If you're thinking about a job in supporting networks then the MCSA course is the ideal one for you. Whether you're about to get started in the industry or have previous knowledge but need a professional certificate, there's a range of courses to suit your requirements. Each option requires different material, so ensure you've got the right course in advance of spending your money. Search for an organisation that's eager to understand you, and what you're looking to do, and one that has the ability to furnish you with the clear facts to make your decision.

Authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages are a must - and must be sought from your course provider. Students regularly can get thrown by practicing questions for their exams that are not from the authorised examining boards. It's not uncommon that the phraseology can be quite different and you need to be ready for this. Obviously, it is really important to make sure you're absolutely ready for your commercial exam prior to doing it. Going over mock-up exams adds to your knowledge bank and saves you time and money on wasted exam attempts.

It's so important to understand this key point: It's essential to obtain proper 24x7 round-the-clock instructor support. We can tell you that you'll strongly regret it if you don't heed this. Beware of institutions that use 'out-of-hours' messaging systems - where an advisor will call back during the next 'working' day. This is useless when you're stuck and need an answer now.

Be on the lookout for training programs that incorporate three or four individual support centres from around the world. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to enable simple one-stop access and also access round-the-clock, when you need it, with no hassle. Never make the mistake of compromise where support is concerned. Most IT hopefuls that fall by the wayside, would have had a different experience if they'd got the right support package in the first place.

One crafty way that training providers make extra profits is via an 'exam inclusive' package then giving it 'Exam Guarantee' status. It looks impressive, until you think it through:

Clearly it's not free - you're still being charged for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. For those who want to get a first time pass, then the most successful route is to pay for each exam as you go, prioritise it appropriately and apply yourself as required.

Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, and hang on to your cash. You also get more choice of where you take your exam - so you can find somewhere local. Considerable numbers of questionable training colleges make a great deal of profit by getting paid for all the exam fees up-front then cashing in if they're not all taken. Additionally, 'Exam Guarantees' often aren't worth the paper they're written on. The majority of companies will not pay for you to re-take until you can prove to them you're ready to pass.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE exams costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, the most cost-effective way to cover the cost is by paying when you need them. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

So, why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications rather than more traditional academic qualifications taught at schools, colleges or universities? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, industry has moved to the specialised core-skills learning that can only come from the vendors - in other words companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time. Typically, only that which is required is learned. It's slightly more broad than that, but the most important function is always to focus on the exact skills required (with some necessary background) - without attempting to cover a bit about everything else - in the way that academic establishments often do.

As long as an employer is aware what areas need to be serviced, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. Commercial syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don't change between schools (as academic syllabuses often do).