As you're considering studying for an MCSE, you're probably in 1 of 2 situations. You might be ready to enter the computer sector, and your research tells you the IT industry has a huge demand for those with appropriate certifications. Or you possibly are a knowledgeable person wanting to formalise your skill set with the Microsoft qualification.

As you find out about training companies, ensure that you avoid those who reduce their costs by failing to use the latest version from Microsoft. This is no use to the trainee their knowledge will be of the wrong MCSE version which doesn't fall in with the existing exam programme, so it will make it very difficult for them to pass. Be aware of training companies who are just trying to sell you something. Always remember that buying an MCSE course is the same in a way as buying a car. They are not all equal; some are comfortable and reliable, whilst others will constantly let you down. A valid provider will offer you plenty of help to check you've got the correct course. If a company has a creditable product, you'll be shown samples of it before buying anything.

Qualifications from the commercial sector are now, undoubtedly, starting to replace the traditional routes into IT - why then is this the case? With the costs of academic degree's climbing ever higher, plus the IT sector's growing opinion that key company training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there has been a large rise in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA certified training routes that educate students for much less time and money. Typically, only that which is required is learned. It's slightly more broad than that, but the principle remains that students need to focus on the exact skills required (including a degree of required background) - without attempting to cover a bit about everything else (as universities often do).

Assuming a company knows what they're looking for, then all they have to do is advertise for someone with a specific qualification. The syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and don't change between schools (in the way that degree courses can).

One feature that many training companies provide is a Job Placement Assistance program. This is designed to steer you into your first IT role. Because of the great shortage of skills in the UK even when times are hard, there's no need to make too much of this option though. It isn't such a complex operation to get the right work once you're trained and certified.

However, don't leave it until you've passed your final exams before updating your CV. As soon as you start studying, list what you're working on and tell people about it! Quite frequently, you'll land your first job while you're still a student (even when you've just left first base). If your CV doesn't show your latest training profile (and it isn't in the hands of someone with jobs to offer) then you don't stand a chance! You'll normally experience quicker results from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you'll experience from any training company's centralised service, because they'll know the area better.

In a nutshell, if you put as much hard work into landing your first IT position as into studying, you won't find it too challenging. A number of people inexplicably spend hundreds of hours on their training and studies and just give up once they've passed their exams and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

Trainees looking at this market can be very practical by nature, and don't always take well to classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If this could be you, go for more modern interactive training, where you can learn everything on-screen. Research into the way we learn shows that much more of what we learn in remembered when all our senses are involved, and we put into practice what we've been studying.

The latest home-based training features self-contained CD or DVD materials. Through instructor-led video classes you'll learn your subject through the expert demonstrations. Then it's time to test your knowledge by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. Be sure to get a study material demo' from the school that you're considering. The materials should incorporate demo's from instructors, slideshows and virtual practice lab's for your new skills.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where possible, as you need to be able to use them whenever it's convenient for you - ISP quality varies, so you don't want to be totally reliant on your internet connection always being 'up' and available.

Typically, a new trainee will not know to ask about a vitally important element - how their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the courseware, and into how many separate packages. Usually, you will purchase a course requiring 1-3 years study and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. While this may sound logical on one level, consider this: Maybe the order of study prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. And what if you don't finish every element inside their defined time-scales?

For future safety and flexibility, it's normal for most trainees to request that all their modules (now paid for) are posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. That means it's down to you in which order and at what speed you want to finish things.

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