As you're looking to study for the MCSE certificate, it's likely you'll come into one of two categories. You might be ready to enter the world of IT, and you've discovered that the IT industry has many opportunities for those with appropriate certifications. Alternatively you might be already a professional wanting to consolidate your skill-set with the MCSE qualification.

During your research, you'll come across training companies that short-change you by not upgrading their courses to the latest Microsoft version. Don't use such training providers as you will face problems at exam time. If your knowledge is of the wrong syllabus, it could be impossible to pass. Be on your guard for training companies who are just trying to sell you something. Always remember that buying training to get an MCSE is much like purchasing a vehicle. They are not all equal; some are comfortable and reliable, whilst others will probably break down on route. A conscientious organisation will offer you plenty of help to check you've got the correct course. When providers are proud of their courses, you'll be shown samples of it prior to the sale.

With so much choice, there's no surprise that a large majority of students don't really understand the best career path they should even pursue. Therefore, if you don't have any background in the IT industry, what chance is there for you to know what some particular IT person actually does day-to-day? Let alone decide on which training route would be most appropriate for ultimate success. Getting to a well-informed choice only comes from a thorough examination covering many changing factors:

* Personalities play a significant part - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the areas that really turn you off.

* Are you aiming to realise a closely held aim - for example, becoming self-employed in the near future?

* Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it very important, or is job satisfaction further up on the priority-scale?

* Understanding what the main IT types and markets are - and what differentiates them.

* The time and energy you'll spend on obtaining your certification.

To bypass the confusing industry jargon, and uncover the best path to success, have an informal chat with an experienced professional; someone that understands the commercial reality while explaining all the qualifications.

An advisor that doesn't question you thoroughly - the likelihood is they're just trying to sell you something. If they push a particular product before learning about your history and whether you have any commercial experience, then it's very likely to be the case. If you've got a strong background, or perhaps a bit of live experience (some certifications gained previously perhaps?) then it's more than likely your starting level will be different from a trainee who has no experience. Opening with a user skills module first may be the ideal way to get into your computer training, but depends on your skill level.

We're often asked why qualifications from colleges and universities are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications? Industry is of the opinion that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, proper accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA most often has much more specialised relevance - for considerably less. University courses, for instance, can often get caught up in a great deal of background study - with much too broad a syllabus. Students are then prevented from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

The bottom line is: Recognised IT certifications provide exactly what an employer needs - it says what you do in the title: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Planning and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Infrastructure'. Therefore an employer can look at their needs and what certifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

How can job security really exist anywhere now? In a marketplace like the UK, where business constantly changes its mind at alarming speeds, there doesn't seem much chance. We can however reveal security at the market sector level, by searching for areas that have high demand, mixed with work-skill shortages.

Using the Information Technology (IT) industry for example, a key e-Skills analysis showed a national skills shortage throughout Great Britain around the 26 percent mark. So, out of each 4 positions in existence throughout computing, organisations are only able to locate certified professionals for 3 of the 4. This disquieting concept reveals the requirement for more commercially certified computer professionals around the UK. Quite simply, acquiring professional IT skills as you progress through the next few years is almost definitely the greatest career choice you could ever make.

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