If there's any chance you'll be enrolling with a training academy that is still using 'in-centre workshop days' as a benefit of their course, then consider these issues encountered by most students:

- Many round trips - often hundreds of miles at a time.

- Taking frequent time off work - many schools can only give class availability from Monday to Friday and often group days together in a clump. This can be hard for a lot of working people, and it's made more problematic if travelling time is added into the mix.

- At only 4 weeks annual leave, using half of that on training events leaves very little time for holidays.

- With the high costs involved, many schools have to put on larger classes - which isn't ideal (giving less time per student).

- Often, tension develops in mixed classes where most students want to move at a pace comfortable for them.

- Quite a lot of trainees tell us of the considerable cost of getting transport to and from the venue and paying for food and accommodation can get very expensive.

- A lot of trainees want their studies to remain private thus avoiding all management questions from their current employer.

- Raising questions in a class full of students will sometimes make us a little self-conscious. Ever avoided asking a question just because you didn't want to look foolish?

- It should be remembered that days in-centre become pretty much unreachable, where you work elsewhere in the country for part of the week.

The perfect situation is by viewing a filmed class - providing direct instruction any time of the day that suits. You can study at home on your desktop computer or if you have laptop, why not get outside if the weather's nice. If you've got questions, then use the provided 24x7 live support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Just repeat the modules whenever you feel you need to. And of course, you don't have to write any notes as you have access to the class forever. Could it be simpler: No wasted time or money, travelling is avoided; and you get a more relaxed learning environment.

The two examinations are 640-802, and they are divided like this - The 'CCENT' ('Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician') examination - often called the 'ICND1' ('Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1' - 640/822) exam, & the 'ICND2' (640-816) exam. All these abbreviations do nothing at all to simplify things for the person getting into IT, however the most simple bit of advice is normally to consider the 'CCNA' 640/802 as a blended accreditation. This particular course would greatly gain from being partnered with the CompTIA A+ and N+ qualifications, because they will provide all the essential grounding prior to attempting the more specialised Cisco-specific examinations. Anticipate putting in about 400 to 500 hrs of study (around 12 months part-time) to get through a track of this type. In common with all 'technical' IT training-programs, ensure you find one that offers 24 hour real-time connection to tutor assistance, to 'problem-solve' any studying difficulties that come up. The appropriate study materials are essential - go for interactive multimedia disc based programs, & an approved & effective examination practice system.

Locating job security these days is problematic. Companies can drop us from the workplace with very little notice - as long as it fits their needs. However, a marketplace with high growth, with a constant demand for staff (due to a growing shortage of properly qualified people), provides a market for true job security.

Taking the Information Technology (IT) business for instance, the last e-Skills survey highlighted major skills shortages around Great Britain of over 26 percent. That means for each four job positions existing in computing, there are only 3 trained people to fill that need. This distressing idea shows the requirement for more properly qualified Information Technology professionals around Great Britain. In reality, seeking in-depth commercial IT training over the next few years is probably the safest career direction you could choose.

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