.::.Easy Mind Reading.::.

The Microsoft MCSA course (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) is a perfect match for anyone hoping to work as a technician in network support. Whether you already have experience but need a professional course with a good qualification, or you are a beginner in the computer world, you'll quickly see how to choose a program to suit your requirements.

For a person with no knowledge of the industry, it will be crucial to have some coaching prior to getting into your four Microsoft Certified Professional exams (MCP's) needed to gain MCSA certification. Look for a company that can tailor your studying to cater for your needs - with industry experts who can be relied on to make sure that your choices are good ones.

Many training companies will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; very few go late in the evening or at weekends.

Avoid those companies which use 'out-of-hours' call-centres - with your call-back scheduled for office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and want support there and then.

It's possible to find professional training packages who provide their students online direct access support 24x7 - including evenings, nights and weekends.

Don't accept second best where support is concerned. The vast majority of IT hopefuls who give up, just need the right support system.

Make sure you don't get caught-up, like so many people do, on the training course itself. Your training isn't about getting a plaque on your wall; this is about gaining commercial employment. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

It's a terrible situation, but a great many students kick-off study that often sounds amazing from the marketing materials, but which provides the end-result of a job that is of no interest at all. Just ask several university students for a real eye-opener.

Set targets for earning potential and the level of your ambition. Usually, this will point the way to which qualifications you will need and what'll be expected of you in your new role.

Obtain help from a professional advisor who has commercial knowledge of your chosen market-place, and is able to give you 'A typical day in the life of' outline of what you'll actually be doing during your working week. It makes good sense to discover if this is the right course of action for you before you embark on your training program. After all, what is the point in starting to train only to realise you've made a huge mistake.

We can see a plethora of employment in computing. Finding the particular one for you is generally problematic.

How can we possibly grasp the day-to-day realities of any IT job if we've never been there? Maybe we haven't met someone who performs the role either.

The key to answering this predicament appropriately flows from a full talk over some important points:

* What nature of individual you are - what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, and don't forget - what you definitely don't enjoy.

* Why you're looking at stepping into IT - it could be you're looking to triumph over a long-held goal like being self-employed for example.

* Where do you stand on job satisfaction vs salary?

* Getting to grips with what the normal IT types and sectors are - and what differentiates them.

* Having a cold, hard look at what commitment and time you'll make available.

For the majority of us, sifting through these areas needs a long talk with an advisor who can investigate each area with you. Not only the certifications - you also need to understand the commercial requirements also.

We're regularly asked to explain why academic qualifications are now falling behind more qualifications from the commercial sector?

Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry has become aware that a specialist skill-set is what's needed to service the demands of an acceleratingly technical workplace. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the dominant players.

Vendor training works through honing in on the skills that are really needed (together with a relevant amount of related knowledge,) as opposed to trawling through all the background detail and 'fluff' that computer Science Degrees often do - to fill a three or four year course.

The bottom line is: Commercial IT certifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - it says what you do in the title: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network'. So employers can identify just what their needs are and what certifications are required to perform the job.