Training Courses in 'Microsoft' cover a multitude of choices. At one end of the scale, you might need some training on Word or Excel, on the other you might be interested in gaining various MCP's to get certified in I.T. at a professional grade. It's extremely important, as with all training, to be sure of where you would like to get to, & what your reasons are to reach that point, as these can greatly affect what track you take & what learning method you make use of. If you're going to make a career change into I.T., or want to further your career prospects within the sector, then don't leave it to chance. Speak to an industry training advisor who can help you avoid the pitfalls.

To many PC users, the word 'Windows' comes to mind once they think of Microsoft. To some, it's synonymous with the key 'Office' applications used, either at home or at work, to perform a number of everyday functions. The most common application is probably MS Word, which is a program for word processing. Whilst 'Excel' is the most commonly used spread-sheet & 'Access' supplies database capabilities to numerous organisations. For presentations, 'Office' has the software package 'PowerPoint', which completes the main packages in the suite. There is though a lot more to Office as a whole, for instance Microsoft 'Outlook' serves as a diary, email and messaging-system.

Proficient user skills can be obtained through certain Microsoft accreditation paths, & commercial support skills via others. The 'MOS' ('Microsoft Office Specialist') & 'MCAS' (Microsoft Certified Application Specialist) packages cover the 'Office' Suite in-depth. The MCDST ('Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician') takes this on to the following level, so that you are qualified to support other people.

You might equally be contemplating a more technical job within the I.T. industry, that would mean more in depth & specialised MS accreditation study. The exam structure at Microsoft has recently experienced a significant over-haul. A number of career tracks still lead to MCP qualifications, but the trend is steadily going towards MCITP & 'MCTS' programs (Microsoft Certified IT Professional and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist respectively). Typically, the 'MCTS' qualifications are achieved on the way to a full 'MCITP' program.

MS own Visual Studio, which is the fore-most Windows software development 'environment'. C#.Net & 'VB.Net' are generally the most widely used languages to master. You can find out about these on our dedicated Programming & Development pages. 'MCAD' & 'MCSD' certifications have now been updated to the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and the 'Microsoft Certified Professional Developer' ('MCPD').

MS Networking & Server Operating-Systems control the commercial world. It's now predicted that a minimum of 80-90 percent of office networks use 'Windows' Server as their standard platform. This particular software has undergone a variety of updates now, starting with 'NT' Server, and then becoming Server 2000, 'Server 2003' & right now 'Server 2008'. In business, 'Server 2003' continues to be the more common, and its likely that lots of organisations using this platform will never upgrade to 'Server 2008'. There are still businesses with 'NT' or 2000 platforms, & they are the ones that have the most need to up-grade to 2008. You'll locate more information on MS Network and Server Operating-Systems under the 'MCSE'/'MCSA' web-pages, as well as info on the 'Server 2003' versus 'Server 2008' debate.

The main areas that 'Microsoft' provide accreditation tracks for are typically related to their core systems. These encompass 1) Network and Server Operating Systems, 2) Programming & Software Development within the Windows environment, & 3) Database Administration & Development. Each of these routes has it's own unique list of individual accreditation groups - which may be perused in more depth by browsing through the pertinent pages on this site.

A dedicated language has been formulated for working with & interrogating 'Databases', referred to as 'SQL', or Structured Query Language. Knowledge of this specific language is very important for anybody looking at getting into databases, as it determines how data is stored and extracted. DBA's (Database-Administrators) effectively manage database information and reporting, whilst DB Developers set up and design Databases. Quite a number of developers are also programmers, & can write software for databases in either 'C#' or 'VB'.

One of Microsoft's over-riding strengths through-out recent decades has to have been their drive towards professional level accreditation, requiring several other companies to comply & raise their standards. Therefore, professional Microsoft qualifications stand in extremely high regard by both I.T. leaders & global industry.

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