Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you're thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where learning is video-based. Where we can involve all our senses in the learning process, our results will often be quite spectacular.

The latest audio-visual interactive programs with demonstrations and practice sessions will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you'll find them fun and interesting. Don't take any chances and look at examples of the courseware provided before you sign on the dotted line. The minimum you should expect would be video tutorials, instructor demo's and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

Some companies only have access to purely on-line training; sometimes you can get away with this - but, consider how you'll deal with it if internet access is lost or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It's preferable to have CD and DVD ROM materials which will not have these problems.

Most people don't even think to ask about a vitally important element - the way the company breaks up the courseware, and into how many bits. Training companies will normally offer some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you get to the end of each exam. On the surface this seems reasonable - until you consider the following: With thought, many trainees understand that their providers usual training route isn't ideal for them. You may find that a slightly different order suits them better. Could it cause problems if you don't get everything done at the pace they expect?

The very best situation would see you getting all the learning modules sent to you immediately; the whole caboodle! Then, nothing can hinder the reaching of your goals.

If you may be starting with a certification company which still provides workshop days as a feature of their programme, then you should know about these typical downsides encountered by many students:

- Recurrent visits to the centre - hundreds of miles usually.

- For those of us that work, then Monday to Friday workshops are hard to attend. You're usually looking at at least 2, if not 3 days in a row.

- At just 4 weeks holiday each year, sacrificing half of them for training events often means losing out on family and vacation time.

- Classes sometimes are over-subscribed, leaving us with a less-than-ideal slot.

- Some attendees want to progress quickly, but some need a more gentle learning curve and want to set their own pace that fits. This breeds tension and unrest a lot of the time.

- Quite a lot of trainees talk of the high costs involved with travelling back and forth to the training school and paying for food and accommodation becomes prohibitively expensive.

- All of us want some privacy. We don't want to risk losing any possible promotion due to us because our employer knows we're retraining.

- Many of us avoid posing questions while sitting with our fellow trainees - to avoid appearing stupid.

- Living away for part of your working week - some attendees have to work or live somewhere else for part of the programme. Days in-centre become problematic to attend, but you've already coughed up the readies in your initial payment.

It obviously makes so much more sense to learn when it suits you -- not the training company - and utilise interactive videos of instructors teaching a class. Consider... Utilising a laptop you have the ability to learn wherever you want. And 24x7 support is an online click away when you get challenged. Simply re-watch and re-cover the study units as often as you need to revise. And of course, you don't have to scribble any notes because the class is available whenever you want it. Though it's impossible to stop any normal learning difficulties, it surely removes stress and makes things simpler. You've also got less hassle, travel and costs.

A proficient and specialised consultant (vs a salesperson) will talk through your current situation. There is no other way of establishing your starting point for training. It's worth remembering, if you have some relevant previous certification, then you will often be able to start at a different point than a student who's starting from scratch. Commencing with a user skills module first will sometimes be the most effective way to start into your computer studies, depending on your skill level at the moment.

Don't get hung-up, as a lot of students can, on the certification itself. Training for training's sake is generally pointless; this is about employment. Focus on the end-goal. It's an awful thing, but the majority of trainees kick-off study that often sounds great from the syllabus guide, but which gets us a career that doesn't satisfy. Try talking to typical university graduates for examples.

Spend some time thinking about earning potential and the level of your ambition. Often, this changes what particular qualifications you'll need to attain and what industry will expect from you in return. You'd also need help from someone that knows the commercial realities of the industry you've chosen, and will be able to provide 'A typical day in the life of' synopsis for that career-path. All of these things are essential because you obviously have to know if you're going down the right road.

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