If you are investigating any type of computer training, the most important thing to think about is what your most significant goal is. Do you just need improved home computer techniques, or are you currently planning to get a number of qualifications to improve your resume? Alternatively, you could be targeting a professional career move into the IT sector.

Identifying the goal you want to obtain from the training program is always your very first concern. Once you're sure about why you need training, you can take a more informed evaluation on the best type for you. It should also keep you from creating any errors by selecting an inappropriate program.

It's really quite likely if you are considering getting in to I.T. from another career you'll have to start your training somewhere between these levels. Exactly where depends on the skills you currently have. For any more senior packages it is a good idea to talk your options through with an advisor who has IT knowledge. In fact any kind of complete job change plans really should be discussed ahead of getting started - it's a logical step to be sure the training you choose is fit for purpose. People who don't schedule where they're heading from the start generally find themselves throwing away considerable time and money - that could have been prevented with a straight forward thirty minute chat.

Should you purely want to get a good knowledge of how to run a laptop or computer for simple functions, the ECDL is the best course for you. Almost all home PC's operate on a system referred to as Microsoft 'Windows', and your 'ECDL' covers how you can operate its basic elements. You'll get to know more about how you can log-on to the internet, and the way to access and navigate web pages and manage e-mail. You will also learn the fundamentals of word-processing and a bit about what spreadsheets & databases are generally useful for.

If you wish to up your skill set for career related purposes, you may want to take some more professional training. An extensive knowledge of Microsoft 'Office' stands out as the skill set most require at this level. The two well accepted accreditation programs are MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) & MCAS (Microsoft 'Certified Application Specialist'). The MOS emphasises the Microsoft Office 2003 environment in Windows 'XP' (which is still probably the most popular in business), whilst the MCAS is based around Windows Vista & 'Office' 2007, so may be better placed for the future. Both qualification tracks have their own examinations across the important Ms Office applications: Word, "Excel", "Powerpoint" & 'Access' - for word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations and data-bases. These qualifications will reveal to an employer that you are effectively qualified to use these applications to their maximum level.

You'll be able to investigate each area much more thoroughly on dedicated pages on this site. We cover all the accreditation paths required to get you into IT. Alternatively, you can actually request our complimentary Lollypedia E-Book and then ask to speak to one of our expert advisors.

If professional I.T. employment is your ultimate goal, then you could start your instruction in IT Support work. The 'Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician' ('MCDST') can be a good qualification if you're looking to offer software help for business users. Allow roughly one hundred hours of study time to get this type of certification.

After this, we enter the area of full professional IT certification. A common starting point for hardware support, networking & security roles are the 'CompTIA A+' & 'Network+' qualifications. Training courses will teach you about hardware & network installations at a fundamental level, and also aspects of support, security & administration. A training program teaching both of them ought to take roughly 200 - 250 hours to get through. This suggests that a person training part-time alongside a full time job could be at the examination stage in six months' time.

We can split IT career routes down in to a range of different sectors - Programming (which includes Software-Development), Networking (which includes Security & Support), Web Design (including creative & technical) & Databases (including Administration & Development). Inside each area there are specific skill-sets to master, and accreditations to attain. Each category has a range of certification levels to build upon. The large volume of qualifications available in these fields can be initially off-putting to the new student, but this is where a practical careers discussion with an industry advisor can explain what is right for your personality-type, goals and learning-style.

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