In the UK today, commercial institutions would struggle without assistance from support workers solving problems with networks and computers, while advising users on a regular basis each week. As our society becomes massively more beholden to technology, we also inevitably become increasingly dependent on the technically knowledgeable networking professionals, who maintain those systems.

We can guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the 'hands-on' individual. If you're anything like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals can be just about bared when essential, but you'd hate it. You should use video and multimedia based materials if books just don't do it for you. Memory is vastly improved when we use multiple senses - educational experts have expounded on this for as long as we can remember.

Study programs now come via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Video streaming means you are able to see your instructors showing you how it's all done, followed by your chance to practice - in an interactive lab. Every company that you look at should be able to show you some samples of their training materials. You're looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and many interactive sections.

Many companies provide just online versions of their training packages; and while this is acceptable much of the time, think what will happen if you lose your internet access or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It's much safer to rely on physical CD or DVD discs which will not have these problems.

Commercially accredited qualifications are now, very visibly, starting to replace the traditional routes into the industry - but why is this the case? Industry now acknowledges that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, certified accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field - for much less time and money. Typically, only required knowledge is taught. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but principally the objective has to be to focus on the exact skills required (with some necessary background) - without attempting to cover a bit about every other area (as academia often does).

The bottom line is: Commercial IT certifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - everything they need to know is in the title: i.e. I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. Therefore employers can identify exactly what they need and what certifications are required to fulfil that.

Don't accept anything less than accredited simulation materials and an exam preparation system as part of your course package. Be sure that the practice exams aren't just asking you the right questions on the correct subjects, but also asking them in the way that the actual final exam will formulate them. This can really throw some people if they're faced with unrecognisable phrases and formats. 'Mock' or practice exams can be invaluable for confidence building - so that when you come to take the real deal, you will be much more relaxed.