A very small number of men and women in the UK today are enjoying job satisfaction. Inevitably, huge numbers will just stay there. You've reached this paragraph, which at least indicates that change is beckoning.

We'd recommend that prior to beginning any individual training program, you have a conversation with someone who is familiar with the working environment and can give you advice. Such a person will go through personality profiling with you and give you guidance on the right role for you:

* Is working with other people your thing? Perhaps you like being a team player? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that only you know how to deal with?

* Are you thinking carefully about which sector you would be suited to? (These days, it's even more crucial to choose carefully.)

* Is this the last time you plan to retrain, and therefore, do you suppose your new career will service that need?

* Do you have the assurance that the training program you've chosen is commercially viable, and will offer the chance to be employed until retirement?

The biggest industry in this country that fulfils the above criteria is the IT industry. There's a shortage of knowledgeable workers in this sector, just check out any jobsite and you will find them yourself. But don't think it's all techie people sitting in front ofscreens the whole time - there's a lot more to it than that. The majority of the people in IT are just like you and me, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

You'll come across courses which guarantee examination passes - this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the very beginning of your studies. Before you jump at guaranteed exams, think about this:

Clearly it's not free - you're still being charged for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package. It's everybody's ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Progressively working through your exams one at a time and funding them as you go has a marked effect on pass-rates - you prepare appropriately and are conscious of what you've spent.

Why pay the training college up-front for exam fees? Go for the best offer at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance - and do it locally - rather than in some remote place. Paying upfront for exams (which also includes interest if you've taken out a loan) is insane. Why fill a company's coffers with additional funds just to give them more interest! There are those who hope that you will never make it to exams - then they'll keep the extra money. Also, you should consider what an 'exam guarantee' really means. The majority of organisations won't pay again for an exam until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won't fail again.

With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric examinations coming in at around 112 pounds in the UK, the most cost-effective way to cover the cost is by paying when you need them. Not to fork out thousands extra in up-front costs. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Students who consider this area of study can be very practical by nature, and don't always take well to classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where learning is video-based. Many studies have proved that we remember much more when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we get practically involved in what we're studying.

Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, so you can study at your own computer. Through video streaming, you can watch instructors demonstrating how it's all done, and then practice yourself - via the interactive virtual lab's. All companies should be able to show you some simple examples of the materials provided for study. Make sure you encounter videos of instructor-led classes and a wide selection of interactive elements.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where available, so that you have access at all times - you don't want to be reliant on your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

What is the reason why academic qualifications are being replaced by more commercially accredited qualifications? With university education costs spiralling out of control, alongside the industry's recognition that vendor-based training is closer to the mark commercially, we've seen a large rise in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA accredited training programmes that supply key solutions to a student for considerably less. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It's slightly more broad than that, but the principle remains that students need to cover the precise skills needed (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without attempting to cover a bit about everything else (as degree courses are known to do).

Imagine if you were an employer - and your company needed a person with some very particular skills. What should you do: Pore through a mass of different academic qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and what commercial skills they've acquired, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that precisely match your needs, and then select who you want to interview from that. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

An area that's often missed by people thinking about a course is the issue of 'training segmentation'. Essentially, this is how the program is broken down into parts for drop-shipping to you, which can make a dramatic difference to where you end up. Most companies will sell you a program typically taking 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you pass each exam. On the surface this seems reasonable - until you consider the following: What if you find the order prescribed by the provider doesn't suit you. It may be difficult to get through all the modules at the speed required?

For the perfect solution, you'd get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - giving you them all to return to any point - at any time you choose. This also allows you to vary the order in which you attack each section where a more intuitive path can be found.

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