If you're going through this material it's probable that either you're considering a career change into IT and you fancy taking your MCSE, or you are a knowledgeable person and you've realised that you can't get any further without the MCSE certification.

As you find out about training providers, ensure that you stay away from those that short-change you by not providing the current Microsoft version. This will only hamper the trainee due to the fact that they'll have learned outdated MCSE course material which isn't in line with the existing exam programme, so it's likely they'll fail. Don't get bullied into a computer course without a proper consultation. Find a training company who will put effort into advising you on the best course for your requirements.

Far too many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and completely miss what you actually need - getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with the end in mind - too many people focus on the journey. It's a sad fact, but thousands of new students begin programs that seem fabulous in the prospectus, but which gets us a career that doesn't satisfy. Speak to a selection of college graduates to see what we mean.

Spend some time thinking about the income level you aspire to and what level of ambition fits you. Usually, this will point the way to what precise qualifications will be expected and what you can expect to give industry in return. Seek help from an industry professional who has commercial knowledge of your chosen market-place, and who can offer 'A typical day in the life of' outline of what you'll actually be doing day-to-day. It makes good sense to know if this change is right for you before the training program is started. There's really no point in beginning your training only to find you've taken the wrong route.

Incorporating examinations with the course fee and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams is common for a good many training companies. However, let's consider what's really going on:

Everybody's aware that they're still paying for it - it's not so hard to see that it's been inserted into the gross price invoiced by the training provider. Certainly, it's not a freebie (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) The honest truth is that if a student pays for their own exams, one by one, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt - since they're aware of their investment in themselves and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Go for the best offer you can find when you're ready, and hang on to your cash. You also get more choice of where you sit the exam - so you can find somewhere local. Big margins are netted by many training colleges who get money for exam fees in advance. For various reasons, many students don't take their exams and so they pocket the rest. Amazingly, there are providers who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that's where a lot of their profit comes from. The majority of companies will require you to do mock exams and hold you back from re-takes until you've completely proven that you're likely to pass - which makes an 'Exam Guarantee' frankly useless.

Average exam fees were about 112 pounds last year when taken at local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra for 'an Exam Guarantee', when it's no secret that the best guarantee is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

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