Should you be aspiring to become Cisco accredited, and you\’re new to working with switches and routers, we\’d recommend taking the Cisco CCNA qualification. This will give you knowledge and skills to work with routers. The internet is made up of hundreds of thousands of routers, and national or international corporations with many locations also need routers to allow their networks to keep in touch.

Because routers join up networks, look for a course which teaches the basics (CompTIA Network+ as an example – maybe with the A+ as well) and then do a CCNA course. You\’ll need some knowledge of how networks operate before getting going with Cisco or you may encounter problems. In the commercial environment, you\’ll benefit from having a good knowledge of networks to complement your CCNA.

The appropriate skill-set and correct mind-set prior to getting going on the Cisco CCNA is vital. So find an advisor who can fill you in on any gaps you may have.

Don\’t listen to any salesperson that just tells you what course you should do without a decent chat to gain understanding of your current abilities as well as experience level. Make sure they can draw from a generous product range so they\’re able to provide you with what\’s right for you.

With a little work-based experience or certification, you may find that your starting point is now at a different level to a new student.

Starting with a basic PC skills program first is often the best way to commence your IT training, but depends on your skill level.

All programs you\’re considering has to build towards a nationally (or globally) recognised accreditation as an end-goal – not a useless \’in-house\’ piece of paper.

From a commercial standpoint, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco (as an example) give enough bang for your buck. Anything less just won\’t hit the right spot.

Many individuals don\’t really get what information technology is all about. It is stimulating, innovative, and means you\’re doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will affect us all over the next generation.

We\’ve barely started to get an inclination of how technology will affect our lives in the future. Technology and the web will massively transform the way we see and interrelate with the rest of the world over the coming years.

And don\’t forget that on average, the income of a person in IT across the UK is considerably better than average salaries nationally, so in general you will more than likely receive considerably more in the IT sector, than you\’d expect to earn elsewhere.

As the IT industry keeps emerging at an unprecedented rate, it\’s looking good that the requirement for certified IT specialists will remain buoyant for the significant future.

For the most part, your everyday student doesn\’t know what way to go about starting in IT, or what market to focus their retraining program on.

How can most of us possibly understand what is involved in a particular job if we\’ve never been there? Most likely we have never met anyone who is in that area at all.

Getting to the right answer will only come from a systematic examination of many different areas:

* Which type of individual you consider yourself to be – what tasks do you get enjoyment from, and on the other side of the coin – what don\’t you like doing.

* Why you want to consider moving into the IT industry – maybe you want to triumph over a particular goal such as working for yourself maybe.

* What salary and timescale requirements you may have?

* Understanding what the normal job areas and markets are – including what sets them apart.

* You will need to understand the differences across each individual training area.

In all honesty, the only way to investigate these issues tends to be through a good talk with a professional that understands IT (and more importantly it\’s commercial requirements.)

Written by Scott Edwards. Visit Manager Training or www.Careers-Advisor.co.uk/caradvn.html.