Network and computer support technicians are ever more in demand in the United Kingdom, as businesses are becoming more reliant upon their knowledge and fixing and repairing abilities. Whilst we're all becoming growingly beholden to our PC's, we in turn inevitably become increasingly more reliant upon the commercially qualified networking professionals, who ensure the systems function properly.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but securing your first IT job can be relieved by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. Don't get overly impressed with this service - it's easy for their marketing department to overstate it's need. The fact of the matter is, the massive skills shortage in the United Kingdom is the reason you'll find a job.

One important thing though, don't procrastinate and wait until you've completed your exams before bringing your CV up to date. Right at the beginning of your training, mark down what you're doing and tell people about it! A good number of junior support roles have been offered to students who are in the process of training and haven't even passed a single exam yet. At the very least this will get you into the 'maybe' pile of CV's - rather than the 'No' pile. You'll normally experience better results from a specialised and independent local recruitment service than you'll experience from any training course provider's employment division, as they'll know the local area and commercial needs better.

In a nutshell, if you put the same amount of effort into landing a job as into studying, you're not likely to experience problems. Some people bizarrely spend hundreds of hours on their training course and just give up once they've got certified and seem to suppose that interviewers know they're there.

We're often asked why traditional degrees are being overtaken by more qualifications from the commercial sector? As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has moved to specific, honed-in training that the vendors themselves supply - that is companies like Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. Frequently this is at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. This is done through concentrating on the actual skills required (along with an appropriate level of related knowledge,) as opposed to going into the heightened depths of background non-specific minutiae that degree courses are prone to get tied up in (to fill up a syllabus or course).

The bottom line is: Recognised IT certifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - the title is a complete giveaway: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network'. Consequently companies can look at the particular needs they have and what certifications are needed for the job.

A expert and professional consultant (as opposed to a salesman) will want to thoroughly discuss your current experience level and abilities. This is vital for understanding your starting point for training. Where you have a strong background, or maybe some work-based experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then it could be that the level you'll need to start at will be quite dissimilar from a trainee who has no experience. It's usual to start with a user-skills course first. This can often make your learning curve a much easier going.

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