In today’s high speed society, support workers who have the ability to solve problems with PC’s and networks, plus give regular help to users, are hugely valuable in every sector of the economy. Our country’s need for larger numbers of qualified personnel is growing, as society becomes ever more dependent on computers in these modern times.

Now, why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications and not the usual academic qualifications taught at schools and Further Education colleges?

The IT sector is of the opinion that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, official accreditation from companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance – saving time and money.

In a nutshell, only that which is required is learned. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle remains that students need to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) – without trying to cram in everything else (as universities often do).

It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. The company just needs to know what areas need to be serviced, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but landing your first job can be relieved by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance service. Often, too much is made of this feature, as it is actually not that hard for a well trained and motivated person to secure work in IT – because there’s a great need for trained staff.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV should be offered (if not, see one of our sites for help). Ensure you work on your old CV today – don’t wait until you’ve finished your exams!

Getting onto the ‘maybe’ pile of CV’s is far better than not even being known about. A decent number of junior support jobs are got by trainees (who’ve only just left first base.)

The most reliable organisations to help you find a job are usually independent and specialised local recruitment services. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.

Essentially, if you put as much hard work into getting a position as into training, you’re not likely to experience problems. A number of trainees strangely invest a great deal of time on their learning program and just give up once they’ve got certified and seem to expect employers to find them.

All programs you’re considering really needs to work up to a nationally (or globally) recognised certification as an end-goal – not a useless ‘in-house’ diploma – fit only for filing away and forgetting.

Only nationally recognised examinations from the major players like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco and CompTIA will be useful to a future employer.

A successful training program will undoubtedly also include Microsoft (or key company) exam preparation packages.

Avoid depending on non-official exam preparation systems. The terminology of their questions is often somewhat different – and often this creates real issues when the proper exam time arrives.

Obviously, it’s essential to ensure that you’re completely ready for your final certified exam before taking it. Revising ‘mock’ exams logs the information in your brain and helps to avoid failed exams.