Ensure all your certifications are current and also valid commercially - forget courses that only give in-house certificates. Unless your qualification is issued by a big-hitter like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco, then it's likely it will have been a waste of time - because no-one will recognise it.

You have 4 'Microsoft Certified Professional' (MCP) exams to take to qualify at the MCSA grade. Of these, 3 examinations are compulsory subjects & so have to be sat, but the 4th is picked from a choice of electives. A very valuable and completely recognised 'elective' is the 'CompTIA Security+' , which for obvious reasons is starting to become progressively more popular with students. With the 'MCSE' there's currently higher emphasis placed on Security from an organisational perspective, the planning of systems, & design of networks. There are 7 MCP exams in total.

Doing your bit in revolutionary new technology really is electrifying. Your actions are instrumental in creating a future for us all. It's a common misapprehension that the technological advancement we have experienced is easing off. There is no truth in this at all. We have yet to experience incredible advances, and the internet in particular will become an increasingly dominant part of our lives.

And don't forget salaries moreover - the average salary throughout Britain for the usual IT professional is considerably more than average salaries nationally. Chances are you'll bring in a whole lot more than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries. Experts agree that there's a substantial national requirement for qualified IT professionals. Also, as the industry constantly develops, it looks like this pattern will continue for years to come.

Two specialist subjects also exist in the 'MCSE' training track; they are messaging & security. These necessitate either two further MCP examinations, or a single additional exam if one of the main seven has been suitably determined. It seems sensible to consider this from the beginning if you are serious about either of these subjects, because just a little forward-planning will mean you only have a maximum of 8 MCPs to take. The Server-2008 Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist ('MCTS') upgrade exam has also been brought out by Microsoft - the 'MCSA' is exam 70/648 and the 'MCSE' is exam 70/649. It's a good idea to think of including one of these updates (or perhaps their equivalent) asap. This won't only future proof you to some degree, but will offer additional job avenues.