There are two specialised areas of training in the full CompTIA A+ syllabus, of which you'll need certification in both subjects for your A+ qualification. CompTIA A+ by itself will allow you to mend and maintain computers and Macs; ones that are generally not connected to a network - which is for the most part the home market. Should you fancy yourself as a man or woman who is involved with a big team - in network support, build on A+ with Network+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft because it's necessary to have a deeper understanding of the way networks work.

People attracted to this sort of work can be very practical by nature, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If you identify with this, use multimedia, interactive learning, where everything is presented via full motion video. Long-term memory is enhanced when multiple senses are involved - experts have been clear on this for many years.

Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab's beat books hands-down. And you'll find them fun and interesting. It's very important to see some example materials from any company that you may want to train through. It's essential they incorporate instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab's.

Pick CD and DVD ROM based physical training media wherever available. This then avoids all the potential pitfalls with the variability of broadband quality and service.

Potential Students hopeful to begin a career in IT normally aren't sure which route to follow, or even what sector to achieve their certification in. Consequently, if you have no understanding of IT in the workplace, how could you possibly know what some particular IT person spends their day doing? Let alone arrive at what training route would be most appropriate for a successful result. The key to answering this predicament in the best manner comes from a deep conversation around some important points:

* Your personality type and interests - the sort of working tasks you like and dislike.

* Why you're looking at starting in the IT industry - maybe you want to overcome a particular goal such as being your own boss for instance.

* Any personal or home requirements you have?

* There are many different sectors to gain certifications for in Information Technology - it's wise to achieve some background information on what separates them.

* Having a serious look at the level of commitment, time and effort that you can put aside.

In these situations, it's obvious that the only real way to investigate these areas will be via a meeting with someone who understands IT (as well as it's commercial requirements.)

Throw out the typical salesperson who pushes one particular program without a thorough investigation so as to understand your abilities as well as level of experience. Make sure they can draw from a generous array of training from which they could solve your training issues. Often, the level to start at for someone with a little experience can be hugely different to the student with no experience. Opening with a basic PC skills program first can be the best way to get into your IT studies, but depends on your skill level.

Sometimes students are under the impression that the traditional school, college or university route is still the best way into IT. So why then are commercial certificates becoming more in demand? Corporate based study (to use industry-speak) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector has become aware that this level of specialised understanding is vital to meet the requirements of a technically advancing marketplace. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA dominate in this arena. Typically, the learning just focuses on what's actually required. It's slightly more broad than that, but principally the objective has to be to cover the precise skills needed (with some necessary background) - without trying to cram in all sorts of other things (as academia often does).

Assuming a company is aware what areas they need covered, then they just need to look for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. The syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and can't change from one establishment to the next (in the way that degree courses can).

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