The best type of training program will undoubtedly have Microsoft (or key company) exam preparation packages. Often students can find themselves confused by going through practice questions that are not from the authorised examining boards. Quite often, the terminology in the real exams can be quite different and you need to be ready for this. Practice exams can be very useful in helping you build your confidence - so much so, that at the real thing, you won't be worried.

Be alert that all certifications that you're considering will be recognised by employers and are current. The 'in-house' certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment. All the major IT organisations such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe all have nationally acknowledged skills courses. Major-league companies like these will make sure you're employable.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and avoid focusing on the reasons for getting there - which is of course employment. Your focus should start with the end in mind - too many people focus on the journey. Don't let yourself become one of those unfortunate people that choose a course that on the surface appears interesting - and end up with a plaque on the wall for an unrewarding career path.

You'll want to understand the expectations of your industry. Which precise certifications they will want you to have and how you'll build your experience level. Spend some time considering how far you'd like to progress your career as it will often affect your choice of accreditations. Look for advice and guidance from a skilled advisor, irrespective of whether you have to pay - it's usually much cheaper and safer to discover early on if something is going to suit and interest you, instead of discovering after two full years that you're doing entirely the wrong thing and have to return to the start of another program.

Adding in the cost of exams with the course fee then giving it 'Exam Guarantee' status is common for a good many training companies. However, let's consider what's really going on:

You'll pay for it ultimately. It's definitely not free - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package. People who go in for their examinations when it's appropriate, paying as they go are much better placed to get through first time. They are aware of what they've paid and revise more thoroughly to be up to the task.

Sit the exam somewhere close to home and find the best exam deal or offer available then. Paying upfront for exam fees (plus interest - if you're financing your study) is bad financial management. It's not your job to boost the training company's account with your money only to please their Bank Manager! A lot bank on the fact that you will never make it to exams - so they get to keep the extra funds. Don't forget, with the majority of Exam Guarantees - the company decides when you are allowed to have another go. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company's say so.

Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is foolish - when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is actually the key to your success.

The vendor-neutral world-wide organisation 'CompTIA' now offers perhaps the most familiar & widely respected impartial IT certifications. Organisations like 'ISC2' offer 'Security' qualifications, and CWNP provide specialised wireless networking paths. Most conspicuously needless to say are Cisco and Microsoft themselves, each providing their own certification paths. The choice might be rather overwhelming, and so we urge you to tread carefully & go through all your options with an expert who knows the process well. Without personally-tailored guidance you might head-off in the wrong-direction and waste considerable time or money.

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