Both if you're a beginner, or an experienced technician hoping to gain acknowledged certifications, there are state-of-the-art Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) courses that teach both standards of student. For a person with no knowledge of the world of computers, it may well be necessary to have some coaching ahead of attempting to go for the first of the four MCP's (Microsoft Certified Professional exams) required to gain MCSA certification. Look for a company that can create a bespoke package to suit your needs - with a team of advisors who can be relied on to ensure that your choices are good ones.

Incorporating exam fees up-front then giving it 'Exam Guarantee' status is popular with many training course providers. But look at the facts:

It's very clear we're ultimately paying for it - it's not so hard to see that it's been added into the full cost of the package supplied by the training provider. It's absolutely not free - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is! The honest truth is that if students pay for each progressive exam, when they're ready to take them and not before, the chances are they're going to pass first time - as they'll think of their investment in themselves and their application will be greater.

Isn't it in your interests to find the best exam deal or offer when you take the exam, not to pay any mark-up to a training company, and also to sit exams more locally - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call? Paying upfront for exam fees (and interest charges if you're borrowing money) is madness. Resist being talked into filling the training company's account with additional funds simply to help their cash-flow! Many will hope you will never make it to exams - then they'll keep the extra money. The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and hold you back from re-takes until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - which makes an 'Exam Guarantee' frankly useless.

Exam fees averaged around the 112 pounds mark twelve months or so ago via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that the most successful method is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

OK, why is it better to gain commercial qualifications and not traditional academic qualifications gained through schools and Further Education colleges? The IT sector now recognises that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, official accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is far more effective and specialised - for much less time and money. Vendor training works by honing in on the particular skills that are needed (together with an appropriate level of associated knowledge,) rather than going into the heightened depths of background 'padding' that degree courses often do - to pad out the syllabus.

If an employer knows what areas they need covered, then they simply need to advertise for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Commercial syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don't change between schools (as academic syllabuses often do).

Students who consider this area of study are often very practical, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. We see a huge improvement in memory retention when multiple senses are involved - educational experts have expounded on this for decades now.

Interactive audio-visual materials involving demonstration and virtual lab's beat books hands-down. And they're a lot more fun to do. You'll definitely want a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. The package should contain expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

It's folly to choose training that is only available online. Because of the variable quality and reliability of all internet service providers, make sure you get disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).

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