This subject is among the largest and most all encompassing areas in the world of IT. It would take far too long to train to become a professional in all elements, and so specialisation is vital to some level. The major systems 'players' in this marketplace are Microsoft & Cisco. The software side of Networking is MS's focus, and the hardware side (routers, controllers and data-switches etc.) is where Cisco primarily work. Security has become a big problem recently, which has led each of the corporations to move in to the market in a big way. Equally within this field we're seeing the significant development of wireless networking. Lastly, 2 very important and growing fields within the security marketplace are Digital-Forensics and Ethical Hacking.

A basic knowledge of networks is a great first-base for anybody getting into the IT industry. Before you are aware of exactly how a PC functions & communicates with other Computers, the rest is just nonsense. Providing you have got decent user skills, you'll find training programs like CompTIA's A+ & 'N+' offers you a very good grounding to set up your career path. We discuss specifics of these training programs on the pages focused on 'CompTIA'.

Moving on from this level is often the domain of the MS MCSA or MCSE or perhaps the Cisco 'CCNA'/'CCNP', according to whether you're interested in the 'hardware' or 'software' side of the equation. That said, MS has a major infiltration throughout most network-environments, and so an in depth knowledge of their software is actually pretty useful whatever you specialise in. You can get further certification details on this website from the dedicated Microsoft and 'Cisco' sections.

Equally of course you could possibly fine tune your Wi-Fi ('wireless') skill-sets by taking accreditations such as the CWNA and CWNP, or continue down the CompTIA path with Linux+, Server+ or Security+ .

If you happen to be especially interested in 'Messaging' or 'Security', then Microsoft have specialist MCSEs available to target these areas. Possibly, the 'CompTIA' Security+ , moving on to the 'CISSP' (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) might be appropriate. CISSP candidates need to have substantial professional work experience, therefore be sure to investigate this well. As usual, we recommend talking with a professional industry advisor to prevent any kind of mishaps.

You've probably noticed that 'Digital' or 'Computer' Forensics is a newer expression that's been popularized through Television shows like "CSI". Clearly though the actual job in actuality will not be quite so glamorous as the programmes would have us think! All the same, forensic-investigation employing advanced technology can provide a really satisfying job. The work involves searching for and interpreting 'digital-footprints' to assist with data-recovery or legal investigations.

Sitting somewhere between Computer Forensics & Security, is the field of Ethical-Hacking. The Certified Ethical Hacker ('CEH') and the 'Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator'(CHFI) are medium - advanced level accreditations provided by the EC-Council.

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