The CCNA certification is where it all starts for Cisco training. This will enable you to handle the maintenance and installation of switches and routers. The internet is made up of many routers, and commercial ventures that have different locations utilise them to allow their networks of computers to communicate.

The kind of jobs requiring this knowledge mean you'll most probably work for large commercial ventures that have several different sites but need to keep in touch. Alternatively, you may find yourself being employed by an internet service provider. These jobs are well paid and in demand.

Qualifying up to the CCNA level is all you need at this stage - don't be pushed into attempting your CCNP straight away. Once you've got a few years experience behind you, you will know if this next level is for you. If so, you'll be much more capable to succeed at that stage - because you'll know so much more by then.

Getting your first commercial position can be a little easier if you're offered a Job Placement Assistance program. Don't get caught up in this feature - it's quite easy for eager sales people to make too much of it. Ultimately, the massive skills shortage in the UK is why employers will be interested in you.

However, what is relevant is to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; additionally, we would recommend any student to get their CV updated as soon as they start a course - don't procrastinate and leave it until you've graduated or passed any exams. You may not have got to the stage where you've got to the exam time when you land your first junior support role; however this isn't going to happen if your CV isn't in front of employers. If it's important to you to find work near your home, then you may well find that a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service might work much better for you than a centralised service, because they are much more inclined to be familiar with what's available near you.

A big aggravation of a number of course providers is how hard students are prepared to study to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the position they have qualified for. Don't give up when the best is yet to come.

Considering the amount of options that are available, does it really shock us that a large majority of trainees have no idea which career they will enjoy. Perusing a list of IT job-titles is next to useless. Surely, most of us have no concept what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so we have no hope of understanding the complexities of a new IT role. To work through this, there should be a discussion of several different aspects:

* Personalities play an important role - what gives you a 'kick', and what are the areas that put a frown on your face.

* Why it seems right starting in computing - is it to conquer a long-held goal like working from home maybe.

* The income requirements you have?

* Understanding what the main Information technology types and markets are - plus how they're different to each other.

* How much time you'll have available to set aside for the training program.

To bypass all the jargon and confusion, and discover the best path to success, have an informal chat with an advisor with years of experience; someone who can impart the commercial reality whilst covering each qualification.

Charging for examinations as an inclusive element of the package price then giving it 'Exam Guarantee' status is a popular marketing tool with many training course providers. Consider the facts:

It's very clear we're still paying for it - it's quite obvious to see that it's already in the overall figure from the course provider. It's absolutely not free - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is! Students who go in for their examinations when it's appropriate, paying for them just before taking them are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're conscious of the cost and revise more thoroughly to be ready for the task.

Doesn't it make more sense to go for the best offer at the appropriate time, instead of paying a premium to the college, and to do it in a local testing office - rather than in some remote centre? A lot of extra profit is netted by many training colleges that take the exam money up-front. Many students don't take them for one reason or another and so they pocket the rest. Believe it or not, there are providers who actually bank on it - as that's where a lot of their profit comes from. In addition to this, exam guarantees often have very little value. Most companies will not pay again for an exam until you can prove to them you're ready to pass.

Exams taken at local centres are in the region of 112 pounds in the UK. Why pay exorbitant 'Exam Guarantee' costs (most often hidden in the package) - when a quality course, support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

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