Because you're doing your research on MCSE courses, you'll probably be in 1 of 2 situations: You're possibly contemplating a complete career change to get into the IT field, and all evidence points to a great need for properly qualified people. Alternatively maybe you're an IT professional already - and you need to formalise your skill-set with the MCSE accreditation.

When researching MCSE's, you will discover training companies that compromise their offerings by not providing the latest Microsoft version. Stay away from these companies as you will face problems when it comes to exams. If you're learning from an old version, it is going to be hugely difficult to get qualified. Don't use training companies that are just interested in your money. Ask for comprehensive, personal guidance to ensure you are on the best program for your needs. Don't allow yourself to be sold their standard course by some pushy sales person.

OK, why should we consider commercial qualifications as opposed to traditional academic qualifications obtained from schools and Further Education colleges? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs spiralling out of control, and the industry's general opinion that vendor-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, we have seen a great increase in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe certified training programmes that supply key solutions to a student at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Essentially, only required knowledge is taught. It's slightly more broad than that, but the most important function is always to cover the precise skills needed (alongside some required background) - without going into too much detail in everything else (as degree courses are known to do).

The crux of the matter is this: Commercial IT certifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - the title says it all: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. So companies can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are needed for the job.

You have to make sure that all your qualifications are current and what employers are looking for - don't even consider programmes which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you'd printed it yourself). You'll discover that only industry recognised examinations from the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA and Adobe will be useful to a future employer.

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