A very small number of men and women in this country are claiming to be happy in their job. Of course, most will just stay there. The reality of your getting here at a minimum indicates that you're considering or may be ready for a change.

It's advisable to get some help before you start - talk to a knowledgeable person; a guide who can really get to know you and find the best job role for you, and offer only the learning programs which are appropriate for you:

* Is it your preference to work in isolation or is being part of a team vital for your sanity?

* What do you require from your chosen industry? (Things do change - look at the building trade, or banks for example.)

* How long a career do you hope to have once retrained, and can the industry you choose give you the confidence that will happen?

* Would you like your training course to be in a market sector where you know you will be able to work until your pension kicks in?

The biggest industry in Great Britain that fulfils the above criteria is Information Technology. There's a shortage of qualified staff in the industry, just search any jobs website and there'll be a long list. But don't think it's full of techie geeks gazing towards theirscreens the whole time - there are many more roles than that. The majority of employees in the computer industry are just like the rest of us, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

A number of people assume that the school and FE college path is still the best way into IT. So why then are commercially accredited qualifications beginning to overtake it? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs spiralling out of control, plus the IT sector's general opinion that key company training is closer to the mark commercially, we've seen a big surge in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA certified training paths that educate students for considerably less. Of course, a certain quantity of background knowledge must be covered, but precise specifics in the areas needed gives a commercially educated student a huge edge.

If an employer is aware what areas they need covered, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. Vendor-based syllabuses are set to exacting standards and don't change between schools (like academia frequently can and does).

There is no way of over emphasising this: Always get full 24x7 support from professional instructors. You'll definitely experience problems if you don't. Be wary of any training providers who use messaging services 'out-of-hours' - with your call-back scheduled for typical office hours. It's no use when you're stuck on a problem and need an answer now.

If you look properly, you'll find the top providers which provide their students online support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends. Never compromise when you're looking for the right support service. The majority of trainees that throw in the towel, just need the right support system.

Each programme of learning has to build towards a commercially valid accreditation as an end-goal - and not some unimportant 'in-house' piece of paper. From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (for example) will get you short-listed. Nothing else makes the grade.

Don't listen to the typical salesperson who just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation so as to understand your abilities as well as level of experience. Always check they have access to a generous stable of training programs from which they could give you an appropriate solution. If you've got any work-based experience or base qualifications, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is not the same as someone new to the industry. For students embarking on IT studies as a new venture, you might like to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, by working on some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with most training programs.

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