The Cisco training is intended for individuals who wish to work with routers and switches. Routers hook up computer networks over the internet or dedicated lines. We’d recommend that you should start with the CCNA. It’s not advisable to launch directly into your CCNP for it’s full of complexities – and you need to work up to it to have a go at this.

Getting this certification means you’ll probably end up working for large commercial ventures who have many locations, but need their computer networks to talk to each other. Alternatively, you may find yourself employed by an internet service provider. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

If you’re just entering the world of routers, then working up to and including the CCNA is the right level to aim for – at this stage avoid being tempted to do the CCNP. Once you’ve worked for a few years, you’ll know if it’s relevant for you to have this next level up.

Make sure that all your certifications are current and also valid commercially – don’t bother with programs that only give in-house certificates.

Unless the accreditation comes from a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco, then chances are it will be commercially useless – because no-one will recognise it.

Commencing with the understanding that we need to find the market that sounds most inviting first, before we’re able to weigh up what development program meets that requirement, how can we choose the correct route?

As without any commercial skills in computing, how could any of us be expected to understand what a particular job actually consists of?

To attack this, we need to discuss a number of core topics:

* Personality plays an important role – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the activities that really turn you off.

* Why you’re looking at getting involved with computing – maybe you’d like to achieve a life-long goal like being your own boss for example.

* The income requirements that guide you?

* Many students don’t properly consider the level of commitment involved to attain their desired level.

* The level of commitment and effort you’re prepared to put into your training.

In actuality, you’ll find the only real way to research these matters tends to be through a good talk with an experienced advisor that has years of experience in the IT industry (and specifically it’s commercial needs.)

If your advisor doesn’t ask many questions – it’s likely they’re just trying to sell you something. If they push a particular product before learning about your history and current experience level, then you know it’s true.

With some real-world experience or qualifications, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is not the same as someone new to the industry.

For students beginning IT exams and training for the first time, you might like to start out slowly, starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with any study program.

Consider the points below very carefully if you’ve been persuaded that that over-used sales technique about an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value:

You’re paying for it somehow. One thing’s for sure – it isn’t free – it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole.

Students who enter their exams one by one, paying for them just before taking them are much more likely to pass. They are mindful of their investment and take the necessary steps to ensure they are ready.

Sit the exam as locally as possible and don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you’re ready.

A lot of so-called credible training companies make huge profits because they’re getting in the money for exams at the start of the course and cashing in if they’re not all taken.

It’s worth noting that exam re-takes via training course providers with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. You’ll be required to sit pre-tests to make sure they think you’re going to pass.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, the most cost-effective way to cover the cost is by paying when you need them. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.

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