PC and network support staff are more and more in demand in this country, as institutions rely heavily upon their knowledge and fixing and repairing abilities. Whereupon we're all becoming massively more dependent on advanced technology, we simultaneously become more dependent on the technically knowledgeable network engineers, who keep the systems going.

Some trainers only give support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; It's rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Avoid those companies that use 'out-of-hours' messaging systems - where an advisor will call back during normal office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and need help now.

The very best training providers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, no matter what time you login, help is at hand, without any contact issues or hassle. Don't ever make the mistake of taking second best with the quality of your support. Many would-be IT professionals that can't get going properly, would have had a different experience if they'd got the right support package in the first place.

An effective package of training will undoubtedly incorporate Microsoft (or key company) exam preparation packages. Students regularly can be thrown off course by practicing questions for their exams that don't come from official boards. It's not uncommon that the question formats and phraseology can be completely unlike un-authorised versions and you should be prepared for this. 'Mock' or practice exams will prove very useful as a tool for logging knowledge into your brain - so when it comes to taking the real deal, you will be much more relaxed.

A expert and practiced consultant (vs a salesman) will cover in some detail your current level of ability and experience. This is useful for working out your starting point for training. Quite often, the training inception point for a person with some experience is largely dissimilar to the student with no experience. Starting with a user skills course first can be the best way to get up and running on your IT studies, but depends on your skill level.

The perhaps intimidating chore of getting your first computer related job can be relieved because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance service. Don't get overly impressed with this service - it's easy for their marketing department to overstate it's need. Ultimately, the huge shortage of staff in this country is why employers will be interested in you.

CV and Interview advice and support may be available (if not, see one of our sites for help). Ensure you work on your old CV today - don't leave it till you pass the exams! Getting onto the 'maybe' pile of CV's is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior jobs are offered to people who are still at an early stage in their studies. Most often, a specialist locally based recruitment consultant or service (who will get paid by the employer when they've placed you) will be more pro-active than a sector of a centralised training facility. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the local industry and employment needs.

A regular grievance of some training providers is how much men and women are prepared to work to become certified, but how un-prepared that student is to get the position they've acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.