There are four A+ exams and areas of study, but you’re just expected to get certified in 2 to be considered A+ competent. For this reason, most training colleges only offer 2 paths. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will provide you with a far greater perspective of the subject, which you’ll find an important asset in professional employment.

Qualifying in CompTIA A+ on its own will set you up to repair and fix stand alone Macs, computers and laptops; principally ones that aren’t joined to a network – essentially the domestic or small business sector.

Should you be thinking of being responsible for networks of computers, you’ll need to add CompTIA Network+ to the CompTIA A+ training you’re doing. This qualification will mean you can command a more senior job role. Alternatively, you may prefer the networking qualifications from Microsoft, i.e. MCP, MCSA MCSE.

Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often be the case, on the training process. You’re not training for the sake of training; this is about gaining commercial employment. Focus on the end-goal.

You could be training for only a year and end up doing the job for 20 years. Don’t make the error of finding what seems like a program of interest to you and then put 10-20 years into something you don’t even enjoy!

Make sure you investigate your leanings around career progression and earning potential, plus your level of ambition. You need to know what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what accreditations are needed and how to develop your experience.

Seek out help from a professional advisor that understands the sector you wish to join, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ understanding of of what you’ll be doing with each working day. It’s good sense to discover if this is the right course of action for you before you embark on your training program. After all, what is the point in starting to train only to discover you’re on the wrong course.

If you’re thinking of using a training school that is still using workshops as a benefit of their course, then consider these problems met by most IT hopefuls:

* Loads of travelling – multiple visits and quite often over 100 miles a pop.

* Weekday access for workshops is the norm, and getting two to three days out of work is usually problematic for a lot of trainees who are working.

* Lost holiday days – a lot of workers only get 4 weeks annual leave. If you give up at least half to your educational events, you haven’t got a great deal of holiday time remaining for students and their families.

* ‘In-Centre’ days usually get fully subscribed quite quickly, meaning we have to accept the ‘2nd best’ solution.

* Workshop pace – classes can feature trainees of different abilities, so tension can run high between those that want to go quickly as opposed to those with less experience.

* A lot of trainees talk of the high costs involved with all the travelling back and forth to the training centre while forking out for food and accommodation can get very high.

* Many trainees want training privacy to avoid any kind of come-back whilst in their current job.

* Surely, all of us at some time have avoided putting our hand’s up, because we didn’t want to look stupid?

* Working and living away – a lot of attendees find they’re living or working somewhere else for part of their training. Days in-centre become very difficult then, unfortunately the money has already changed hands as part of your fees.

Wouldn’t it be better to watch a video and study with instructors one-to-one in pre-filmed modules, doing them at your convenience – not somebody else’s.

Just imagine… With a notebook PC you’re able to study in any location you choose. And 24×7 support is just a web-browser away in case you get challenged.

You have the ability to come back to any of the study units at any time you feel you need to. You also don’t need to take notes because the class is available whenever you want it.

Put simply: You save on money, time, hassle and steer clear of killing more trees.

(C) Jason Kendall. Look at LearningLolly.com for great career tips on Comptia Training and Comptia Network+.