The Cisco training is intended for individuals who wish to understand and work with routers. Routers hook up computer networks over dedicated lines or the internet. It's a good idea that your first course should be the CCNA. Don't be tempted to go straight for your CCNP as it's a considerable step up - and you really need experience before you take this on.

Jobs that use this qualification mean it's likely you'll end up working for national or international companies that have multiple departments and sites but still need contact. The other possibility is being employed by an internet service provider. Either way, you'll be in demand and can expect a high salary.

Getting your Cisco CCNA is what you should be aiming for - don't be pushed into attempting your CCNP straight away. Get a couple of years experience behind you first, then you will know if this next level is for you. If so, you'll be much more capable to succeed at that stage - as your working knowledge will put everything into perspective.

A skilled and practiced advisor (as opposed to a salesman) will cover in some detail your current situation. This is vital for calculating your starting point for training. Sometimes, the training start-point for someone with experience is largely different to someone without. If this is your first stab at studying for an IT examination then you should consider whether to start out with some basic PC skills training first.

What is the reason why qualifications from colleges and universities are less in demand than the more commercial qualifications? Key company training (to use industry-speak) is most often much more specialised. Industry has realised that specialisation is necessary to handle an acceleratingly technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the dominant players. In essence, the learning just focuses on what's actually required. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but the most important function is always to master the precisely demanded skill-sets (alongside some required background) - without going into too much detail in all sorts of other things (as academia often does).

Assuming a company is aware what areas need to be serviced, then they simply need to advertise for someone with a specific qualification. Commercial syllabuses are set to exacting standards and aren't allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be proper direct-access 24x7 support through dedicated instructors and mentors. It's an all too common story to find providers that only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Find a good quality service where you can access help at any time of day or night (even if it's early hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it's always access directly to professional tutors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you're parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back - probably during office hours.

The best training colleges opt for a web-based 24x7 service combining multiple support operations over many time-zones. You get an environment which seamlessly selects the best facility available any time of the day or night: Support on demand. Never make do with anything less. 24x7 support is the only viable option for computer-based study. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; but for most of us, we're at work during the provided support period.

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