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Choosing a study program that fulfils the working world is crucially important in our turbulent times. In addition, it’s also necessary to select a course that you will get on well with, that matches your abilities and personality.

If you’re thinking about improving your computer skills, perhaps with a Microsoft Office Package, or possibly becoming professionally qualified, you have lots of courses to choose from.

Because there are such a lot of well priced, user-friendly courses and support, you should inevitably find something that should take you where you want to go.

One interesting way that colleges make more money is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. This sounds impressive, but is it really:

It’s very clear we’re still paying for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already in the overall figure from the course provider. Certainly, it’s not a freebie – and it’s insulting that we’re supposed to think it is!

It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations when it’s appropriate and paying as you go makes it far more likely you’ll pass first time – you prepare appropriately and think carefully about the costs.

Sit the exam somewhere close to home and go for the best offer you can find when you’re ready.

Paying in advance for examination fees (plus interest – if you’re financing your study) is insane. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with additional funds only to please their Bank Manager! Many will hope you don’t even take them all – so they get to keep the extra funds.

Most companies will require you to do mock exams and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass – so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Average exam fees were around the 112 pounds mark in the last 12 months via UK VUE or Prometric centres. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to get ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when it’s no secret that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

Many people question why academic qualifications are now falling behind more commercial certificates?

As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has had to move to the specialised core-skills learning that can only be obtained from the actual vendors – namely companies like Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time.

Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It’s slightly more broad than that, but the most important function is always to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) – without going into too much detail in all sorts of other things (as degree courses are known to do).

When an employer is aware what they’re looking for, then all they have to do is advertise for the particular skill-set required. Commercial syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and don’t change between schools (in the way that degree courses can).

The old fashioned style of teaching, using textbooks and whiteboards, is often a huge slog for most of us. If you’re nodding as you read this, check out study materials that are multimedia based.

Research into the way we learn shows that we remember much more when we use all our senses, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.

You can now study via interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you’ll learn your subject by way of the demonstrations and explanations. You can then test yourself by using practice-lab’s.

It’s wise to view a small selection of training examples before you hand over your cheque. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

You should avoid purely online training. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – and not be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

A top of the range package of training will have Microsoft (or key company) simulation materials and exam preparation packages.

Due to the fact that many examination boards in IT are American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. You can’t practice properly by just answering any old technical questions – they need to be in the proper exam format.

Obviously, it’s very important to know that you’ve thoroughly prepared for your commercial exam prior to going for it. Revising simulated tests logs the information in your brain and will save a lot of money on unsuccessful attempts at exams.

Written by Scott Edwards. Try CareersOpportunities.co.uk/dcaropp.html or Microsoft Training Courses.