Accredited exam simulation and preparation packages are vital - and must be offered by your training supplier. Steer clear of relying on non-accredited exam preparation questions. Their phraseology is sometimes startlingly different - and sometimes this can be a real headache once in the actual exam. You should make sure you verify how much you know through quizzes and practice in simulated exam environments before you take the actual exam.

Commercially accredited qualifications are now, without a doubt, beginning to replace the traditional routes into the IT sector - but why has this come about? With the costs of academic degree's spiralling out of control, along with the IT sector's general opinion that corporate based study most often has much more commercial relevance, we have seen a dramatic increase in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe based training paths that provide key skills to an employee at a fraction of the cost and time involved. University courses, as a example, clog up the training with a lot of loosely associated study - with a syllabus that's far too wide. Students are then held back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Just as the old advertisement said: 'It does what it says on the label'. All an employer has to do is know where they have gaps, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.

Whether you are seeking to achieve an entry level knowledge of these systems and packages, or perhaps a full professional understanding to help you support other people, there are lots of accreditations which could help. To find out about Office 2003 ('XP') take a look at 'MOS' - 'Microsoft Office Specialist'. For 'Office' 2007 ('Vista') skillsets choose 'MCAS' - 'Microsoft Certified Application Specialist'. The 'MCDST' (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) takes this to the next level, so that you're qualified to support others.

Or, you could be looking to get into a professional job in the IT market, and need higher level MS accreditation. In a bid to up-grade their professional accreditation programs, Microsoft have fairly recently re-designed several of their exams. Microsoft Certified IT Professional ('MCITP') and 'Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist' ('MCTS') are now being introduced, however several 'Microsoft Certified Professional' ('MCP') exams continue to be current. Usually, the MCTS accreditations are taken en-route to a full MCITP program.

If you're thinking of using a training provider which still utilises 'in-centre' days as a feature of their programme, then consider these hassles encountered by the majority of trainees:

- Constant travelling to and from the training centre - often 100's of miles.

- Workshop accessibility; often Monday to Friday and 2-3 days in a row. It's never convenient to take the required days away from work.

- The majority of us find four weeks vacation allowance isn't enough by far. Spend a good 50 percent of that for training workshops and you'll experience even more problems.

- In a situation where running costs are very high, most training companies make the classes quite large - not really ideal (and far less personal).

- Often attendees want to work as quickly as possible, while others are looking to take a more 'steady' pace and be allowed to set their own speed. This generates difficulty and tension in most workshops.

- Calculate the increasing cost of all the petrol, fares, accommodation, parking and food and you'll be in for a big surprise. Trainees have reported extra costs mounting to several hundred and sometimes thousands of pounds. Work it out - and understand where they're coming from.

- Most trainees would like to keep their training completely private and therefore avoiding all questions whilst in their current job.

- Who amongst us hasn't shied away from raising a hand in the air, because we wanted to look smarter?

- Where students have to on occasion live away for part of the week, imagine the trouble involved in making the required days in-centre, as time becomes even more scarce.

It obviously makes more sense to learn when it suits you -- not the training company - and employ instructor-led videos with interactive lab's. Imagine... If you've got a notebook PC you're able to learn wherever you want. And 24x7 support is only a web-click away if you hit challenges. Just repeat the study modules as often as you want or need. You also don't need to make notes as you have the lesson indefinitely. Put directly: Time and money is saved, you have reduced hassle and you completely avoid killing more trees.

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