Network and computer support technicians are constantly in demand in this country, as companies are becoming more reliant on their technical advice and ability to fix and repair. The world's desire for such qualified and commercially astute members of the workforce is constantly growing, as everything becomes progressively more computer dependent.

A lot of commercial training providers will only offer support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; most won't answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Beware of institutions which use messaging services 'out-of-hours' - where an advisor will call back during office hours. This is useless when you're stuck and want support there and then.

If you look properly, you'll find the top providers who recommend and use online direct access support around the clock - including evenings, nights and weekends. If you fail to get yourself 24x7 support, you'll end up kicking yourself. You may avoid using the support late in the night, but you're bound to use weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

You should remember: the training itself or an accreditation is not the ultimate goal; the job or career that you're getting the training for is. Too many training companies over-emphasise the piece of paper. It's a testament to the marketing skills of the big companies, but thousands of new students kick-off study that often sounds marvellous in the sales literature, but which delivers a career that is of no interest. Try talking to typical university students and you'll see where we're coming from.

Stay tuned-in to what it is you're trying to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that - not the other way round. Keep your eyes on your goals - making sure you're training for a career that will keep you happy for many years. It's worth seeking guidance from someone who understands the market you've chosen, and is able to give you 'A day in the life of' explanation for each job considered. All of these things are absolutely essential as you'll need to fully understand whether or not you've chosen correctly.

Always expect the most up to date Microsoft (or any other key organisation's) authorised exam preparation packages. Students regularly can find themselves confused by going through practice questions that aren't from the authorised examining boards. Quite often, the terminology in the real exams is startlingly different and you need to be ready for this. As you can imagine, it's very important to be confident that you've thoroughly prepared for the real exam prior to going for it. Revising simulated exams adds to your knowledge bank and helps to avoid wasted exam attempts.

The area most overlooked by people mulling over a new direction is that of 'training segmentation'. Basically, this means the breakdown of the materials to be delivered to you, which makes a huge difference to how you end up. Usually, you'll join a programme requiring 1-3 years study and receive one element at a time until graduation. It seems to make sense on one level, but consider these issues: What would happen if you didn't finish every section at the proposed pace? And maybe you'll find their order of completion won't be as easy as some other order of studying might.

To be honest, the best solution is to have their ideal 'order' of training laid out, but to receive all the materials up-front. Meaning you've got it all if you don't manage to finish inside of their required time-scales.