Students who consider this area of study often have a very practical outlook on work, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that we remember much more when we use all our senses, and we get practically involved in what we're studying.

Study programs now come on CD and DVD discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Using video-streaming, you are able to see your instructors showing you how it's all done, with some practice time to follow - in a virtual lab environment. It's very important to see courseware examples from the company you're considering. Be sure that they contain video demo's and interactive elements such as practice lab's.

Avoid training that is purely online. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where offered, enabling them to be used at your convenience - it's not wise to be held hostage to your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

Commencing from the idea that we have to locate the job we want to do first, before we can ponder which development program ticks the right boxes, how do we know the way that suits us? Consequently, without any background in the IT sector, how could you possibly know what a particular IT employee fills their day with? And of course decide on which accreditation path would be most appropriate for ultimate success. Getting to a well-informed answer can only grow via a meticulous study of many different factors:

- Your personality can play a significant role - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the things that get you down.

- Are you aiming to realise a closely held aim - for instance, becoming self-employed sometime soon?

- Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it of prime importance, or does job satisfaction rate a little higher on your list of priorities?

- Many students don't properly consider the energy required to attain their desired level.

- You have to take in what is different for each individual training area.

In actuality, it's obvious that the only real way to seek advice on these matters will be via a meeting with a professional who has experience of the IT industry (and more importantly the commercial needs and requirements.)

Several companies have a handy Job Placement Assistance service, to help you get your first job. Often, this feature is bigged up too much, for it's relatively easy for any focused and well taught person to land a job in this industry - as there is such a shortage of qualified personnel.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews should be offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It's essential that you update that dusty old CV straight away - don't leave it till you pass the exams! Many junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who're still on their course and haven't got any qualifications yet. At least this will get you on your way. The most efficient companies to help you find a job are usually independent and specialised local recruitment services. As they will get paid by the employer when they've placed you, they're perhaps more focused on results.

Fundamentally, if you put as much hard work into landing a position as into studying, you're not likely to experience problems. Some trainees inexplicably invest a great deal of time on their training and studies and then call a halt once certified and seem to expect employers to find them.

After the 'CCNA', accreditation tracks are varied & could incorporate a specialization in Wireless or Security areas, alternatively you could consider progressing to the 'CCNP' (Cisco Certified Networking Professional.) The step up from the CCNA to the CCNP is rather large, so its a good idea to focus on completing your CCNA initially. You'd anticipate to be working in a 'Cisco' environment for at least 12 to 24 months (together with your 'CCNA' accreditation) before you started to train for the 'CCNP'. There can be a few exclusions to this, particularly if you've been in the industry for quite some time, and have got equivalent accreditation that covered a lot of identical material (armed forces exams for instance.) Essentially recruiters need to be sure that anybody with very advanced accreditations has had an appropriate degree of working experience to match.

The CCNA exam (640-802) is broken down in to it's two constituent parts: The 'CCENT' ('Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician') examination - also known as the ICND1 (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 - 640/822) examination, & the ICND2 (640/816) examination. This might appear very baffling, yet in essence the qualification is best tackled as a blended exam - the CCNA 640/802. An outstanding career training track for 'Cisco' entrants would be a blended program beginning with CompTIA A+ , followed by CompTIA Network and then the more specialised Cisco 'CCNA'. You should allow yourself roughly 400 to 500 hours of study for a blended track like this. In accordance with all 'technical' career training-programs, be sure you opt for one that provides 24 hour real-time availability to instructor assistance, to problem-solve any studying challenges that occur. Check also for the latest multi-media learning materials, & the best exam preparation software.

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