What is the reason why qualifications from colleges and universities are now falling behind more commercial certifications? Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is most often much more specialised. Industry is aware that this level of specialised understanding is vital to service the demands of an acceleratingly technical world. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the dominant players. Vendor training works through focusing on the actual skills required (along with an appropriate level of background knowledge,) as opposed to trawling through all the background 'padding' that degree courses often do - to fill a three or four year course.

If an employer knows what work they need doing, then all it takes is an advert for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses are set to exacting standards and aren't allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).

Speak with almost any practiced consultant and they can normally tell you many horror stories of how students have been duped by salespeople. Make sure you deal with an experienced industry professional who digs deep to discover the most appropriate thing for you - not for their pay-packet! It's very important to locate the right starting point of study for you. If you have a strong background, or maybe some commercial experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it's likely the point from which you begin your studies will be very different from a student that is completely new to the industry. It's usual to start with some basic user skills first. Beginning there can make the transition to higher-level learning a less steep.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but landing your first role in IT is often relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance programme. Often, this feature is bigged up too much, because it's relatively easy for any motivated and trained individual to land work in IT - as there is such a shortage of well trained people.

Having said that, it's important to have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; additionally, we would recommend everybody to bring their CV up to date as soon as they start a course - don't procrastinate and leave it until you've qualified. You may not have got to the stage where you've passed your first exam when you'll secure your initial junior support position; although this isn't going to happen if interviewers don't get sight of your CV. The most efficient companies to help you find a job are most often specialist independent regional recruitment consultancies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they're perhaps more focused on results.

Please make sure you don't invest a great deal of time on your training course, and then just stop and leave it in the hands of the gods to find you a job. Stand up for yourself and make your own enquiries. Put the same resource into finding your new role as it took to pass the exams.

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