Congratulate yourself that you've already got this far! Only one in ten folks are happy and satisfied by their jobs, but the majority simply moan about it and take no action. As you've reached this page it's probable that you're at least considering retraining, so you've already stood out from the crowd. What comes next is get busy to find your direction.

Before embarking on a course, look for some advice - find someone who knows the industry; an advisor who can get to the bottom of what you'll like in a job, and offer only the learning programs you may be suited to:

* Do you like to be around others at work? Is it meeting new people or being part of a team? Maybe you like to deal with tasks that you can get on with on your own?

* Which criteria's are fundamentally important when considering the market sector you hope to work in?

* Is it important that this should be a one off time that you'll have to retrain?

* Do you feel uncomfortable with regard to your possibilities of getting another job, and being in demand in the employment market right up to retirement?

We would advise that you don't overlook the IT industry - it's well known that it's developing all the time. It's not full of geeky individuals gazing at their PC's every day - it's true those roles do exist, but most jobs are carried out by ordinary people who do very well out of it.

Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and don't always take well to classrooms, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If you're thinking this sounds like you, try the newer style of interactive study, where you can learn everything on-screen. Years of research and study has always demonstrated that an 'involved' approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Interactive full motion video featuring instructor demo's and practice lab's will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you'll actually enjoy doing them. It would be silly not to view some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you make your decision. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

It is generally unwise to select online only courseware. Due to the variable nature of connection quality from the ISP (internet service provider) market, it makes sense to have physical media such as CD or DVD ROM's.

Be watchful that any qualifications you're considering doing are commercially relevant and are bang up to date. 'In-house' certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment. If the accreditation doesn't feature a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then it's likely it could have been a waste of time and effort - as it'll be an unknown commodity.

Of course: a actual training program or a certification is not what you're looking for; the particular job that you want to end up in is. Many trainers unfortunately place too much importance on the actual accreditation. It's quite usual, for instance, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in something completely unrewarding, entirely because you stumbled into it without some decent due-diligence when you should've - at the outset.

You also need to know your feelings on earning potential, career development, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. You should understand what will be expected of you, what particular qualifications they want you to have and how to develop your experience. It's worth seeking help from someone that understands the market you think may suit you, and will be able to provide 'A day in the life of' explanation for that career-path. These things are of paramount importance as you'll need to know if you're barking up the wrong tree.

Commercial certification is now, without a doubt, taking over from the older academic routes into the IT industry - so why should this be? The IT sector now acknowledges that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, certified accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance - for much less time and money. University courses, for instance, clog up the training with vast amounts of background study - with a syllabus that's far too wide. This holds a student back from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.

Just as the old advertisement said: 'It does what it says on the label'. Companies need only to know what they need doing, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. Then they're assured that a potential employee can do exactly what's required.

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