Certainly one of Microsoft's over-riding strengths over recent decades has to have been their drive towards professional level certification, requiring many other companies to comply and increase their standards. As such, professional MS accreditations stand in extremely high regard by both I.T. professionals and global industry.

People attracted to this sort of work often have a very practical outlook on work, and don't really enjoy classrooms, and poring through books and manuals. If you're thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where learning is video-based. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that much more of what we learn in remembered when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we get practically involved in what we're studying.

Programs are now found in the form of CD and DVD ROM's, where everything is taught on your PC. Through video streaming, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to perform the required skill, followed by your chance to practice - with interactive lab sessions. All companies must be able to demonstrate some examples of their courseware. You're looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and a variety of interactive modules.

Select CD and DVD ROM based physical training media if possible. You're then protected from broadband 'downtime' or slow-speeds.

A fatal Faux-Pas that students everywhere can make is to choose a career based on a course, and take their eye off the desired end-result. Schools are stacked to the hilt with unaware students that chose a program because it looked interesting - in place of something that could gain them an enjoyable career or job. Never let yourself become part of that group who choose a training program that sounds really 'interesting' and 'fun' - and end up with a certification for a job they hate.

Never let your focus stray from where you want to get to, and build your study action-plan from that - don't do it the other way round. Stay focused on the end-goal and study for something that will keep you happy for many years. Seek guidance and advice from a skilled advisor, even if there's a fee involved - it's considerably cheaper and safer to find out at the beginning whether your choices are appropriate, rather than find out after 2 years that you're doing entirely the wrong thing and have to start from the beginning again.

If we think of the core I.T. systems we can then examine the accreditation programs that MS offers. They are 1) Network and Server Operating-Systems, 2) Programming and Software Development within the 'Windows' environment, and 3) Database Administration & Development. Each of these routes has it's own special list of individual certification groups - which may be perused in more depth by browsing through the applicable web-pages on this site.

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