There are two A+ exams and specialised sectors, and you need to get your exams in each area for qualification purposes. Once on the A+ training program you will learn how to build computers and fix them, and work in antistatic conditions. You'll also cover fault finding and diagnostics, through both hands-on and remote access. If you're considering being the kind of individual who works in a multi-faceted environment - in network support, you'll need to add CompTIA Network+, or consider the Microsoft networking route (MCSA - MCSE) because it's necessary to have a more advanced experience of the way networks work.

IT has become one of the more stimulating and innovative industries that you could be a part of. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology means you're a part of the huge progress shaping life over the next few decades. We've only just begun to get an inclination of how technology will define our world. Computers and the web will significantly change how we see and interact with the rest of the world over the next few years.

And don't forget that on average, the income of a person in the IT sector in the United Kingdom is significantly better than in other market sectors, so you will be in a good position to gain significantly more as an IT specialist, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. It would appear there is no easing up for IT sector development across Britain. The sector continues to develop quickly, and we don't have anywhere near enough qualified skilled IT professionals to fill current job vacancies, so it's most unlikely that there'll be any kind of easing off for a good while yet.

We're often asked why qualifications from colleges and universities are being replaced by more commercial qualifications? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs climbing ever higher, together with the industry's growing opinion that key company training most often has much more commercial relevance, there's been a big surge in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA certified training programmes that supply key solutions to a student for considerably less. Higher education courses, for example, clog up the training with a lot of background study - with a syllabus that's far too wide. Students are then prevented from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty: Authorised IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - everything they need to know is in the title: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. So an employer can look at the particular needs they have and which qualifications will be suitable to deal with those needs.

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