There are four specialist areas of training in a full CompTIA A+ program; you're thought of as competent at A+ when you've achieved certifications for half of them. Because of this, most training providers offer only two of the training courses. In fact you're advised to have the information on each subject as industry will demand an understanding of each specialist area. It's not essential to complete all 4 certifications, but we would recommend you study for all four areas.

A+ certification on its own will set you up to mend and maintain laptops, Macs and PC's; ones that are most often not part of a network - this generally applies to home use and small companies. Were you to add Network+ to your A+ course, you'll also learn how to assist with or manage networks of computers, giving you the facility to move further up the career path.

Finding job security in this economic down-turn is very unusual. Businesses will throw us out of the workplace at a moment's notice - as long as it fits their needs. However, a fast growing sector, with a constant demand for staff (through a big shortfall of properly qualified professionals), creates the conditions for true job security.

The 2006 national e-Skills analysis demonstrated that over 26 percent of IT jobs cannot be filled because of an appallingly low number of trained staff. Or, to put it differently, this means that the country is only able to source 3 certified professionals for each four job positions available now. Highly skilled and commercially certified new workers are therefore at a total premium, and it looks like they will be for a long time. While the market is developing at the speed it is, is there any other area of industry worth looking at for a new future.

The world of information technology is amongst the most exciting and ground-breaking industries that you can get into right now. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology is to do your bit in the gigantic changes that will impact the whole world for generations to come. Computer technology and communication via the internet is going to radically shape our lives over the coming years; incredibly so.

A regular IT man or woman in the United Kingdom can demonstrate that they earn much more than fellow workers outside of IT. Average incomes are amongst the highest in the country. Experts agree that there's a significant nationwide need for professionally qualified IT workers. Also, with the marketplace continuing to expand, it appears this will be the case for quite some time to come.

Getting into your first IT role can be a little easier if you're supported with a Job Placement Assistance service. With the huge need for more IT skills in the UK right now, it's not too important to place too much emphasis on this feature however. It's not as difficult as you may be led to believe to find the right work once you're trained and certified.

CV and Interview advice and support should be offered (if it isn't, consult one of our sites). It's essential that you polish up your CV straight away - don't leave it till you pass the exams! Having the possibility of an interview is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior support roles are bagged by students who are still at an early stage in their studies. Generally, a local IT focused employment agency (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) should get better results than any recruitment division from a training organisation. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the area and local employers better.

Not inconsiderable numbers of men and women, it seems, put a great deal of effort into their studies (sometimes for years), only to do nothing special when trying to get a good job. Introduce yourself... Do your best to get in front of employers. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

Usually, the normal trainee doesn't have a clue in what direction to head in IT, or even what market is worth considering for retraining. Perusing long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Most of us have no idea what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the complexities of a particular IT career. To get through to the essence of this, a discussion is necessary, covering several unique issues:

* What hobbies you're involved with in your spare-time - these often highlight what things will give you the most reward.

* What length of time can you allocate for your training?

* What priority do you place on salary vs job satisfaction?

* There are many different sectors to gain certifications for in the IT industry - there's a need to gain a solid grounding on what makes them different.

* Having a good look at what commitment and time you'll make available.

In actuality, it's obvious that the only real way to investigate these areas tends to be through a good talk with an advisor who has experience of the IT industry (as well as the commercial needs and requirements.)