A subtle way that training providers make extra profits is via an 'exam inclusive' package and then including an 'Exam Guarantee'. It looks like a good deal, till you look at the facts:

You'll be charged for it by some means. You can be assured it's not a freebie - it's simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole. The fact is that when students fund each examination, one by one, they'll be in a better position to get through on the first attempt - since they'll think of their investment in themselves and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Doesn't it make more sense to not pay up-front, but at the time, not to pay any mark-up to the training course provider, and to do it in a local testing office - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call? A lot of extra profit is made by many training colleges who get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don't take them for one reason or another but no refunds are given. Amazingly, there are companies around who actually bank on it - as that's very profitable for them. Most companies will require you to sit pre-tests and not allow you to re-take an exam until you've demonstrated an excellent ability to pass - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on 'Exam Guarantees' is foolish - when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

Those who simply would like to have a better idea of how to work with a personal computer for basic operations, the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is the best program for you. The "ECDL" will teach you the way to use basic features connected with Microsoft Windows, - the actual Operating System for virtually all PC's. You can also get ti know about web browsers (so you're able to browse the web,) and e-mail software (so you can keep in contact with your friends.) You will also learn the basics of word-processing and a bit about what spreadsheets & databases are used for.

Moving things a step further, you may perhaps want more professional training to further improve your career prospects. A specialist working knowledge of Microsoft 'Office' is the next logical step. By far the most practical commercial certifications teaching 'Office' are 'Microsoft Office Specialist' and Microsoft 'Certified Application Specialist' (known recognised in industry as 'MOS' and MCAS). The MOS is based around the Microsoft Office 2003 environment under 'Windows XP' (still essentially the most popular commercially), whereas the MCAS features Windows 'Vista' & Office 2007, so could be better suited for the future. Both accreditation paths contain individual examinations around the major Microsoft Office applications: 'Excel' for 'spreadsheets', "Access" for 'databases', 'Powerpoint' for presentations & Word for word-processing. The advantage of acquiring these qualifications is that they confirm your advanced competency level for working with these packages.

Getting your first commercial position is often made easier if you're supported with a Job Placement Assistance program. Sometimes, there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, as it is genuinely quite straightforward for a well trained and motivated person to get a job in this industry - because companies everywhere are seeking trained staff.

Work on polishing up your CV right away however - look to your training company for advice on how to do this. Don't delay until you've qualified. It can happen that you haven't even qualified when you land your first junior support position; but this can't and won't happen unless your CV is with employers. The top companies to help you land that job are normally specialist locally based employment services. Because they only get paid when they place you, they're perhaps more focused on results.

A good number of people, it seems, conscientiously work through their course materials (sometimes for years), only to give up at the first hurdle when trying to get a good job. Sell yourself... Make an effort to get in front of employers. Don't expect a job to just fall into your lap.

In most cases, your normal IT hopeful has no idea in what direction to head in a computing career, or even what sector to focus their retraining program on. What are the chances of us grasping the many facets of a particular career when we haven't done that before? Most likely we haven't met someone who does that actual job anyway. The key to answering this question properly flows from a deep discussion of a number of areas:

- The type of personality you have plus what interests you - which working tasks you love or hate.

- What length of time can you allocate for retraining?

- What priority do you place on salary vs job satisfaction?

- With so many areas to train for in Information Technology - it's wise to gain some key facts on what sets them apart.

- Taking a good look at the level of commitment, time and effort you can give.

When all is said and done, the most intelligent way of understanding everything necessary is from a good talk with someone that through years of experience will lead you to the correct decision.

Careers in IT tend to be broken down into a number of main categories: Programming (including Software-Development), Networking (which includes Support & Security), Web-Design (including both creative and technical) and Databases (including Administration and Development). Within each sector there are particular skills to master, & qualifications to achieve. Each category features numerous accreditation levels achieve. Software Development satisfies a different sort of person to website design, which satisfies a different sort of person to networking & support. When you have had a chance to get guidance on all of the IT sectors, you will be much more comfortable that you've chosen the best career path for you.