Training time is commonly recognised as about 300 to 350 hours for the MCSA & 500 to 550 hours for the 'MCSE', assuming high quality multi-media training materials, 24 hour entry to student-support, & some decent exam preparation software. And so with experience you can actually successfully complete them in around eight to twelve months learning part time. But, if you are entering the marketplace with no former certification, then your typical starting place will be CompTIA 'A+' & N+. Aspects of these certifications are available on their specific pages on this website, however this should add 200 hours or six months of part time study into the mix, possibly even longer.

The classroom style of learning we remember from school, involving piles of reference textbooks, is usually pretty hard going. If this describes you, check out study materials which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts. Many years of research has repeatedly verified that connecting physically with our study, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Interactive full motion video with demonstrations and practice sessions beat books hands-down. And you'll actually enjoy doing them. Make sure to obtain a demonstration of the study materials from the training company. The package should contain slide-shows, instructor-led videos and lab's for you to practice your skills in.

You should avoid purely online training. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where offered, enabling them to be used at your convenience - you don't want to be reliant on your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

In order to successfully earn your 'MCSA' accreditation, there are four 'MCP' ('Microsoft Certified Professional') examinations you need to pass. Of these, 3 examinations are core subjects & therefore have to be taken, but the fourth can be chosen from a choice of so called 'electives'. The 'Comptia' Security+ is now accepted as an 'elective' examination, and has become more and more popular with all candidates for various reasons. The 'MCSE' involves 7 'MCP' examinations, that show the expanded importance placed on organisational security, systems planning and network design.

We're often asked why academic qualifications are being overtaken by more commercial certifications? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs spiralling out of control, alongside the IT sector's growing opinion that vendor-based training is often far more commercially relevant, there's been a dramatic increase in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA accredited training courses that provide key skills to an employee at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Clearly, a reasonable amount of closely linked detail has to be learned, but core specialised knowledge in the exact job role gives a vendor educated student a distinct advantage.

Put yourself in the employer's position - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What should you do: Go through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from several applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which workplace skills they have, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that specifically match what you're looking for, and then choose your interviewees based around that. The interview is then more about the person and how they'll fit in - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

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