Congratulate yourself that you're on the right track! Only one in ten folks claim contentment with their job, but the majority just go off on one from time to time and nothing happens. The fact that you're here means it's probable that you're giving retraining some thought, so even now you're ahead of the game. Now you just need to find out more and then take action.

For those thinking of re-training, it's important that you first make a list of what you want and don't want from the position you're looking to get into. You need to know that the grass actually is greener before you put a lot of energy into changing the direction of your life. So much better to look at the destination you're hoping for, to steer clear of regrets:

* Do you like to be around others at work? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Or are you better with things that only you know how to deal with?

* Are you considering which market sector you maybe could work in? (With the economic downturn, it's even more crucial to choose carefully.)

* Is this the last time you envisage re-training, and based on that, will your chosen career path offer that choice?

* Will this new qualification give you the chance to discover new employment possibilities, and stay employable until your retirement plans kick in?

Prioritise the IT sector, that's our recommendation - unusually, it's one of the growth areas in Great Britain and Europe. And the salaries are much higher than most.

Some training providers supply a practical Job Placement Assistance facility, to help you into your first commercial role. Don't get overly impressed with this service - it's quite easy for their marketing department to overstate it's need. The fact of the matter is, the huge shortage of staff in the UK is why employers will be interested in you.

Help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews should be offered (if not, see one of our sites for help). It's essential that you work on your old CV immediately - don't leave it till you pass the exams! It's not unusual to find that you'll land your first role whilst you're still studying (even in the early stages). If your course details aren't on your CV (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you don't stand a chance! If you'd like to get employment in your home town, then you'll probably find that a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service might work much better for you than a centralised service, due to the fact that they're far more likely to be familiar with what's available near you.

Certainly be sure that you don't invest a great deal of time on your training course, only to stop and expect somebody else to land you a job. Stand up for yourself and make your own enquiries. Invest the same focus into landing a good job as you did to gain the skills.

A top of the range package of training will also include wholly authorised exam preparation systems. Confirm that the simulated exams haven't just got questions on the correct subjects, but additionally ask them in the way the real exams will formulate them. It really messes up people if they're faced with unrecognisable phrases and formats. 'Mock' or practice exams are very useful for confidence building - then when the time comes for you to take the real thing, you don't get phased.

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