Be watchful that any certifications you're considering doing will be recognised by employers and are up-to-date. The 'in-house' certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless. If the accreditation doesn't feature a major player like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA, then you may discover it won't be commercially viable - because no-one will recognise it.

Most of us would love to think that our jobs will remain secure and the future is protected, but the likely scenario for most sectors throughout Great Britain at the moment appears to be that security may be a thing of the past. Of course, a sector experiencing fast growth, with a constant demand for staff (because of a growing shortfall of properly qualified people), opens the possibility of true job security.

Reviewing the Information Technology (IT) industry, a recent e-Skills study showed a 26 percent shortage in trained professionals. Or, to put it differently, this reveals that the country only has 3 trained people for each four job positions that are available at the moment. This single truth on its own clearly demonstrates why the UK urgently requires many more new trainees to become part of the IT industry. Surely, now, more than ever, really is the very best time to train for the computing industry.

The age-old way of teaching, with books and manuals, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If you're nodding as you read this, look for learning programmes which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Long-term memory is enhanced when multiple senses are involved - learning experts have been saying this for years now.

Interactive audio-visual materials utilising video demo's and practice lab's will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you'll find them fun and interesting. It's very important to see some example materials from your chosen company. They have to utilise video, demonstrations and various interactive elements.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where offered, enabling them to be used at your convenience - it's not wise to be held hostage to a quality and continuous internet connection.

Studying time is usually established as close to three hundred to three hundred and fifty hours for the 'MCSA' and 500 to 550 hrs for the MCSE, assuming quality multi-media study materials, 24-hour use of student support, & some effective examination prep software. So with experience you can actually successfully complete them in about 8-12 months training part-time. When you a new comer to the IT sector though, you should look at starting on CompTIA 'A+' and Network+ first. Details of these qualifications are available on their specific pages on this website, however this should add 200 hrs or six months of part time training into the mix, maybe a little longer.

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