A study programme should always lead to a nationally (or globally) recognised exam as an end-goal - not a useless 'in-house' diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting. Unless your qualification is issued by a major player like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then chances are it will be commercially useless - because no-one will recognise it.

Following on from the 'CCNA', you'll find an array of specialized qualifications to pick from. You could get into Wi-Fi, or 'Security', or perhaps even on to your Cisco Certified Networking Professional ('CCNP'). It's not a good idea to consider taking the 'CCNP' until you've fully accomplished your CCNA. You should expect to be working in a 'Cisco' environment for at least one or two years (having got your CCNA accreditation) before you started to study for the 'CCNP'. If however you've already been in IT for a while, and perhaps gained a accreditation that is equivalent to a CCNA (for instance during military service) you might possibly move straight to 'CCNP'. In reality an employer won't look at you for any high level post without a reasonable degree of CCNA stage working experience and understanding of networks.

It's quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on something that can make a profound difference to their results - the way their training provider segments the courseware, and into how many bits. Training companies will normally offer a program spread over 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you pass each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: How would they react if you didn't complete every module at the proposed pace? Often the staged order won't be as easy as some other structure would for you.

Ideally, you want everything at the start - enabling you to have them all to return to any point - irrespective of any schedule. You can also vary the order in which you complete your exams if you find another route more intuitive.

A typical blunder that many potential students make is to concentrate on the course itself, rather than starting with where they want to get to. Colleges are brimming over with students that chose an 'interesting' course - rather than what would get them an enjoyable career or job. Don't let yourself become one of those unfortunate people who select a program that sounds really 'interesting' and 'fun' - and end up with a plaque on the wall for a career they'll never really get any satisfaction from.

You must also consider what your attitude is towards career progression and earning potential, and how ambitious you are. You should understand what (if any) sacrifices you'll need to make for a particular role, what accreditations are needed and how to develop your experience. Always seek guidance and advice from an industry professional, even if you have to pay - it's considerably cheaper and safer to discover early on whether a chosen track will suit, rather than realise following two years of study that you've picked the wrong track and now need to go back to square one.

Getting your first commercial position can feel more straightforward with the help of a Job Placement Assistance program. Don't get caught up in this feature - it's easy for their marketing department to make too much of it. At the end of the day, the massive skills shortage in the United Kingdom is why employers will be interested in you.

Whatever you do, don't leave it until you have qualified before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start a course, enter details of your study programme and tell people about it! It's not unusual to find that you will get your initial job while you're still a student (even in the early stages). If your course details aren't on your CV - or it's not getting in front of interviewers, then you aren't even in the running! You can usually expect better performance from a specialist locally based employment agency than you'll experience from any training company's centralised service, as they'll know the area better.

Various students, so it seems, are prepared to study their hearts out (for years sometimes), and then just stop instead of attempting to secure their first job. Promote yourself... Work hard to let employers know about you. Don't expect a job to just fall into your lap.

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