If you're looking for an MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) study program, you should know that there are many different types of training; some are much better than others. You'll discover a selection of programs, whether you're new to the industry, or an experienced technician looking to formalise your skills with certification. If you're considering joining the IT workplace for the 1st time, you're very likely to have to pick up some skills prior to tackling the MCP's (Microsoft Certified Professional exams) that are necessary to pass the MCSA. Identify a training company that can design a course to cater for you - try to discuss this with an industry expert to sort out what the best way forward is for you.

Commercially accredited qualifications are now, most definitely, starting to replace the older academic routes into the IT sector - so why has this come about? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, the IT sector has had to move to the specialised core-skills learning that can only be obtained from the actual vendors - for example companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. Often this saves time and money for the student. Patently, a certain portion of relevant additional detail has to be learned, but focused specifics in the required areas gives a commercially trained student a massive advantage.

Assuming a company knows what they're looking for, then they simply need to advertise for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and do not vary between trainers (like academia frequently can and does).

You have to be sure that all your accreditations are what employers want - don't even consider studies which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you'd printed it yourself). To an employer, only the top companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (for instance) will make the right impression. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

With so much choice, does it really shock us that a large majority of students get stuck choosing the job they will enjoy. After all, without any know-how of IT in the workplace, how can you expect to know what any qualified IT worker actually does day-to-day? Let alone arrive at which certification program will be most suitable for ultimate success. To get to the bottom of this, we need to discuss a number of core topics:

* Personalities play a starring role - what gets you 'up and running', and what are the things that put a frown on your face.

* Is your focus to get qualified because of a specific reason - i.e. do you aim to work from home (maybe self-employment?)?

* Is your income higher on your priority-list than other factors.

* Looking at the many markets that IT encompasses, you really need to be able to absorb how they differ.

* Our advice is to think deeply about what kind of effort and commitment you're going to invest in the accreditation program.

When all is said and done, your only chance of investigating all this is via an in-depth discussion with someone who has enough background to lead you to the correct decision.

If your advisor doesn't ask many questions - the likelihood is they're just a salesperson. If they're pushing towards a particular product before learning about your history and experience, then it's definitely the case. If you've got any work-based experience or some accreditation, your starting-point of learning is different from a beginner. Always consider starting with a user-skills course first. It can brush up on your current abilities and make the transition to higher-level learning a much easier going.

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