Modern IT courses on interactive discs are now the preferred method of study for many adult students. London colleges have difficulty matching them for their flexibility and learning methods.

Training comes on a library of CD/DVD ROM's and includes video tutorials, practical demonstrations and interactive labs for you to learn and practice in, with not a book in sight. Just listen, observe, learn and apply your new knowledge, practicing as many times as you like until the knowledge is firmly understood.

Courses range from user skills to full career courses for web design, various levels of network support, databases and programming - and all at prices that colleges can't match either.

It takes a lot of time outside working hours, and a big commitment to attend a regular college tutorial programme. This can be quite tricky to fit in with your current lifestyle. It can also get very costly, as travelling expenses to and from centres seem to be increasing all the time.

Learning naturally at your own pace, in your own home is a much more relaxed and at the same time engaging experience. You can watch tutors carry out demonstrations of what they've just taught, and then practice yourself on-screen, in a virtual laboratory. This is all done without the need to install software onto your PC.

With no expensive college premises in London to pay for, the cost of this training is significantly less than the alternatives.

What's more, training is only one part of the process to help you make the change. At the time of writing, around 26% of the IT jobs in the UK are vacant. That's about 300,000 jobs waiting to be filled, in an industry where salaries are much higher than average.

Get the answers you're looking for before embarking on an IT course. If you're not sure what to ask, think about some of the following: What job would I enjoy doing the most, and can I find one that's in line with my character and ethos? Which course will I need to take to learn the skills for that job? Are there many of those sort of jobs available in London?

Find a training company that's keen to help you get the best course and career for you. Some have advisors with years of experience in the IT market, who'll be happy to spend time guiding you towards the right training path to lead you into an exciting new world.