A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and completely avoid what you actually need - getting yourself a new job or career. You should always begin with the end goal - don't make the journey more important than where you want to get to. Don't be part of the group who select a program that on the surface appears interesting - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for a career they'll never really get any satisfaction from.

It's a good idea to understand what expectations industry may have of you. What particular exams you'll need and in what way you can gain some industry experience. Spend some time thinking about how far you'd like to get as it may force you to choose a particular set of accreditations. We recommend that students look for advice and guidance from a skilled advisor before making your final decision on some particular learning programme, so there's no doubt that the content of a learning package provides the appropriate skill-set.

Be watchful that any accreditations you're working towards are recognised by industry and are the most recent versions. Training companies own certificates are generally useless. From the viewpoint of an employer, only the big-boys like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (for example) will get you into the interview seat. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

IT has become amongst the most stimulating and innovative industries that you could be a part of. Being up close and personal with technology means you're a part of the huge progress shaping life over the next few decades. We're only just beginning to get to grips with how all this change will affect us. The way we interact with the world will be massively affected by technology and the web.

And don't forget salaries either - the usual income across the UK for the usual IT employee is considerably higher than remuneration packages in other sectors. Odds are you'll bring in quite a bit more than you'd typically expect to bring in elsewhere. The good news is there's no end in sight for IT jobs increases in the UK. The market is continuing to expand hugely, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it's most unlikely that things will be any different for a good while yet.

No surprise then that a significant amount of certification paths have been produced by 'Cisco' to handle the assortment of technologies & patents it supplies. Individuals tend to be recommended to begin with the same certification course, & then progress into specialised sectors as they develop. & therefore the CCNA - or 'Cisco Certified Network Associate' will prepare the right students for professional work with small-medium router & data-switched networks, providing them an understanding of how to install, configure, operate and how to trouble-shoot.

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