Wedding

Congratulate yourself that you're on the right track! A fraction of the population enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers simply moan about it and take no action. Because you've done research we have a hunch that you're at least considering retraining, so you've already stood out from the crowd. Take your time now to research and follow-through.

Congratulate yourself that you're on the right track! A fraction of the population enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers simply moan about it and take no action. Because you've done research we have a hunch that you're at least considering retraining, so you've already stood out from the crowd. Take your time now to research and follow-through.

We recommend you seek advice first - talk to someone who's familiar with your chosen field; a guide who can really get to know you and find the best job role for you, and analyse the learning programs which will get you there:

* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Is that as part of a team or with a lot of new people? Possibly operating on your own on specific tasks would be more your thing?

* What thoughts do you have with regard to the industry you'll work in?

* Would you like this to be the last time you'll have to retrain?

* Would you like your study to be in an industry where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high until retirement?

We would advise that you consider Information Technology - it's well known that it is one of the few growth sectors. It's not all nerdy people looking at computer screens constantly - naturally some IT jobs demand that, but the majority of roles are carried out by people like you and me who get on very well.

Finding your first job in the industry is often made easier with a Job Placement Assistance program. At the end of the day it isn't so complicated as you might think to land a job - as long as you're correctly trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

Having said that, it's important to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; also we would encourage any student to get their CV updated right at the beginning of their training - don't put it off till you've finished your exams.

Getting your CV considered is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior positions are bagged by trainees (sometimes when they've only just got going.)

The top companies to help get you placed are generally local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they have more incentive to get on with it.

Not inconsiderable numbers of men and women, apparently, put a great deal of effort into their studies (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of trying to get the right position. Market yourself... Do your best to put yourself out there. A job isn't just going to bump into you.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget what it's all actually about - which is a commercial career or job. You should always begin with the final destination in mind - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle.

It's common, in some situations, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training and then spend 20 miserable years in a job you hate, as a consequence of not performing the correct research when you should've - at the outset.

Never let your focus stray from what you want to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that - avoid getting them back-to-front. Keep your eyes on your goals and study for something you'll enjoy for years to come.

It's good advice for all students to speak with an industry professional before following a particular study program. This gives some measure of assurance that it contains the commercially required skills for the chosen career path.

Starting with the idea that we have to locate the market that sounds most inviting first and foremost, before we're able to chew over what method of training would meet that requirement, how do we decide on the right path?

Perusing long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Surely, most of us have no idea what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the ins and outs of any specific IT role.

Getting to the right answer really only appears through a thorough investigation of many unique criteria:

* Personality plays an important role - what things get your juices flowing, and what are the areas that really turn you off.

* Why you're looking at starting in Information Technology - it could be you're looking to overcome a particular goal such as working for yourself maybe.

* What salary and timescale requirements you may have?

* Often, trainees don't consider the work involved to gain all the necessary accreditation.

* It's wise to spend some time thinking about the level of commitment you'll put into your training.

The best way to avoid the industry jargon, and discover what'll really work for you, have an informal meeting with an advisor with years of experience; someone who understands the commercial reality whilst covering all the qualifications.

Watch out that all accreditations you're considering doing will be commercially viable and are up-to-date. The 'in-house' certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment.

Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe, then it's likely it will be commercially useless - because it won't give an employer any directly-useable skills.