For me, it’s Microsoft.
I can’t stand learning Microsoft products, and I don’t think they make my life easier any time they put out a new version of Office. The first time I used Office 2007, I was lost, frustrated, scared and lonely. Especially when trying to open a document with the dreaded .docx extension.
Business professionals who want an edge in the digital world shell out big bucks for special classes to learn the basics of software operation. And it’s important to be able to handle straightforward edits in Photoshop so you don’t have to keep emailing other people, which bogs down the process.
That’s where a Virginia online training company might come in handy.
Virtual Training Company out of Winchester offers courses online. VTC offers access to hundreds of courses for $30 a month, and there is no required term of service – you can cancel at any time.
Flash-based or Quicktime videos walk you through a program, starting with the basics and graduating all the way to the high-level functions that would make even the most seasoned tech-nerd jealous.
I started with basic Photoshop course.
The course is instructed by a voiceover and a highlighted cursor that conducts all the actions that you need to know and points out all the tools you need to understand. The instructor made cheesy jokes, but he spoke slowly and the information was solid. The videos are broken down by topic and are each about five minutes long. You can select basic courses that take no more than four hours to complete or you can choose the advanced courses. Those will last about 20 hours.
It is very simple to use, and the search function on the site is powerful. You can even browse the catalogue before you buy the service to be certain VTC has the course you are looking for.
Hil Scott is the head of media production at the University of Richmond’s Technology Learning Center. (Full disclosure: I was given access to VTC for free because of my status as a student at University of Richmond.) Scott said that using VTC is helpful but he wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for someone who had never used a program such as Photoshop before.
“I think VTC could be helpful to those kinds of people but I think that what people are looking for, whether they articulate it or not, is for someone to show them where the tools are. Because once you have the basics then you can learn the rest on your own,” Scott said. “I think for applications that have to do with design especially, a human being is best.”
Scott recommended VTC but said that some courses were better than others, depending on the instructor. To be sure, that is always the case.
VTC keeps track of all the courses that you want to learn by filing selected courses in your profile. You can also order a certificate from the company saying that you have completed the course, although I’m not sure I would staple that to my resume.
The online training won’t be helpful unless you actually have the software installed on your computer, because unless you are going back and actually working through the functions after each lesson, or even as the lesson is going on, it’s worthless.
But for the money, it’s a great buy for business people looking to bolster their resume and add new skills. If learning new skills via the Internet isn’t for you, then you should stick with taking classes at the local community college.
David Larter covers technology for BizSense. Please send news tips to [email protected].
For me, it’s Microsoft.
I can’t stand learning Microsoft products, and I don’t think they make my life easier any time they put out a new version of Office. The first time I used Office 2007, I was lost, frustrated, scared and lonely. Especially when trying to open a document with the dreaded .docx extension.
Business professionals who want an edge in the digital world shell out big bucks for special classes to learn the basics of software operation. And it’s important to be able to handle straightforward edits in Photoshop so you don’t have to keep emailing other people, which bogs down the process.
That’s where a Virginia online training company might come in handy.
Virtual Training Company out of Winchester offers courses online. VTC offers access to hundreds of courses for $30 a month, and there is no required term of service – you can cancel at any time.
Flash-based or Quicktime videos walk you through a program, starting with the basics and graduating all the way to the high-level functions that would make even the most seasoned tech-nerd jealous.
I started with basic Photoshop course.
The course is instructed by a voiceover and a highlighted cursor that conducts all the actions that you need to know and points out all the tools you need to understand. The instructor made cheesy jokes, but he spoke slowly and the information was solid. The videos are broken down by topic and are each about five minutes long. You can select basic courses that take no more than four hours to complete or you can choose the advanced courses. Those will last about 20 hours.
It is very simple to use, and the search function on the site is powerful. You can even browse the catalogue before you buy the service to be certain VTC has the course you are looking for.
Hil Scott is the head of media production at the University of Richmond’s Technology Learning Center. (Full disclosure: I was given access to VTC for free because of my status as a student at University of Richmond.) Scott said that using VTC is helpful but he wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for someone who had never used a program such as Photoshop before.
“I think VTC could be helpful to those kinds of people but I think that what people are looking for, whether they articulate it or not, is for someone to show them where the tools are. Because once you have the basics then you can learn the rest on your own,” Scott said. “I think for applications that have to do with design especially, a human being is best.”
Scott recommended VTC but said that some courses were better than others, depending on the instructor. To be sure, that is always the case.
VTC keeps track of all the courses that you want to learn by filing selected courses in your profile. You can also order a certificate from the company saying that you have completed the course, although I’m not sure I would staple that to my resume.
The online training won’t be helpful unless you actually have the software installed on your computer, because unless you are going back and actually working through the functions after each lesson, or even as the lesson is going on, it’s worthless.
But for the money, it’s a great buy for business people looking to bolster their resume and add new skills. If learning new skills via the Internet isn’t for you, then you should stick with taking classes at the local community college.
David Larter covers technology for BizSense. Please send news tips to [email protected].