There are also two specialist areas within the 'MCSE' route - security and messaging. These require either two more 'MCP' exams, or one single extra exam if one of the main 7 has been suitably determined. This implies you should look at which 7 you choose very carefully if you are probably going to specialise in messaging or security - appropriate choices will then mean eight rather than nine exams. The Server-2008 Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist ('MCTS') upgrade exam has also been released by MS - the MCSA is exam 70/648 & the MCSE is exam 70/649. One of these updates (or perhaps a comparable accreditation) really should be taken into account at the start of your thought process. If you do, you will open up your eligibility to get more jobs, and mean you're future-proofed to a certain degree.

Many trainers only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; most won't answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Find a good quality service with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You'll need 24x7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not simply some messaging service that means you're constantly waiting for a call-back during office hours.

If you look properly, you'll find the top providers which give students direct-access online support at all times - at any time of day or night. If you fail to get yourself 24x7 support, you'll end up kicking yourself. You may avoid using the support late in the night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

A study programme must provide a nationally (or globally) recognised accreditation at the end - and not some unimportant 'in-house' printed certificate to hang in your hallway. From an employer's viewpoint, only top businesses like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (to give some examples) give enough bang for your buck. Nothing else makes the grade.

Some training providers have a handy Job Placement Assistance facility, to help you into your first commercial role. Because of the huge shortage of skills in this country today, there isn't a great need to make too much of this option though. It's not as difficult as you may be led to believe to get a job as long as you've got the necessary skills and qualifications.

Whatever you do, don't wait till you have qualified before polishing up your CV. The day you start training, list what you're working on and get it out there! A good number of junior support jobs have been bagged by students who are still learning and haven't even passed a single exam yet. This will at least get you on your way. If you'd like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you'll often find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy could serve you better than a centralised service, due to the fact that they're going to be familiar with local employment needs.

Just be sure that you don't conscientiously work through your course materials, and then just stop and leave it in the hands of the gods to sort out your employment. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Invest as much focus into securing the right position as you did to gain the skills.

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