Commercial qualifications are now, undoubtedly, already replacing the more academic tracks into the IT sector - why then is this happening? Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector has become aware that this level of specialised understanding is essential to handle an increasingly more technical marketplace. Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA dominate in this arena. Essentially, only required knowledge is taught. It's not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle objective is to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) - without attempting to cover a bit about everything else (as academia often does).

Think about if you were the employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What is easier: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from various applicants, having to ask what each has covered and what workplace skills have been attained, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You'll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

Beginning with the understanding that it makes sense to find the market that sounds most inviting first, before we can chew over what method of training ticks the right boxes, how do we know the correct route? As in the absence of any commercial skills in the IT industry, how can most of us be expected to know what a particular job actually consists of? Getting to the right choice will only come from a detailed analysis of several altering criteria:

- Your individual personality as well as your interests - which work-oriented areas you love or hate.

- Is it your desire to realise a closely held dream - for example, working from home someday?

- How highly do you rate salary - is it very important, or is day-to-day enjoyment further up on the scale of your priorities?

- Many students don't properly consider the energy demanded to attain their desired level.

- You will need to take in what is different for each area of training.

The bottom line is, the only real way of investigating all this is from a long chat with an advisor that understands the market well enough to give you the information required.

Consider only retraining paths which move onto commercially approved qualifications. There are far too many small companies promoting unknown 'in-house' certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. From the viewpoint of an employer, only top businesses such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (for instance) will open the right doors. Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard.

Being at the forefront of progressive developments in new technology really is electrifying. You're involved with creating a future for us all. We've only just begun to get an inclination of how technology will define our world. Computers and the web will significantly transform the way we see and interact with the world as a whole over the coming decades.

Let's not ignore salaries also - the average salary in the UK for the usual IT employee is a lot more than in other market sectors. Odds are you'll bring in a much greater package than you would in most other jobs. It's no secret that there is a considerable national requirement for certified IT specialists. Also, with the constant growth in the marketplace, it appears there will be for a good while yet.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but getting your first role in IT is often relieved because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. Don't get caught up in this feature - it's quite easy for eager sales people to overplay it. The fact of the matter is, the huge shortage of staff in the United Kingdom is why employers will be interested in you.

However, what is relevant is to have CV and Interview advice and support though; also we would encourage everybody to update their CV the day they start training - don't wait till you've finished your exams. Getting onto the 'maybe' pile of CV's is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior jobs are got by trainees (sometimes when they've only just got going.) If it's important to you to find work near your home, then you'll probably find that a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service might be of more use than a national service, because they are much more inclined to be familiar with local employment needs.

Fundamentally, as long as you put the same commitment into getting a job as into studying, you're not going to hit many challenges. Some students curiously put hundreds of hours into their training course and do nothing more once certified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

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