Some training schools are still offering the rather old-fashioned idea of in-centre classes. Usually touted as a major benefit, if you track down someone who's been through a few, you'll most likely hear about many or most of these:

- Constant visits to the workshops - usually very long trips.

- If, like many of us, you work, then weekday only workshops are hard to attend. Often you're facing at least 2, if not 3 days in a row.

- Annual leave lost - most students only have 20 days holiday. If you use up half of that with educational classes, vacation time is going to be quite short for the family as a whole.

- Classes can fill up very quickly and will likely end up bigger than you'd hoped.

- You may prefer to move at a somewhat more suitable pace - rather than be dictated to by the rest of the class. This can create tension in the class.

- And let's not forget the extra cost of driving or taking public transport and accommodation for the duration either. This may well run to many hundreds of pounds more - sometimes thousands. Do the maths yourself - it'll shock and surprise you.

- Training privacy will be of paramount importance to quite a lot of trainees. You don't want to give up any possible promotions, wage increases or success with your current employer just because you're retraining. If your boss finds out you're taking steps towards accreditation in a different industry, what are they going to be thinking?

- Asking questions in the presence of other class-mates often makes us a little awkward. Ever avoided asking a question because you honestly thought you might seem thick?

- If your work takes you away from home, you now have to deal with the fact that events are now awkward to keep up - but unfortunately, the fees were paid along with everything else at the start.

For a far more flexible approach, utilise filmed lessons at home, in comfort - studying at your own pace, when it suits you - not someone else. Whenever an ugly problem rears its head, logon to the 24x7 support facility (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Keep in mind, if you have a laptop, study isn't restricted to the home or office. Irrespective of how frequently you want to re-do a section, video tutors are never going to run out of patience! And don't forget, as an added bonus, you can say goodbye to note-taking. Everything is already there for you. Essentially: You save on money, time, hassle and altogether avoid polluting the skies.

OK, why is it better to gain commercial qualifications instead of familiar academic qualifications gained through schools and Further Education colleges? With university education costs becoming a tall order for many, alongside the industry's recognition that corporate based study is often far more commercially relevant, there's been a large rise in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe certified training programmes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Of course, a certain degree of background knowledge needs to be learned, but core specifics in the areas needed gives a vendor trained student a distinct advantage.

It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the label'. Employers simply need to know what they need doing, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. That way they can be sure they're interviewing applicants who can do the job.

On to the '2009' version of the Network+ - 'N10-004' is now the examination reference number. A larger importance is focused on Security in the '2009' Network+ exam, together with network design and wireless networking. This naturally is in addition to the primary elements of network-management and infrastructure.

For the A+ examinations allow yourself somewhere around 100 to 150 hours to study & prepare, and slightly less for the 'Network+' examinations (perhaps around 100 hrs). This means acquiring them both within six months part time studying entirely possible, providing high quality multimedia training products are used, along with good exam preparation software.

Don't put too much store, as many people do, on the training course itself. Training is not an end in itself; this is about employment. You need to remain focused on where you want to go. Don't let yourself become part of that group that choose a course that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - and end up with a plaque on the wall for a job they hate.

Stay tuned-in to where you want to go, and then build your training requirements around that - don't do it back-to-front. Stay focused on the end-goal and begin studying for a job you'll still be enjoying many years from now. Have a conversation with a professional advisor that knows about the sector you're looking at, and could provide a detailed run-down of what to expect in that role. Getting all these things right long before commencement of any learning programme has obvious benefits.

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