A question; why might we choose commercial certification instead of familiar academic qualifications gained through tech' colleges and universities? Accreditation-based training (in industry terminology) is more effective in the commercial field. The IT sector has become aware that a specialist skill-set is essential to meet the requirements of a technologically complex world. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the big boys in this field. In essence, only required knowledge is taught. It's slightly more broad than that, but the principle remains that students need to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (alongside some required background) - without trying to cram in all sorts of other things - in the way that academic establishments often do.

Think about if you were the employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What is easier: Trawl through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and what vocational skills they've acquired, or choose particular accreditations 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 - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

You can break down the various accreditation tracks largely in line with the systems they relate to. They are 1) Network and Server Operating-Systems, 2) Programming and Software-Development within the Windows environment, & 3) Database Administration and Development. Each of these routes has it's own distinctive list of individual certification groups - which may be viewed in more depth by going through the relevant pages of this site.

Microsoft means the operating-system 'Windows' to most individuals who use personal computers. To some, it encompasses the key 'Office' applications used, either in the home or at work, to complete a number of every-day functions. Microsoft 'Word' is the most commonly utilised application for word-processing internationally. When we want spreadsheets we have Excel, and when we want database software we have Access. For delivering presentations, Office provides the software package PowerPoint, which completes the chief packages in the suite. There is nevertheless much more to 'Office' as a whole, for instance Microsoft Outlook serves as a calendar, e-mail & messaging-system.

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