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Without a regular deluge of well educated network and PC support workers, commerce throughout the country (and indeed in most countries) would inevitably run into problems. Therefore, there's a huge demand for technically able people to support both users and the systems they work with. Whilst we become growingly reliant on technology, we in turn become more reliant on the well trained IT professionals, who keep the systems going.

Being a part of the information technology industry is one of the most electrifying and revolutionary industries that you could be a part of. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology puts you at the fore-front of developments shaping life over the next few decades.

Society largely thinks that the technological advancement we've had over recent years is cooling down. All indicators point in the opposite direction. We have yet to experience incredible advances, and the internet significantly will become an increasingly dominant part of our lives.

Should lifestyle be up there on your scale of wants, then you will be pleasantly surprised to hear that the usual remuneration for the majority of IT staff is considerably more than with most other jobs or industries.

It's no secret that there is a substantial nationwide demand for professionally qualified IT workers. In addition, with the constant growth in the marketplace, it seems this will be the case for the significant future.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be comprehensive 24x7 direct-access support with expert mentors and instructors. So many companies we come across will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend.

Look for training where you can access help at all hours of the day and night (even if it's early hours on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you're constantly waiting for a call-back at a convenient time for them.

It's possible to find professional companies who recommend and use online direct access support around the clock - no matter what time of day it is.

Look for an educator that cares. As only live 24x7 round-the-clock support provides the necessary backup.

The way a programme is physically sent to you isn't always given the appropriate level of importance. How is the courseware broken down? And in what sequence and how fast does each element come?

A release of your materials one piece at a time, according to your exam schedule is the normal way of receiving your courseware. This sounds logical, but you should consider these factors:

What if you find the order prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. And what if you don't finish all the modules inside their defined time-scales?

To be straight, the best solution is to get an idea of what they recommend as an ideal study order, but get everything up-front. Meaning you've got it all in case you don't finish quite as quick as they'd want.

We can guess that you've always enjoyed practical work - the 'hands-on' type. Typically, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides would be considered as a last resort, but you'd hate it. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if learning from books is not your thing.

Where possible, if we can study while utilising as many senses as possible, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Fully interactive motion videos utilising video demo's and practice lab's will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And they're far more fun.

You really need to look at examples of the study materials provided by each company you're contemplating. They have to utilise video demo's and interactive elements such as practice lab's.

It doesn't make sense to opt for on-line only training. With highly variable reliability and quality from all internet service providers, it makes sense to have physical media such as CD or DVD ROM's.