Many training academies are still maintaining a now out-dated method of training - in-centre classes. Often sold as a benefit, after discussion with someone who has first-hand experience, you'll find them listing some or all of these issues:

- The amount of travel required - multiple journeys and sometimes 100's of miles at a go.

- If, like many of us, you work, then weekday only events represent a difficulty in getting time off. Typically you are facing several days in a row too.

- Let us not overlook the lost holiday days. We typically get twenty days annual leave. If half is given up to classes, then we aren't going to be doing much vacationing.

- Training workshops often are over-subscribed, meaning we have to accept something that we don't really want.

- Many students want to study at a somewhat more suitable pace - rather than be dictated to by the rest of the class. Often this can bring about classic classroom tension.

- Quite a lot of attendees talk of the high costs involved with all the travelling back and forth to the facility while covering the cost of accommodation and food can get very high.

- The majority of attendees want their studies to remain private to avoid any kind of questions in their work.

- It's very common for students to hide the fact that they want to raise a question - just due to the reason that they're with their peers.

- For those who have work away from home, you face the added difficulty that days in-centre are now very hard to attend - unfortunately however, they've already been paid for.

For a far more flexible approach, use pre-made classes at the location of your choice - studying at your own pace, when it suits you - not someone else. Any time you get a problem, logon to the 24x7 support facility (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Don't forget, if you have a notebook PC, you could study wherever the mood takes you. Repeat any of the classes whenever it's convenient - repetition aids memory. And note-taking becomes a thing of the past - everything is done for you already. Even though there's no way this can take away every single problem, it undeniably vastly reduces stress and simplifies things. You've also got less travel, costs and hassle.

Often, students don't think to check on something of absolutely vital importance - the way their training provider segments the courseware, and into how many bits. Drop-shipping your training elements one stage at a time, as you pass each exam is the normal way of receiving your courseware. This sounds logical, but you might like to consider this: What if for some reason you don't get to the end of each and every exam? And what if the order provided doesn't meet your requirements? Without any fault on your part, you mightn't complete everything fast enough and therefore not end up with all the modules.

The very best situation would see you getting all the training materials couriered to you immediately; the entire package! Then, nothing can hinder your progress.

In-line with their ISO standardisation drive, CompTIA have updated both 'A+' and Network+ exams to '2009' versions. The earlier 'A+' (edition 2006-2007) exams which were categorised with the 600 pre-fix are being retired worldwide through 2010. Come the close of August 2010, the exams will retire in the British Isles. Because both these, and the recently released '700' exams are now available to sit in 'prometric' and Vue test-centres, it seems sensible to study the '700' examinations now, & avoid having to re-certify later on. CompTIA 'A+' Essentials and CompTIA A+ Practical Application are the new examination titles (220/701 & 220-702 respectively). The main changes were an entire re-structuring of the past four exams into only two examinations, & the addition of some teaching on newer relevant technologies. The previous structure was one compulsory 'essentials' exam & three 'electives', of which just one was required to be taken. But as the market has moved on, the expertise from all 4 exams is now deemed essential, & thus has been condensed into 2 required exams. Anyone who has formerly achieved the '600' exam is allowed to bring their accreditation up to date by sitting an upgrade exam : BR-003. Passing the up-grade exam will generally demand additional study, but it ought not to be especially difficult for those who initially studied all electives. The new technology topics will obviously necessitate some fresh learning.

Frequently, a everyday IT hopeful has no idea in what direction to head in IT, or even what sector they should be considering getting trained in. How likely is it for us to understand what is involved in a particular job when we've never done it? Often we don't even know anybody who performs the role either. Getting to an informed choice really only appears from a thorough analysis covering many varying criteria:

- The sort of individual you consider yourself to be - what tasks do you get enjoyment from, and don't forget - what you definitely don't enjoy.

- Why it seems right moving into computing - is it to conquer a long-held goal such as self-employment maybe.

- Your earning needs you have?

- Learning what the main work roles and markets are - including what sets them apart.

- The level of commitment and effort you'll commit the training program.

For most people, getting to the bottom of these areas will require meeting with an experienced pro that knows what they're talking about. And we're not only talking about the certifications - but the commercial expectations and needs of industry too.

The 'A+' program and the Network+ program are CompTIA's flagship qualifications. These two, as a group, create the building blocks for many contemporary I.T. career tracks - and rightly so. The 'CompTIA' 'A+' qualification covers the basics of PC maintenance, security, installation, support, fault finding and repair. It also covers several personal and communication skills needed to get your foot on the ladder of I.T.. Developing this awareness, the 'Network+' certification looks at networks, (this includes routers and servers) and demonstrates how they inter-connect. The vital issue of 'Security' is introduced, and Wireless networks are outlined at an introductory level. Obtaining these two qualifications will give a good platform for anybody seeking to get into the 'systems' area of the IT industry, along with a platform of knowledge for additional qualification.

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