Training Courses in Microsoft cover a multitude of choices. At one side of the range, you could need some instruction on Word or Excel, on the other you may be looking for a number of 'MCP's' to qualify in IT at the professional grade. It is essential, as with all training, to be very sure of what job you would like to get to, and what your motivations are to reach that point, because these can hugely influence what path you take and what learning-method you utilise. If you are about to make a change of career in to I.T., or would like to enhance your career prospects in the industry, don't risk it to chance. Talk to a professional training advisor who will help you avoid any wrong things.

'Microsoft' Network & Server Operating-Systems lead the business environment. It is now believed that a minimum of 80-90 percent of all workplace networking systems use Windows Server as the operating platform. Naturally a variety of updates have taken place - the original NT Server became 2000, then 2003 and right now '2008'. In a commercial sense, Server 2003 continues to be the most prevalent, & it is most likely that many businesses utilising this platform will not up-grade to 2008. Generally, it's those older platforms that will update (NT Server or '2000') - effectively missing a generation. More discussion about Server 2003 and '2008' is located on our dedicated 'MCSE' and MCSA training pages, where you will also discover more about MS Network and Server Operating-Systems.

We can break down the various accreditation routes largely consistent with the systems they relate to. They are specifically Networking (& Server Operating-Systems), Databases (both Administration and Development) & Programming (& Software Development in Windows). There are specific and very different certification groupings for each one of these tracks; visit the relevant sectors on this website for more information.

Expert user-skills can be developed through particular Microsoft certification paths, and commercial support skill-sets through others. To learn about 'Office' 2003 ('XP') check out 'MOS' - 'Microsoft Office Specialist'. For 'Office' 2007 (Vista) skill-sets opt for MCAS - 'Microsoft Certified Application Specialist'. The 'MCDST' ('Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician') takes this on to the next level, which means you are certified to support other people.

You may equally be thinking about a technical role in the IT market, which would mean more in-depth & specialised MS accreditation training. 'Microsoft' have recently re-vamped their certification structure, and while you will still find quite a number of tracks based upon the 'MCP' qualifications, we are increasingly looking at the change to MCITP ('Microsoft Certified IT Professional') & MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) packages. Typically, the MCTS certifications are achieved on the way to the full 'MCITP' program.

Structured Query Language or SQL is a specialist language for interrogating Databases. Structured Query Language is relevant to how data is saved on a Database and extracted out of it. Consequently an understanding of the language is essential for anybody who wants a professional level Database career. 'Developers' ('DBD's') create and design Databases for Administrators ('DBAs') to regulate, interpret & generate reports on the data. DB Developers often also have programming skills to enable them to create database-software - this means a different certification in 'Visual Basic' or C#.

Visual Studio is the foremost Windows software development environment, & is solely owned by Microsoft. Various languages are offered, but the 2 most commonly used ones are 'C#.Net' and 'Visual Basic.Net'. You can find out about these by reading our dedicated Programming & Development pages. 'MCAD' & 'MCSD' accreditations have now been upgraded to the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD).

The push towards higher professional recognition & expertise for I.T. staff has been led by 'Microsoft' for quite some time now. Because of this skilled professional level 'Microsoft' accreditation is very well considered around the world of IT & IT leadership.

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