Students will sometimes miss checking on something that can make a profound difference to their results - how their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the courseware sections, and into how many separate packages. Often, you will purchase a course that takes between and 1 and 3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. This sounds logical on one level, until you consider this: Sometimes the steps or stages prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. And what if you don't finish all the sections inside of their particular timetable?

Ideally, you want ALL the study materials up-front - meaning you'll have all of them to come back to in the future - as and when you want. Variations can then be made to the order that you attack each section where a more intuitive path can be found.

The CCNA examination (640/802) is split up in to it's 2 component parts: The ICND1 (640/822), and the ICND2 (640/816). 'ICND' is short for Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices, but the ICND1 exam is also called CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician). While all of this can appear to be a mouth full (as often seems the truth with I.T. acronyms,) the easiest way to take this certification is as a blended 'CCNA' (640-802) exam. This particular track would hugely gain from being partnered with the CompTIA A+ & Network+ certifications, since they will provide all of the important 'grounding' before having a go at the more advanced Cisco-specific exams. A merged training package like this should take approximately one year to do if studying part-time. As with just about all specialist study programs, 24-hour direct-access student support should be offered so that you can learn & ask about any queries anytime you want to. Check also for the latest multi-media study solutions, and the best exam preparation software.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and forget what it's all actually about - which is a commercial career or job. Always begin with where you want to get to - too many people focus on the journey. Avoid becoming one of those unfortunate students who choose a training program that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - only to end up with a qualification for a career they'll never really get any satisfaction from.

Make sure you investigate your feelings on career development, earning potential, plus your level of ambition. You need to know what industry expects from you, which particular certifications are required and how you'll gain real-world experience. Seek advice from an experienced industry professional, even if you have to pay a small fee - it's considerably cheaper and safer to find out at the beginning if a chosen track will suit, instead of finding out following two years of study that you're doing entirely the wrong thing and now need to go back to square one.

We're regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are less in demand than the more commercially accredited qualifications? Vendor-based training (as it's known in the industry) is far more effective and specialised. The IT sector has become aware that this level of specialised understanding is essential to cope with a technically advancing workplace. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe are the key players in this arena. The training is effectively done by honing in on the skills that are really needed (together with a relevant amount of related knowledge,) instead of spending months and years on the background detail and 'fluff' that computer Science Degrees are prone to get tied up in (because the syllabus is so wide).

Just as the old advertisement said: 'It does what it says on the label'. Employers simply need to know what they're looking for, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they're assured that a potential employee can do exactly what's required.

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