Have you recently questioned how safe your job is? Normally, we only think of this after something goes wrong. However, the painful truth is that true job security simply doesn't exist anymore, for all but the most lucky of us. When we come across growing skills deficits mixed with growing demand of course, we almost always reveal a fresh type of security in the marketplace; driven forward by the constant growth conditions, businesses are struggling to hire the staff required.

Using the computing sector for instance, the 2006 e-Skills analysis demonstrated massive skills shortages in the United Kingdom of over 26 percent. Or, to put it differently, this means that Great Britain is only able to source 3 trained people for each four job positions that exist today. Highly taught and commercially educated new workers are thus at a resounding premium, and it looks like they will be for many years to come. Actually, retraining in Information Technology over the next year or two is almost definitely the greatest career move you'll ever make.

The push towards increased professional acknowledgement and expertise for I.T. workers has been led by 'Microsoft' for a couple of decades now. Because of this the entire I.T. industry and particularly senior management view more advanced Microsoft qualifications with huge respect.

Considering how a program is 'delivered' to you can often be overlooked. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what sequence and do you have a say in when you'll get each part? Most companies will sell you a program spread over 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you pass each exam. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts: What if you find the order prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. You may find it a stretch to finalise every element within their timetable?

For maximum flexibility and safety, it's not unusual for students to insist that all study materials are sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. It's then up to you in which order and at what speed you'd like to take your exams.

Some training providers offer a Job Placement Assistance facility, to help you get your first job. The honest truth is that it isn't so complicated as you might think to find your first job - as long as you're correctly trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

However, what is relevant is to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; and we'd encourage any student to work on polishing up their CV right at the beginning of their training - don't put it off for when you're ready to start work. A good number of junior support roles have been bagged by trainees who are in the process of training and have still to get qualified. This will at least get you on your way. Actually, an independent and specialised local employment service (who will get paid commission to place you) will be more pro-active than a sector of a centralised training facility. In addition, they will no doubt know the area and local employers better.

Please be sure that you don't conscientiously work through your course materials, just to give up and expect somebody else to land you a job. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Put the same resource into finding the right position as it took to pass the exams.

Students eager to start a career in IT often have no idea of what route to follow, or which market to obtain accreditation for. After all, if you don't have any background in the IT sector, how can you expect to know what a particular IT employee fills their day with? Let alone decide on what educational path provides the best chances for ultimate success. Often, the key to unlocking this dilemma correctly stems from a full discussion of some important points:

- Personality plays a major part - what gets you 'up and running', and what are the things that get you down.

- Are you aiming to achieve an important aim - like becoming self-employed as quickly as possible?

- Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it the most important thing, or do you place job satisfaction a little higher on your list of priorities?

- Getting to grips with what the main career types and markets are - including what sets them apart.

- What effort, commitment and time you will set aside for the training program.

To bypass the industry jargon, and reveal what'll really work for you, have an in-depth discussion with an industry-experienced advisor; a person that can impart the commercial reality and of course each accreditation.

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