With an abundance of IT courses to be had, it can be mind-boggling to know where to start. Choose one that's in line with your character and abilities, and that will be a useful asset in the working environment. Computer courses cover a big spectrum of disciplines. Some re-trainers simply want Microsoft user skills, whilst others want to get their teeth into Programming, Web Design, Networking or Databases - and these are all possible. But with this much choice, don't pluck a course out of the air. Why not discuss your needs with an advisor who has experience of the IT economy, and can lead you down the right path.

Modern training methods at last give students the chance to study on a different type of course, that costs far less than old-style courses. The low overhead structure of such training programs allows everybody access to them.

A question; why should we consider commercial certification and not familiar academic qualifications gained through the state educational establishments? With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, the IT sector has had to move to specific, honed-in training only available through the vendors themselves - for example companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay. University courses, for example, become confusing because of a great deal of loosely associated study - and much too wide a syllabus. This prevents a student from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Imagine if you were an employer - and your company needed a person with some very particular skills. What should you do: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from graduate applicants, trying to establish what they know and which workplace skills have been attained, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that specifically match what you're looking for, and make your short-list from that. You'll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

Potential Students eager to start a career in computers and technology normally have no idea of what route is best, let alone what area to build their qualifications around. Because with no commercial background in the IT industry, how should we possibly be expected to know what a particular job actually consists of? Consideration of several factors is important when you need to uncover a solution that suits you:

* What hobbies you're involved with in your spare-time - these can point towards what things will give you the most reward.

* What is the time-frame for retraining?

* Where do you stand on salary vs job satisfaction?

* Getting to grips with what the main work roles and markets are - including what sets them apart.

* How much effort you will set aside for your training.

To bypass the barrage of jargon, and reveal the best route for you, have a good talk with an industry-experienced advisor; a person who can impart the commercial reality whilst covering all the qualifications.

Finding job security these days is incredibly rare. Businesses frequently throw us out of the workplace at a moment's notice - as long as it fits their needs. We could however hit upon market-level security, by digging for areas in high demand, tied with shortages of trained staff.

Using the IT industry as an example, the 2006 e-Skills analysis demonstrated a skills gap across the country in excess of 26 percent. That means for every four jobs available throughout Information Technology (IT), there are only 3 trained people to fulfil that role. This worrying reality clearly demonstrates the requirement for more appropriately trained IT professionals throughout the UK. In reality, retraining in Information Technology during the coming years is most likely the safest choice of careers you could make.

Make sure that all your qualifications are current and what employers are looking for - you're wasting your time with programmes which lead to some in-house certificate (which is as useless as if you'd printed it yourself). All the major commercial players like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe each have internationally recognised proficiency courses. These heavyweights can make sure you stand out at interview.

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