There are actually 2 different sectors in the complete CompTIA A+ course, of which you need to pass both for your A+ qualification. Courses in A+ computer training cover diagnostics and fault finding - both remote access and hands-on, as well as learning to build, repair and fix and operating in antistatic conditions. Perhaps you see yourself as the person who works for a larger company - fixing and supporting networks, build on A+ with Network+, or alternatively look at doing an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft as you'll need a better comprehension of how networks work.

It's usual for students to get confused with one area of their training which doesn't even occur to them: The breakdown of the course materials before being packaged off through the post. The majority of training companies will set up a program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you pass each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: What if you don't finish all the sections or exams? And what if the order provided doesn't meet your requirements? Through no fault of your own, you may not meet the required timescales and not get all the study materials as a result.

Ideally, you'd ask for every single material to be delivered immediately - enabling you to have them all to return to any point - irrespective of any schedule. This allows a variation in the order that you attack each section if another more intuitive route presents itself.

A number of trainees assume that the traditional school, college or university path is still the most effective. So why then are qualifications from the commercial sector beginning to overtake it? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has moved to the specialised core-skills learning that can only come from the vendors - namely companies like CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay. In essence, only required knowledge is taught. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but the principle objective is to focus on the exact skills required (alongside some required background) - without overdoing the detail in every other area - in the way that academic establishments often do.

What if you were an employer - and you needed to take on someone with a very particular skill-set. What's the simplest way to find the right person: Trawl through a mass of different academic qualifications from graduate applicants, asking for course details and which workplace skills have been attained, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that precisely match your needs, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

You should remember: a training itself or a qualification isn't the end-goal; the particular job that you want is. Many trainers unfortunately completely prioritise the certificate itself. Don't be part of that group who select a program that on the surface appears interesting - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for something they'll never enjoy.

You must also consider how you feel about earning potential, career development, plus your level of ambition. It makes sense to understand what will be expected of you, which exams they want you to have and how to develop your experience. Look for help from an experienced industry advisor that has commercial knowledge of your chosen market-place, and will be able to provide 'A day in the life of' synopsis of what you'll actually be doing day-to-day. It'd be sensible to discover if this is the right course of action for you before you jump into the study-program. There's little point in starting to train only to find you've gone the wrong way entirely.

Several companies offer a Job Placement Assistance facility, to help you get your first job. Ultimately it isn't a complex operation to secure the right work - as long as you're correctly trained and certified; because there's still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV should be offered (if not, see one of our sites for help). Make sure you update that dusty old CV today - don't leave it till you pass the exams! You might not even have taken your exams when you will get your initial junior support position; yet this won't be the case unless you've posted your CV on job sites. If you don't want to travel too far to work, then you'll probably find that a specialist locally based employment agency can generally work much better for you than a centralised service, for they're far more likely to have insider knowledge of what's available near you.

Essentially, if you put the same amount of effort into finding a job as into training, you're not going to hit many challenges. Some people curiously conscientiously work through their course materials and just give up once certified and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.

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