Potential Students hoping to kick off a career in computers and technology normally aren't sure which path to follow, or which sector to get qualified in. Flicking through lists of IT career possibilities is no use whatsoever. Most of us have no concept what the neighbours do for a living - so we're in the dark as to the complexities of a new IT role. Ultimately, a well-informed answer can only grow through a systematic analysis of several shifting factors:

- Our personalities play an important part - what gets you 'up and running', and what are the activities that get you down.

- Why you're looking at moving into Information Technology - it could be you're looking to achieve a life-long goal like working from home for instance.

- Your earning needs you have?

- Because there are so many different sectors to gain certifications for in IT - you will have to gain a solid grounding on what differentiates them.

- Taking a proper look at how much time and effort that you're going to put into it.

To bypass the barrage of jargon, and find what'll really work for you, have an in-depth discussion with an advisor with years of experience; someone who will cover the commercial realities and truth and of course each certification.

Working on revolutionary new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You become one of a team of people defining the world to come. Computer technology and dialogue through the web is going to spectacularly affect the direction of our lives over the coming years; to a vast degree.

And it's worth remembering that the average salary in the IT sector in Great Britain is a lot more than in other market sectors, so in general you will be in a good position to receive considerably more in the IT sector, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. Because the IT market sector is still emerging at an unprecedented rate, it's looking good that demand for certified IT specialists will remain buoyant for decades to come.

You can look into each area much more thoroughly on dedicated web-pages on this site. We cover all the certification tracks required to get you in to industry. In addition, our free E-book 'Lollypedia' provides you with in depth advice, as well as information on how to contact our industry professionals.

Those at the very start of their PC literacy learning curve should choose the European Computer Driving Licence. The "ECDL" will educate you on all the basic functions connected with Microsoft Windows, which is the Operating System for virtually all PC's. It also goes through getting on the internet, so that you can utilise email to send & receive messages, & search the world wide web. This training program also introduces you to word-processing, spreadsheets and databases.

The next level is to get a bit more formal training to boost your Resume or prepare you for other functions at work. A wide understanding of Microsoft 'Office' is most likely the skill-set most need at this point. The two industry accepted accreditation courses are MOS ('Microsoft Office Specialist') and MCAS (Microsoft 'Certified Application Specialist'). The MOS emphasises the 'Microsoft Office' 2003 environment in Windows 'XP' (which is still essentially the most popular in business), whereas the 'MCAS' is based around 'Windows Vista' & Office 2007, so could be better placed for the long run. You will find individual examinations for each which cover 'Excel' for 'spreadsheets', "Access" for 'databases', 'Powerpoint' for presentations & "Word" for word processing. Each of them are well-respected exams & help make things easy for employers to appreciate your advanced proficiency with the packages.

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