Congratulations! Finding this article suggests you're wondering about where you're going, and if you're considering retraining you've even now progressed more than most. Can you believe that a small minority of us would say we are fulfilled and satisfied with our jobs - yet the vast majority of us will do absolutely nothing about it. Why don't you break free and do something - think about how you could enjoy Monday mornings.

We suggest that you discuss your ideas first - find someone who knows the industry; an advisor who can discover your ideal job, and work out what courses which will get you there:

* Do you like to be around others at work? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Maybe you like to deal with tasks that you deal with by yourself?

* What do you need from your chosen industry? (If it's stability you're after, you might think twice about banks or the building industry right now.)

* After re-training, how long a career do you hope for, and will the market sector offer you the chance to do that?

* Is it important for your training course to be in an industry where as far as you can see your chances of gainful employment are high until your pension kicks in?

When listing your options, it's relevant that you consider IT - it's well known that it's getting bigger. IT isn't all techie people looking at computer screens the whole time - naturally those roles do exist, but the majority of roles are carried out by people like you and me who are earning rather well.

Most trainers typically provide a big box of books. Obviously, this isn't much fun and isn't the best way to go about studying effectively. Long-term memory is enhanced when all our senses are brought into the mix - this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for years now.

Programs are now found via DVD-ROM discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Video streaming means you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to perform the required skill, and then practice yourself - in an interactive lab. It's wise to view examples of the courseware provided before you sign the purchase order. What you want are instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

You'll find that many companies will only provide just online versions of their training packages; and although this is okay the majority of the time, consider how you'll deal with it if you lose your internet access or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It's preferable to have physical CD or DVD discs that will solve that problem.

You should look for authorised exam simulation and preparation programs included in your course. Some students can find themselves confused by practicing questions for their exams that aren't recognised by official boards. Often, the way questions are phrased can be completely unlike un-authorised versions and you should be prepared for this. It's a good idea to have some simulated exam questions that will allow you to verify your knowledge at all times. Practice exams add to your knowledge bank - then you're much more at ease with the real thing.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the very beginning of your studies. Before you get carried away with this so-called guarantee, think about this:

Everyone knows they're still paying for it - obviously it has been added into the gross price invoiced by the college. It's absolutely not free (it's just marketing companies think we'll fall for anything they say!) Should you seriously need to pass first time, you must avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the priority it deserves and be ready for the task.

Why pay the training company at the start of the course for exams? Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, don't pay mark-ups - and sit exams more locally - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call. Many current training companies net huge amounts of money because they're asking for exam fees early then hoping you won't see them all through. Pay heed to the fact that, in the majority of cases of 'exam guarantees' - they control when and how often you can re-take the exam. You'll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they'll pay for another exam.

Exam fees averaged about 112 pounds in the last 12 months through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra for 'Exam Guarantees', when it's no secret that the responsible approach is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.

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