If you're considering a training academy that still utilises workshop days as a necessary part of their training, then take note of these typical downsides reported by almost all students:

- Loads of travelling - multiple visits and quite often over 100 miles a pop.

- Asking for time out of work - a lot of companies only offer availability during weekdays - typically grouping 2 or 3 days together. To be honest, this doesn't suit working people, even more so when you add the travel time on.

- Usually, we find twenty days annual leave is not really enough. Knock off at least half of this for educational events and see how much more difficult it makes things.

- Taking into account the costs associated with delivering a workshop, a lot of colleges fill the classes up to the brim - not really ideal (and much less personal).

- Maybe you like to work at a pace that is different to the other class members. Sometimes this causes a lot of tension amongst the class.

- Tot up the cost of all the travelling, accommodation, parking and food and you'll be in for a big surprise. Students mention extra costs of between several hundred and a couple of thousand pounds. Sit down and add it up - and understand where they're coming from.

- Don't risk the possibility of being side-stepped for a lift up the ladder or wage increases while you're training.

- Many of us avoid posing questions in a class full of other trainees - because none of us wants to look like we don't understand.

- Being away from home with your work during the week - a minority of trainees need to live or work somewhere else for sections of their training. Events are therefore very difficult then, unfortunately you've already paid for them as part of your fees.

Surely it makes much more sense to learn when it suits you -- not the training company - and exploit videos of instructors with interactive virtual-lab's. Think... With a laptop you have the ability to learn wherever you want. And 24 hr-a-day support is just a web-browser away when you get challenged. It's never going to matter how regularly you need to repeat a module, video-based teachers won't ever lose patience! Also, with this method, note-taking becomes a thing of the past. Everything's laid out there for you when you need it. Essentially: You avoid a bunch of hassle, save money and time, and altogether avoid polluting the skies.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but finding your first computer related job can be eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don't get overly impressed with this service - it's quite easy for their marketing department to make it sound harder than it is. The fact of the matter is, the huge shortage of staff in Great Britain is what will enable you to get a job.

Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don't delay till you've finished your exams. You might not even have got to the exam time when you land your first junior support job; although this isn't going to happen unless you've posted your CV on job sites. The most efficient companies to help get you placed are normally specialist locally based employment services. Because they make their money when they've found you a job, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

Not inconsiderable numbers of people, it would appear, invest a great deal of time on their training course (sometimes for years), only to do nothing special when finding their first job. Introduce yourself... Do everything you can to let employers know about you. Good jobs don't just knock on your door.

Commercial qualifications are now, very visibly, already replacing the traditional academic paths into the industry - why then has this come about? With the costs of academic degree's increasing year on year, and the industry's growing opinion that corporate based study is often far more commercially relevant, there has been a great increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA accredited training courses that provide key skills to an employee for much less time and money. Obviously, a necessary degree of background detail has to be covered, but core specialised knowledge in the exact job role gives a commercially trained student a huge edge.

It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the label'. The company just needs to know what areas need to be serviced, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. That way they can be sure they're interviewing applicants who can do the job.