Being a part of the leading edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You personally play your part in shaping the next few decades. We're barely beginning to comprehend how all this will mould and change our lives. How we interrelate with the rest of the world will be massively affected by technology and the web.

Should lifestyle be up there on your scale of wants, you will welcome the news that the average salary for IT employees in general is much higher than salaries in the rest of the economy. Experts agree that there's a significant country-wide requirement for trained and qualified IT technicians. In addition, as the industry constantly develops, it is likely there will be for the significant future.

A competent and professional consultant (as opposed to a salesman) will talk through your current situation. This is paramount to establishing the point at which you need to start your studies. Occasionally, the level to start at for a student with a little experience will be substantially different to the student with no experience. Consider starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. This can help whip your basic knowledge into shape and make the learning curve a less steep.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - this always means you have to pay for the exams at the start of your training. Before you jump at a course with such a promise, why not consider this:

Certainly it isn't free - you're still paying for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. If you want to pass first time, you must pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and be ready for the task.

Find the best exam deal or offer available when you take the exam, and avoid college mark-up fees. In addition, it's then your choice where to sit the exam - so you can find somewhere local. Buying a course that includes payments for exam fees (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is insane. Why fill a company's coffers with your money just to give them a good cash-flow! There are those who hope that you will never make it to exams - but they won't refund the cash. Remember, in the majority of cases of 'exam guarantees' - the company controls how often and when you can do your re-takes. They'll only allow a re-take once completely satisfied.

The cost of exams was about 112 pounds twelve months or so ago via VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So what's the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra for 'an Exam Guarantee', when it's obvious that the responsible approach is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

Whether you are seeking to gain an entry level knowledge of these systems & packages, or perhaps a more complete professional level understanding so you can support other people, there are several accreditations that could help. To find out about Office 2003 (XP) evaluate MOS - 'Microsoft Office Specialist'. For 'Office' 2007 ('Vista') skills choose MCAS - Microsoft Certified Application Specialist. A degree up from 'MOS' and 'MCAS' is MCDST - 'Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician', which provides you with the skills to support others in an office environment.

You may equally be looking at a senior job in the IT industry, that would require rather more in depth & specialised Microsoft accreditation training. In a move to update their professional level certification programs, Microsoft have fairly recently re-designed many of their exams. 'Microsoft Certified IT Professional' (MCITP) and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist ('MCTS') have been brought in, however many 'Microsoft Certified Professional' (MCP) examinations are nevertheless still current. Typically, the MCTS qualifications are studied en-route to a full MCITP program.

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