Should you be doing a search for certified training from Microsoft, you will no doubt be hoping for training companies to offer a large selection of the finest training programs on the market today. It's a good idea to discuss the job possibilities with a training advisor - and if you're uncertain, then get some ideas on which area of the industry would work for you, based on your likes and dislikes and your character. Once you've decided on the job you'd like to get into, a relevant course has to be picked that's a match for your skills and abilities. This should be personalised for your requirements.

In first place for the biggest issue to be got round for IT trainees is a requirement to attend multiple workshop days. Most training academies extol the virtues of the positive points of taking part in these events, but most students end up finding them a growing difficulty due to:

* Masses of driving back and forth from the workshops - usually very long trips.

* Requesting time out of work - a lot of trainers will only provide availability during weekdays and group several days in a chunk. This can be hard for a lot of working people, and it's made more problematic when travel time is included.

* Lost holiday days - most trainees get just four weeks holiday each year. If you use up half of that with study workshops, that doesn't leave much holiday time left for students and their families.

* Training workshops typically get overly large as well.

* Some trainees want to progress quickly, but some need a more gentle learning curve and not be forced to adopt an uncomfortable speed for them. This brings tension and difficulty on many workshops.

* Rising travel prices - driving or taking public transport backwards and forwards to the training premises and of course over-night accommodation can cost a lot over several visits. Assuming just 5-10 workshops at a cost of 35 pounds for one night's accommodation, plus 40 pounds petrol and food at 15 pounds, that becomes a minimum of four to nine hundred pounds of add-on cost.

* You should never risk the possibility of being overlooked for a lift up the ladder or wage increases because of your studies.

* Many of us avoid posing questions in a class full of our fellow students - who wants to look like they're the only one who doesn't get it?

* Working away from home - a minority of trainees find they have to work or live away for part of their study. Events become impossible at that point, unfortunately the money has already changed hands in your initial payment.

It obviously makes much more sense to be trained when it suits you -- not the training company - and utilise instructor-led videos with interactive lab's. Whenever you experience difficulties, logon to the 24x7 support facility (that we hope you'll insist on with any technical courses.) Bear in mind, if you own a laptop, you could study wherever the mood takes you. It doesn't matter how many times you need to repeat a module, video-based tutors won't ever lose patience! And remember, as an added bonus, note-taking is gone forever. Everything is already there for quick access. Quite simply: You save money, avoid hassle, don't waste time and avoid polluting our environment.

Don't put too much store, like so many people do, on the certification itself. Your training isn't about getting a plaque on your wall; you're training to become commercially employable. You need to remain focused on where you want to go. It's a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but a great many students kick-off study that often sounds magnificent in the syllabus guide, but which gets us a career that is of no interest at all. Just ask several university graduates and you'll see where we're coming from.

Take time to understand your leanings around earning potential and career progression, and how ambitious you are. You need to know what industry expects from you, which exams will be required and how to develop your experience. Your likely to need help from a professional that understands the market you think may suit you, and will be able to provide 'A day in the life of' synopsis of the job being considered. This really is very important as you'll need to fully understand whether or not you've chosen correctly.

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