CompTIA A + has a total of four exams and areas of study, but you only need to get certified in 2 to qualify for your A+. Because of this, many educational establishments simply offer two. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will provide you with a much wider knowledge and understanding of it all, something you’ll appreciate as a Godsend in professional employment.

As well as learning how to build PC’s and fix them, students on an A+ training course will learn how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.

If you would like to be a man or woman who works for a larger company – fixing and supporting networks, build on A+ with Network+, or consider the Microsoft networking route (MCSA – MCSE) because it’s necessary to have a wider knowledge of how networks work.

Training support for students is an absolute must – ensure you track down something providing 24×7 full access, as not obtaining this level of support will severely hold up your pace and restrict your intake.

Find a good quality service with proper support available at any time you choose (even if it’s early hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re constantly waiting for a call-back at a convenient time for them.

Keep your eyes open for training programs that incorporate three or four individual support centres around the globe in several time-zones. All of them should be combined to give a single entry point and 24×7 access, when it’s convenient for you, with no hassle.

If you opt for less than online 24×7 support, you’ll quickly find yourself regretting it. You may not need it in the middle of the night, but consider weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

An all too common mistake that students everywhere can make is to concentrate on the course itself, and take their eye off the desired end-result. Training academies are brimming over with direction-less students who took a course because it seemed fun – in place of something that could gain them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed.

It’s possible, for instance, to obtain tremendous satisfaction from a year of studying only to end up putting 20 long years into something completely unrewarding, entirely because you stumbled into it without the correct level of soul-searching at the beginning.

Prioritise understanding what industry will expect from you. Which particular certifications they’ll want you to gain and how you’ll build your experience level. It’s definitely worth spending time assessing how far you’d like to get as often it can force you to choose a particular set of accreditations.

Sense dictates that you look for advice and guidance from an experienced industry professional before making your final decision on some particular training course, so there’s little doubt that the chosen route will give you the skill-set required for your career choice.

The sometimes daunting task of landing your first computer related job is often made easier by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. It can happen though that there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, for it’s really not that difficult for well qualified and focused men and women to find work in this industry – because companies everywhere are seeking qualified personnel.

Help with your CV and interview techniques is sometimes offered (if it isn’t, consult one of our sites). Make sure you work on your old CV today – don’t leave it till you pass the exams!

Quite often, you’ll land your initial role while you’re still a student (even when you’ve just left first base). If you haven’t updated your CV to say what you’re studying (and it isn’t in the hands of someone with jobs to offer) then you aren’t even in the running!

The most reliable organisations to help you find a job are normally local IT focused employment agencies. Because they make their money when they’ve found you a job, they’ll work that much harder to get a result.

A big grievance for a number of training providers is how hard trainees are prepared to study to get top marks in their exams, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the job they have trained for. Get out there and hustle – you might find it’s fun.

Have a conversation with a skilled consultant and they’ll entertain you with many awful tales of how students have been duped by salespeople. Make sure you deal with a skilled professional that asks lots of questions to find out what’s right for you – not for their bank-account! Dig until you find an ideal starting-point that fits you.

Remember, if in the past you’ve acquired any qualifications that are related, then you will often be able to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone who is new to the field.

Always consider starting with some basic PC skills training first. Starting there can make the transition to higher-level learning a much more gentle.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Visit Computer Training Courses or CareerChangeOptions.co.uk/acco.html.