The perhaps intimidating chore of landing your first role in IT can be eased by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance programme. At the end of the day it's not as hard as some people make out to land a job - as long as you've got the necessary skills and qualifications; employers in this country need your skills.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews should be offered (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). Be sure to you polish up your CV right away - don't wait until you've finished your exams! You may not have got to the stage where you've taken your exams when you land your first junior support role; but this isn't going to happen unless you've posted your CV on job sites. If you don't want to travel too far to work, then you'll often find that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy may serve you better than the trainer's recruitment division, for they're far more likely to know the jobs that are going locally.

A good number of people, so it seems, conscientiously work through their course materials (for years sometimes), only to do nothing special when trying to get the right position. Sell yourself... Do everything you can to let employers know about you. Don't expect a job to just fall into your lap.

Quite often, students have issues with one aspect of their training which doesn't even occur to them: The method used to 'segment' the courseware before being couriered to your address. Delivery by courier of each element stage by stage, as you complete each module is the typical way that your program will arrive. This sounds logical, but you should consider these factors: Students often discover that the trainer's typical path to completion is not what they would prefer. They might find it's more expedient to use an alternative order of study. Could it cause problems if you don't get everything done within their exact timetable?

To avoid any potential future issues, it's normal for most trainees to have all their training materials (which they've now paid for) couriered out in one package, all at the beginning. It's then up to you in which order and at what speed you want to work.

You'll get the opportunity to find out more about the many IT careers and different training paths from specialised pages on this website. Alternatively, our Free E-book 'Lollypedia' provides you with in depth advice, and access to our team of training professionals.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - this always means you have to pay for the exams at the start of your training. Before you jump at this so-called guarantee, look at the following:

Obviously it isn't free - you are paying for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. We all want to pass first time. Progressively working through your exams when it's appropriate and paying as you go puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you put the effort in and think carefully about the costs.

Take your exams somewhere close to home and find the best exam deal or offer available then. Many current training course providers secure a great deal of profit by getting in the money for examinations upfront then cashing in if they're not all taken. You should fully understand that re-takes through training course providers with an 'Exam Guarantee' inevitably are heavily regulated. You will be required to do mock exams until you've demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is remiss - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really guarantee success.

The market provides a glut of jobs and positions available in computing. Finding the particular one for yourself is generally problematic. What chances do most of us have of understanding the day-to-day realities of any IT job when it's an alien environment to us? We normally haven't met someone who does that actual job anyway. The key to answering this issue appropriately lies in a deep talk over some important points:

- Your personality type and what you're interested in - the sort of work-oriented areas you love or hate.

- What length of time can you allocate for retraining?

- Where do you stand on salary vs job satisfaction?

- When taking into account all that the IT industry encompasses, it's a requirement that you can see how they differ.

- It's wise to spend some time thinking about the level of commitment you're going to give to your education.

For most people, dissecting all these ideas will require meeting with someone who knows what they're talking about. And we're not only talking about the certifications - you also need to understand the commercial requirements and expectations besides.

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