Congratulations! Hitting upon this feature means you're likely to be thinking about your future, and if it's new career training you're deliberating over then you've already got further than almost everybody else. Can you believe that hardly any of us describe ourselves as satisfied and happy at work - but most will just put up with it. We encourage you to be different and take action - you have the rest of your life to enjoy it.

We recommend you seek advice first - talk to someone who's familiar with your chosen field; someone who'll give you career advice based on what works best for you, and work out what learning programs which are appropriate for you:

* Do you operate better working alone or is being in a team environment an important option?

* What thoughts do you have when considering the market sector you hope to work in?

* Should this be the only time you'll need to re-qualify?

* Would it be useful for the course you're re-training in to be in an area where you're comfortable your chances of gainful employment are high until your pension kicks in?

Look at the IT sector, that will be time well spent - you'll find it's one of the only sectors of industry still growing throughout Europe. Another benefit is that remuneration packages are much better than most.

There are a glut of professional positions up for grabs in Information Technology. Deciding which one could be right for you is a mammoth decision. What are the chances of us grasping the many facets of a particular career when it's an alien environment to us? Maybe we don't know someone who performs the role either. Often, the key to unlocking this predicament in the best manner comes from a deep discussion of a number of areas:

* The type of personality you have and interests - what work-related things you love or hate.

* Why it seems right starting in the IT industry - maybe you'd like to overcome a long-held goal like firing your boss and working for yourself for instance.

* The income requirements you have?

* Getting to grips with what the main IT types and markets are - and what makes them different.

* The time and energy you'll have available to set aside for getting qualified.

In these situations, it's obvious that the only real way to seek advice on these areas is via a conversation with an experienced advisor who has a background in computing (and specifically the commercial requirements.)

All programs you're considering really needs to work up to a commercially valid certification as an end-result - and not some unimportant 'in-house' plaque for your wall. From the viewpoint of an employer, only top businesses such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (for instance) provide enough commercial weight. Nothing else hits the mark.

If an advisor doesn't question you thoroughly - chances are they're really a salesperson. If someone pushes specific products before looking at your personality and whether you have any commercial experience, then you know it's true. Where you have a strong background, or maybe some commercial experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it's likely the level you'll need to start at will be very different from someone who is just starting out. If this is your opening effort at an IT exam then you should consider whether to practice with some basic user skills first.

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