Getting your first commercial position sometimes feels easier to handle if you're supported with a Job Placement Assistance facility. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though - it's easy for their marketing department to make too much of it. In reality, the need for well trained IT people in Britain is what will enable you to get a job.

Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don't procrastinate and leave it till the exams have actually been passed. Quite frequently, you'll land your first role while still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn't say what you're learning - or it's not getting in front of interviewers, then you aren't even in the running! You can usually expect better results from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than any training course provider's centralised service, as they'll know the local area and commercial needs better.

A good number of people, so it seems, put a great deal of effort into their studies (for years sometimes), only to do nothing special when attempting to secure a good job. Market yourself... Work hard to let employers know about you. Good jobs don't just knock on your door.

Potential trainees hoping to get an Information Technology career usually don't know which direction to follow, or which area to obtain accreditation for. How likely is it for us to understand what is involved in a particular job when we haven't done that before? We normally have never met anyone who does that actual job anyway. To work through this, a discussion is necessary, covering a number of definitive areas:

- Your personality type plus what interests you - which working tasks you love or hate.

- Is it your desire to achieve a specific goal - for example, becoming self-employed in the near future?

- How important is salary to you - is it very important, or is day-to-day enjoyment higher up on the priority-scale?

- Often, trainees don't consider the amount of work involved to gain all the necessary accreditation.

- You have to understand the differences across each area of training.

For the majority of us, sifting through all these ideas requires a good chat with an advisor that knows what they're talking about. Not only the qualifications - but the commercial requirements and expectations of the market as well.

It's likely that you've always enjoyed practical work - the 'hands-on' person. If you're anything like us, the painful task of reading endless manuals can be just about bared when essential, but it's not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if learning from books is not your thing. Memory is vastly improved when multiple senses are involved - educational experts have expounded on this for many years.

The latest home-based training features interactive CD and DVD ROM's. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you'll learn your subject by way of the expert demonstrations. You can then test yourself by practicing and interacting with the software. Each company you're contemplating must be pushed to demo samples of the materials provided for study. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and a variety of interactive modules.

You should avoid purely online training. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where available, as you need to be able to use them whenever it's convenient for you - it's not wise to be held hostage to a good broadband connection all the time.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and avoid focusing on why you're doing this - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always begin with the end in mind - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle. It's possible, for example, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a tiresome job role, simply because you did it without some quality research when you should've - at the outset.

Set targets for how much you want to earn and what level of ambition fits you. Usually, this will point the way to which precise certifications will be expected and what industry will expect from you in return. Have a conversation with an experienced industry advisor that has a background in the industry you're considering, and who'll explain to you an in-depth explanation of what tasks are going to make up a typical day for you. Getting all these things right before commencement of any retraining course will prevent a lot of wasted time and effort.

The right sort of training package will undoubtedly incorporate accredited exam preparation packages. Because the majority of IT examining boards are American, you'll need to be used to the correct phraseology. It's not sufficient merely understanding random questions - they need to be in the proper exam format. Clearly, it is vital to make sure you've thoroughly prepared for your final certified exam before embarking on it. Practicing 'mock' exams adds to your knowledge bank and helps to avoid unsuccessful attempts at exams.

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