Both if you're a beginner, or an IT professional ready to formalise your skill set, there are interactive MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) study programs that are suitable for both standards of student. Each of these options should have a different type of course, so ensure you've got the correct program in advance of spending your money. Search for a training company that has the courtesy to understand what you're looking to do, and can help you work out what you want to do, well before they discuss course options.

Students hoping to start a career in computers and technology normally don't know what path to consider, or what market to build their qualifications around. Since with no previous experience in Information Technology, how could any of us be expected to know what any job actually involves? To come through this, a discussion is necessary, covering a variety of different aspects:

• Our personalities play a significant role - what gives you a 'kick', and what tasks put a frown on your face.

• Are you aiming to reach a closely held dream - for example, being your own boss in the near future?

• Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it of prime importance, or does job satisfaction rate a lot higher on the scale of your priorities?

• When taking into account all that the IT industry encapsulates, it's a requirement that you can absorb what's different.

• You'll also need to think hard about the level of commitment you're going to invest in your training.

The best way to avoid all the jargon and confusion, and uncover the best path to success, have an informal chat with an industry expert and advisor; someone that appreciates and can explain the commercial realities as well as each accreditation.

Have a conversation with almost any capable advisor and you'll be surprised by their many horror stories of salespeople ripping-off unsuspecting students. Make sure you deal with a professional advisor that asks lots of questions to find out what's appropriate to you - not for their pay-packet! You need to find the right starting point of study for you. Of course, if you've had any relevant qualifications that are related, then you will often be able to commence studying further along than someone who is new to the field. Consider starting with some basic PC skills training first. Starting there can make your learning curve a much more gentle.

Consider the following points very carefully if you've been persuaded that that old marketing ploy of a guarantee for your exam looks like a reason to buy:

It's become essential these days that we're a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks - and usually we grasp that we're actually paying for it (it's not a freebie because they like us so much!) Those who take exams one at a time, paying for them just before taking them are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're conscious of their spending and so are more inclined to ensure they are ready.

Go for the best offer you can find when you're ready, and hang on to your cash. You also get more choice of where you do your exams - so you can find somewhere local. Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you've paid early for exams when there was no need to? A great deal of money is made by companies charging all their exam fees up-front - and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Don't forget, with most 'Exam Guarantees' - the company controls how often and when you can re-take the exam. You'll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they'll pay for another exam.

On average, exams cost 112 pounds or thereabouts in the last 12 months through local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. So what's the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that what's really needed is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

Commercial certification is now, without a doubt, taking over from the older academic routes into the IT sector - so why has this come about? Key company training (to use industry-speak) is far more effective and specialised. The IT sector is aware that this level of specialised understanding is essential to cope with an increasingly more technical workplace. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe are the key players in this arena. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It's slightly more broad than that, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (alongside some required background) - without trying to cram in every other area - in the way that academic establishments often do.

It's rather like the advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. All an employer has to do is know what areas need to be serviced, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. That way they can be sure they're interviewing applicants who can do the job.