In total, there are 2 A+ examinations and study sections, and you need to pass both of them to be considered A+ competent. Training courses in A+ are about fault finding and diagnosing - via hands on and remote access, in addition to building, fixing, repairing and understanding antistatic conditions. It could be a good idea to think about supplementing the A+ with Network + as it will give you the knowledge to become a networking engineer, and have a more responsible working role.

A knowledgeable and specialised consultant (vs a salesperson) will ask questions and seek to comprehend your current situation. This is useful for establishing your starting level of study. Where you have a strong background, or maybe some work-based experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it's likely your starting point will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever. Commencing with a basic PC skills course first can be the best way to start into your IT program, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

Of course: the training course or the accreditation isn't the end-goal; the particular job that you want is. Many trainers unfortunately place too much importance on the qualification itself. Students often train for a single year but end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don't make the error of finding what seems like an 'interesting' course and then put 10-20 years into an unrewarding career!

It's essential to keep your focus on what it is you're trying to achieve, and create a learning-plan from that - not the other way round. Keep on track - making sure you're training for a job you'll enjoy for years to come. We recommend that students seek advice from a professional advisor before you begin a particular training course, so there's no doubt that the content of a learning package provides the skills necessary.

It only makes sense to consider learning programmes that lead to industry accepted exams. There's an endless list of small companies suggesting their own 'in-house' certificates which aren't worth the paper they're printed on in today's commercial market. Only nationally recognised certification from the top companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe and Cisco will be useful to a future employer.

When did you last consider your job security? Normally, this isn't an issue until we experience a knock-back. However, The cold truth is that our job security has gone the way of the dodo, for the vast majority of people. Now, we only experience security in a quickly rising market, pushed forward by work-skills shortages. It's this alone that creates just the right background for a secure market - a far better situation.

With the computer business for instance, a recent e-Skills analysis showed a national skills shortage in the country in excess of 26 percent. Put directly, we can't properly place more than three out of every four jobs in the computing industry. Accomplishing in-depth commercial computer certification is thus an effective route to a long-lasting as well as enjoyable career. We can't imagine if a better time or market circumstances will exist for obtaining certification in this rapidly expanding and budding sector.

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