA A+ training course, you'll additionally be equipped to assist with or manage networks of computers, allowing you to command a higher salary.

Starting with the understanding that it's good to locate the job we want to do first and foremost, before we can consider which career development program meets that requirement, how can we choose the way that suits us? How can we possibly grasp the day-to-day realities of any IT job when we haven't done that before? Often we don't know someone who is in that area at all. To work through this, there should be a discussion of a variety of different aspects:

* What hobbies you have and enjoy - often these highlight what areas you'll get the most enjoyment out of.

* Do you want to re-train for a certain reason - i.e. are you pushing to work based from home (maybe self-employment?)?

* Does salary have a higher place on your wish list than some other areas.

* Often, trainees don't consider the time needed to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* You need to take in what is different for the myriad of training options.

To bypass the barrage of jargon, and uncover the best path to success, have an informal meeting with an industry-experienced advisor; someone who can impart the commercial reality as well as each certification.

Does job security really exist anywhere now? In a marketplace like the UK, where business constantly changes its mind on a day-to-day basis, we'd question whether it does. Security only exists now in a rapidly growing market, fuelled by work-skills shortages. These circumstances create the right environment for a secure marketplace - a more attractive situation all round.

Taking a look at the IT market, the most recent e-Skills analysis demonstrated a more than 26 percent deficit in trained staff. So, for every four jobs existing across the computer industry, businesses are only able to find properly accredited workers for three of the four. This single reality on its own shows why the UK needs considerably more workers to get trained and join the Information Technology market. Because the IT sector is evolving at such a quick pace, it's unlikely there's any better market worth considering for your new career.

Now, why might we choose commercial certification as opposed to the usual academic qualifications gained through schools and Further Education colleges? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, industry has of necessity moved to the specialised core-skills learning that can only be obtained from the actual vendors - namely companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time. Of course, a necessary degree of associated information must be covered, but core specifics in the required areas gives a commercially trained student a real head start.

When an employer understands what they're looking for, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. Syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and can't change from one establishment to the next (like academia frequently can and does).

If you forget everything else - then just remember this: You absolutely must have proper 24x7 instructor support. We can tell you that you'll strongly regret it if you don't adhere to this. Email support is too slow, and phone support is often to a call-centre who will make some notes and then email an advisor - who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you're there), when it's convenient to them. This is no good if you're lost and confused and can only study at specific times.

Be on the lookout for study programmes that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. All of them should be combined to enable simple one-stop access and access round-the-clock, when you need it, with no fuss. Don't compromise where support is concerned. The vast majority of IT hopefuls that fall by the wayside, are in that situation because of a lack of support.