We're regularly asked to explain why academic qualifications are being overtaken by more commercial certificates? The IT sector is now aware that for an understanding of the relevant skills, certified accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised - for much less time and money. Vendor training works by concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (together with a proportionate degree of associated knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background 'padding' that degrees in computing often do - to pad out the syllabus.

The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications provide exactly what an employer needs - everything they need to know is in the title: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. Consequently employers can identify exactly what they need and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

Always expect an authorised exam preparation system included in the package you choose. Because most IT examining boards are American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. It isn't good enough simply going through the right questions - they must be in an exam format that exactly replicates the real thing. For many reasons, it is vital to know that you are completely prepared for your commercial exam before embarking on it. Revising mock-up exams adds to your knowledge bank and will avoid you getting frustrated with wasted exam attempts.

It's quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on something of absolutely vital importance - how their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the training materials, and into what particular chunks. Most companies will sell you a program spread over 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you pass each exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following: What if you find the order offered by the provider doesn't suit. What if you find it hard to complete each and every section within their timetable?

For future safety and flexibility, it's normal for most trainees to insist that all study materials are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. You can then decide how fast or slow and in what order you'd like to work.

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