A big contender for the biggest single let-down in the IT training sector can be attending multi-day workshops. Many trainers harp on about the so-called 'benefits' of these classes, it's almost certain though that you'll find them a burden to be carried because of:

- Periodic visits to the centre - hundreds of miles in many cases.

- Getting time off work - most colleges provide Mon-Fri class availability - typically grouping 2 or 3 days together. This isn't ideal for most people who work, and it's made more problematic if travelling time is added into the mix.

- Let's not ignore the lost holiday days. Most of us have 20 days holiday per year. If over 50 percent is used in classes, then there's very little left over for us.

- 'In-Centre' days fill up quickly and can be very crammed in.

- The 'pace' - classes often feature students of varying skill, therefore tension can be created between students with more background knowledge and those who want to go a little slower.

- Calculate the increasing cost of all the travel, fares, parking, food and accommodation and you'll be in for a big surprise. Trainees report costs mounting to several hundred and sometimes thousands of pounds. Do the maths - and see for yourself.

- Training privacy can be high on the list of priorities to a lot of students. Why lose potential advancement, salary hikes or accomplishment in your job just because you're retraining. If your employer knows you've committed to training in a completely different market, what do you think they'll do?

- It's common to feel awkward about asking questions in a room full of our fellow students - who wants to look like they're the only one who doesn't get it?

- Living away for part of your working week - many attendees have to work or live somewhere else for sections of the programme. Classes become problematic to attend, unfortunately the money has already changed hands in your initial payment.

To find a more flexible route, exploit videoed lessons in the comfort of your own home - at a time that's convenient to you - not some other person. You could study at home on your desktop PC or use your laptop to enjoy the sun. Any questions; then logon to the 24x7 support facility (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Just watch and re-watch the study modules at any time you want or need. And of course, you won't need to take notes because the class is available whenever you want it. Though there's no way this can remove all study problems, it definitely reduces stress and eases things. And you've reduced travel, costs and hassle.

Commencing from the viewpoint that it's good to choose the area of most interest first, before we can chew over which career training meets that requirement, how do we decide on the right direction? How likely is it for us to understand what is involved in a particular job if we've never been there? We normally have never met anyone who performs the role either. Generally, the way to deal with this question correctly lies in a full chat, covering some important points:

- Which type of person you think yourself to be - what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, and don't forget - what makes you unhappy.

- Are you looking to achieve a key goal - like working for yourself as quickly as possible?

- How highly do you rate salary - is it very important, or is job satisfaction higher up on your priority-list?

- Considering the huge variation that Information Technology encompasses, it's obvious you'll need to be able to absorb what's different.

- Our advice is to think deeply about any sacrifices you'll need to make, as well as what commitment and time you're going to invest in your training.

To cut through the confusing industry jargon, and discover the best route for you, have an in-depth discussion with an advisor with years of experience; an individual that can impart the commercial reality as well as the accreditations.

Some of the finest industry-recognised accreditations today are produced by the vendor neutral 'Computing Technology Industry Association' (CompTIA). There are also many other organisations, such as the ISC2 (shortened from the somewhat long winded: International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium!) & 'CWNP' ('Certified Wireless Network Professional'). Most conspicuously of course are Cisco & Microsoft themselves, each providing their very own accreditation tracks. The choice may well be rather overwhelming, and so we urge you to go carefully & discuss all your alternatives with an expert who knows the procedure very well. Without having personally-tailored help you might head-off in the wrong direction & waste a lot of money and/or time.

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