Many training companies will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance facility, designed to steer you into your first job. Having said that, occasionally too much is made of this feature, for it is actually not that hard for well qualified and focused men and women to get work in the IT environment - as there is such a shortage of skilled employees.

Having said that, it's important to have CV and Interview advice and support though; and we'd encourage everybody to bring their CV up to date as soon as they start a course - don't wait for when you're ready to start work. Being considered a 'maybe' is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior support jobs are bagged by students (sometimes when they've only just got going.) Generally, you'll receive quicker results from a local IT focused recruitment consultant or service than you'll experience from any course provider's centralised service, because they'll know the local area and commercial needs better.

Not inconsiderable numbers of men and women, it would appear, invest a great deal of time on their training course (for years sometimes), and then just stop instead of looking for the right position. Market yourself... Make an effort to let employers know about you. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

A subtle way that training providers make more money is through up-front charges for exams and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. It looks like a good deal, until you think it through:

It's very clear we're still footing the bill for it - it's not so hard to see that it's been inserted into the full cost of the package supplied by the course provider. It's absolutely not free - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is! If you want to get a first time pass, evidence suggests you must pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and apply yourself as required.

Sit the exam somewhere local and don't pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you're ready. A lot of extra profit is made by a significant number of organisations that take the exam money up-front. For various reasons, many students don't take their exams and so the company is quids-in. Amazingly, providers exist who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - and that's how they increase their profits. Pay heed to the fact that, with most 'Exam Guarantees' - the company decides when you are allowed to have another go. You'll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they'll pay for another exam.

Exam fees averaged approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don't be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more to get 'Exam Guarantees', when it's no secret that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

If you're thinking of using a training academy that still provides workshops as part of their program, then take note of these typical downsides experienced by almost all students:

- Loads of travelling to and from the training centre - normally hundreds of miles.

- If you're working, then Mon-Fri workshops are hard to attend. Typically you are looking at 2-3 days at a time as well.

- The majority of us end up feeling 4 weeks off each year is not really enough. Use up at least half of this for training days and see your problems doubled.

- Training events can 'sell out' fast and will likely end up bigger than you'd hoped.

- Tension can be created in the classroom where most students want to move at a pace comfortable for them.

- Calculate the increasing cost of all the petrol, fares, accommodation, parking and food and you could find yourself astounded. Students mention extra costs of hundreds to thousands of pounds over time. Break it down - and see for yourself.

- The majority of attendees would like to keep their training completely private so as to avoid any come-back whilst in their current job.

- How many of us have avoided asking a question, because we didn't want to look stupid?

- For those of us who need to occasionally live away for part of the week, imagine the increased difficulty in getting to the required events, as time becomes even more scarce.

To find a more flexible route, exploit pre-filmed lessons at the location of your choice - and do it when it's convenient to you - not anyone else. Just imagine... Utilising a notebook PC you're able to work absolutely anywhere you want (within reason!) And 24 hr-a-day support is only a web-browser click away at times of difficulty. It doesn't matter how regularly you would like to re-take a quiz or test, video-based teachers won't ever lose patience! Also, with this method, note-taking is gone forever. It's already there for you. What could be more straightforward: You avoid travelling and wasting time and money; plus you've got a much more comfortable training setting.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and completely avoid what it's all actually about - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always start with the final destination in mind - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle. It's a sad fact, but a large percentage of students commence training that sounds magnificent from the sales literature, but which provides a job that doesn't satisfy. Just ask several college leavers to see what we mean.

Make sure you investigate what your attitude is towards career development, earning potential, and if you're ambitious or not. You need to know what industry expects from you, which exams are required and how you'll gain real-world experience. The best advice for students is to talk with a professional advisor before deciding on their learning program. This is required to ensure it contains the relevant skills for that career path.

Let's face it: There's very little evidence of personal job security anymore; there's really only market and sector security - companies can just let anyone go when it meets the company's business requirements. Of course, a quickly growing market-place, where staff are in constant demand (due to a growing shortfall of fully trained staff), opens the possibility of true job security.

Offering the Information Technology (IT) market for example, a recent e-Skills study showed a skills deficit throughout Great Britain in excess of 26 percent. This shows that for each four job positions in existence across the computer industry, we've only got three properly trained pro's to do them. Fully trained and commercially educated new staff are therefore at an absolute premium, and it seems it will continue to be so for a long time. Surely, now, more than ever, really is a fabulous time to train for the computer industry.

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