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Information Technology (IT) professionals require training to stay proficient in their occupational field.  More often than not, not only training is required, but constant refreshing with up-to-date materials is essential.  With the ever-expanding world of computers this can not be over-stated or over-emphasized.  Just as other professionals in other fields run into a dilemma with time constraints, so do IT professionals. 

More and more there IT pro’s look online for their computer training; whether it be for an upgraded skill or a new one.  The manner of obtaining this new or upgraded skill online is a relatively simple process.  A Google search for online computer training in the desired field will return numerous results.  Computer training institutions have long recognized the need for online training.  At first online computer training was a niche market filled by few institutions, but as the demand grew so did the number of these service providers. 

Before registering for an online computer training course, due diligence on the part of the prospective student should be accomplished.  A quick check of the credentials of one of these institutions is relatively easy.  A Google search for accredited online computer training schools will provide a good and viable starting point.  While this may seem to be a common sense move, there are those who have failed to diligently research this area.  These persons have been duped, or even completely scammed out of their education dollars by less than reputable ‘learning’ institutions.  Fortunately, nowadays there are checks and balances in place for reducing the possibilities of fraud.  In some cases, financial institutions and government lenders require proof of accreditation before releasing funds to any learning institution.  Even more firm requirements are placed on  online ‘learning’ institution.

Some of these online computer training schools purport to teach in two weeks what normally requires a month to accomplish.  They promise twenty-four hour support through 800 numbers an email.  In this manner they provide computer training mentorship with a trained IT professional.  As in many other endeavors, the worth of this has a direct correlation to what you put into it. 

Whether you are looking to for a new certification or to upgrade, it is a relatively simple task to accomplish through online computer training.  These online courses are often structured to provide the student the opportunity for self-paced instruction.  The self-paced portion of instruction has more than helped in the growth in popularity of such online computer training pursuits.  Generally, through self-paced instruction require a minimal time for completion as opposed to a maximum.  What this means is that to obtain 14 hours training in a requisite skill, the student is prevented from completing it in anything less than 14 hours, thereby maintaining the integrity of the certification. Another aspect of this type of training is in progress tracking.  The student’s progress is saved along with other pertinent data.  In that manner, the student may stop at any given point and pick-up where they left off from later on. 

All tolled, whether sharpening a skill or obtaining a new skill through online computer training is a viable and relatively simple process. 

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Today’s military is on the leading edge of technology.  Leaders in the US Armed Forces have long recognized that a trained soldier is a good soldier.  Along with this: a good soldier is a happy soldier; a happy soldier is a retained soldier. With advances in technology, and the advent of the internet, it was only a matter of time before the military would come online.  Due to this steadfast belief, the military evolved.  If mother necessity were the mother of invention, then education was the necessity.  Military members now have access to advanced training and other educational materials through online computer training.

In the military of old, training was conducted primarily in a classroom environment:  no online computer training whatsoever.  The alternative to classroom instruction was correspondence courses.  While some training requires the student to be under direct supervision of the trainer: other’s don’t.  To alleviate this, the military designed correspondence courses.  Each correspondence course had attached a pre-test and a final test:  the member would mail in the pre-test and receive a final exam to complete and return.  Correspondence courses alleviated the stress put upon training commands and allowed students to study at their own pace.  At the time, this was a boon to the military and it’s personnel.  Problems arose with this program, though.  Problems such as lost or misrouted mail often prevented members from obtaining much needed certificates.  The course completion certificate was considered the only proof required for course completion.  Also, the certificate often served as a substitute for training requirements.  In addition to this, certificates were the only requirement for obtaining points toward promotion.  With the aforementioned problem came personnel problems.  Personnel problems were an issue that if not solved expediently added to retention problems.  The military recognized this issue and determined to do something about it. 

Another issue faced by military members of the past was obtaining a college degree.  Members were often deployed or stationed in locations where access to college was not possible.  Due to this problem, members attempting to obtain a degree had issues with continuity of their education.  A simple change from one duty station to another created problems also:  one college not accepting another colleges curriculum. Eventually, the military recognized both problems and determined that providing military members to online computer training would benefit everyone.

Nowadays, on any military installation one can find an ‘internet café’.  These locations were established to serve the member with the opportunity to access the internet.  Internet access provided the opportunity for accessing online computer training.  Members now access courses that were previously offered only through correspondence.  Through online computer training, members can now complete an online degree no matter where they are on the globe.  That is, of course,  provided that they can access the internet.  Generally the only places that have problems with internet connectivity are submarines, yet with technology advancing that may not be a problem for long.   

And the problem with correspondence courses?  Online computer training resolved all of that.  Members now have instant access to completion certificates.  Certificates lead to points, and points lead to promotions.  All of these combined makes a trained, retainable soldier.  Therefore, online computer training has helped keep the US Armed Forces truly a force to be reckoned with.

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With the advent of the internet came online gaming, dating, mail (Email), auctioning and many other forms of commerce.  One major step was making online computer training available.  Today there are many sites dedicated solely to computer training.  The US Military has gone so far as to make classroom learning available to it’s members through online computer training.  There are countless member of the US Armed Forces on a daily basis connecting to the internet and taking online computer courses.  The military has gone so far as to take the majority of their military related training and put it online. Members either take online computer training to earn points toward a promotion or their degree.  They do this from different points across the globe - even while at sea.  In this way a soldier stationed in a foreign country doesn’t lose the opportunity to obtain a college education.  Also, there are numerous military bases that have set up ‘internet cafes’ for this purpose.  From these locations, those without their own personal computer (PC) are also provided the opportunity to participate in online computer training. 

Not only are the US Armed Forces taking advantage of this capability.  Persons involved in shift-work such as police officers, and firemen take advantage of online computer training.  A typical police officer working a 12 hour shift often find it difficult to obtain traditional education due to their schedule.  Through online computer training, this problem is alleviated.  Often online computer training can be found to be less expensive than classroom training, thereby eliminating an additional financial burden.  

It has long been established that there are three methods in which a person learns:  listening, reading, hands-on, or a combination of any three.  Computer training takes advantage of listening, and reading.  Hands-on, is simply not an option.  Online computer training is especially helpful with taking courses directly related to computers.  There is a plethora of different computer training courses available online:  learning a foreign language, writing courses, computer courses, degrees, certifications and more.   

A Google search for online computer training opportunities results in numerous online institutions.  Not only institutions, but certification in the various computer programming languages are available as well as computer applications.  

A typical computer training website offers training courses in office skills, business skills, technical skills, web design and formal Microsoft training.  In addition to this discounts are usually available to large groups such as a company per se.  Through these sites, a student can learn at his or her own pace, save progress and generate course completion certificates instantly.

For those wishing to obtain certificated training only, there are many sites available.  The Professional Education Institute is a prime example for this type of computer training.  This particular company provides licensing for various subjects. 

Aside from online computer training, there is also offline computer training available.  Often, the student pays for the course in advance.  A Compact Disk (CD) containing the course materials is sent to the student.  In most instances, there are quizzes and mini-tests leading up to a final exam.  Upon completion, the student emails a file to the originator and a completion certificate is returned to the student.

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You’ve decided that it’s time to join the 21st century, or perhaps you’re simply looking to brush up on your skills.  Either way, it is time to get some computer training, and you are looking at all of your options.  One of the most popular options available today for getting training of any kind (computer training included) is the Internet.

Online computer training is one of the easiest and most convenient methods of training available, provided you have a good Internet connection.  In fact, it is probably a good idea to have a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or cable service in order to get the most out of this method of training.  While a few training sites will work with the standard dial-up service speed, most will not.  Add that to the fact that many people who are on dial-up do not achieve the maximum FCC allowed speed of 56 kbps, but average something much slower.  That being said, if you’ve got a good, high-speed service, you are ready to sign up for some online computer training!

Online computer training usually consists of several features that appeal to the person wanting to learn from home.  One such feature is that you are on your own schedule.  Usually there is not a specific time of the day or day of the week that you are required to do your learning or testing.  However, there is usually a time limit for completing the course, especially if it is training that you have paid for.  The resources and any reference materials from the course are only available while you are training and /or testing, and cannot usually be accessed after the expiration date of your training or subscription.

Materials are presented in many different ways as well.  Some online computer training sites have quite a bit of information available for study as e-books in the almost universal PDF format.  This format from Adobe has been popularized mainly because of its wide adaptability to different operating systems and computing platforms.  It will work with the PC running almost any version of Windows, as well as the Macintosh from Apple.  In addition to e-books, a lot of training sites take advantage of the broadband revolution by presenting material in various video formats.  This is one of the principle reasons why it is recommended that you have broadband Internet access if you are going to take advantage of online computer training.

Another way to take advantage of online training is to locate training that may be available for free.  There are many forums and websites that will present information that will provide great online computer training.  This information is free, but it is up to you to dig in and learn.  This type of ‘training’ is best utilized by those who are self-starters, motivated to teach themselves as much as they can by reading and researching the vast array of material available online.  There have been many cases of people who are self-taught using this method to learn everything from HTML and CSS to how to build a computer.

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Most human resource professionals would agree that the most vital aspect in maintaining a good employee is through training.  Keeping personnel trained on the most up to date aspects of their profession creates a more valuable employee.  The downfall to this is that in a budget crunch, an experienced employee seeking more compensation will have numerous options available.  The reasoning:  a trained employee is a valuable employee.  Unfortunately this is true.  In actuality, the employer must hope for loyalty in their employees.  Without this loyalty, the doors can be virtually blown off their hinges.  An answer to this dilemma may be in providing online computer training to employees for the basic requirements of the job at hand where practical.  Certifications expire but don’t require classroom attendance.  Many online computer training courses are available covering everything from archaeology to zoology and everything in-between.  One only need do a Google search for online computer training that covers the given subject to discover this. 

A dilemma faced by many employers as it refers to training is expense.  In a lot of training situations, class reservations, hotel reservations, meals and other expenses become a factor.  Sometimes these expenses overshadow the expense of the course alone.  In addition to this, the employer loses the employee for an extended period causing a slow down in production.  Another consideration is the travel expense; gas, wear and tear on a company owned vehicle that make some training cost prohibitive.  All of these expenses add up, sometimes into an astronomical amount that may discourage an employer from sending an employee for training. 

Online computer training is beneficial in many ways and answers many facets of this dilemma.  For one, there are no hotel reservations, or meal expenses.  That alone can save money to make online computer training an attractive option.  Productivity will be only minimally affected depending on the arrangements made for time to take the online computer training.  Given the aforementioned, travel expenses; gas, wear and tear on the company vehicle are eliminated.  The only true expense is that of paying the employee while they train.  If accomplished properly, the expense can be negated. 

Many online computer training institutions provide group discounts, thereby lightening the load on the employers wallet even further.  In addition, most provide instant or relatively instant course results to the employer.  As part of the majority of marketing schemes, these institutions also keep the employer up to date with their latest training schedules thereby building a rapport.  Whatever the case, having this information hands-on allows an employer abreast of potential training opportunities. 

Training an employee builds the employees value.  This may increase the possibility that the employee may leave for ‘greener pastures’.  However, the more optimistic thought process implies that a trained employee is a happy employee.  Keeping employees happy through training makes for loyal employees.  In keeping with this, employers should not only be productive and proactive towards company goals.  By providing not only training, but online computer training the expense bourn by the employer is lost.

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Welcome home!  You’re so excited to have your new computer system up and running.  It is pretty exciting, isn’t it?  So what’s next?  For some of you, you’re off to the races, ready to go to the ends of the Internet.  For others, you may be staring at your new system like a calf staring at a new gate.  This is why most home users of personal computers can benefit from home computer training.  So what are some of the things a home computer user should get trained on?  Let’s take a look at a short list of things you need to know to be efficient on your home computer and keep it running in tip-top shape.

Home computer training should always include how to do back-ups.  It goes without saying that if something is important, you should have two copies of it.  It’s nice to have a hard copy (print-out) of a document or file, but it’s also nice to have a back-up of the actual computer file.  Just imagine what happens when the spreadsheet you’ve been using to balance your accounts suddenly get corrupted.  If you don’t have a electronic copy of the file, then you will be stuck with re-entering all of the information by hand.  With home computer training you can get the skills to know how to best back up your files, which files to back up, and what utilities will best meet your needs.

Another area that should be covered through home computer training is that of file system maintenance.  At this point, we’ve already covered back-ups.  In this area, let’s look at two areas that often get overlooked until the system slows down so much it is basically at a stand still.  One is disk cleanup and the other is file fragmentation.  Home computer training will help the new computer user learn how to recognize when a hard drive is becoming cluttered, and what to do about it. 

Often, third party software creates temporary files while you are using it, and then conveniently neglects to delete these files when you are done.  In addition, trash can collect in your recycle bin as well.  Combine these with temporary internet files and cookies and you can be bogged down pretty quickly.  Home computer training will also help you understand what causes a file to get fragmented into dozens of pieces on your hard drive.  While this doesn’t destroy the file, it sure does slow down the computer’s access time to it, which increases your wait time while using that software or opening that particular project.

A final area that is often overlooked by the new computer user is that of Internet security and setting up of the firewall.  A good home computer training class will cover how to set up your firewall, and how to optimize your Internet browser to ensure a good experience while online.

All of these areas are important when operating a computer in this modern Internet age.  So be sure and address these when you are signing up for home computer training.  A good home computer training class will not only address these main issues, but go above and beyond in bringing you up to speed on modern computing.

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So you are on a tight budget and you want some computer training, right?  In this day and age there are a lot of options for people seeking to better themselves through various training programs and certification classes.  However, some folks just don’t have the cashflow to make some of these options possible.  That is where free online computer training comes in to play.  Where else can you go and get enough information to teach yourself all about computers?  From learning HTML (hyper-text mark up language, used to build websites) to how to tear down and rebuild a CPU (central processing unit)?

If you can plug in to a free online computer training system or set of resources, you can literally teach yourself almost anything.  There are a variety of different ways to go about this process, so let’s start at the beginning.  The very first thing, before you ever embark on your online adventure, is to determine exactly what you want to learn from your free online computer training.  Pick out your base subject, and then you can get started researching online sources for free training.  For our examples, let’s take the subject of HTML and see where we can get some free online computer training to learn HTML.

For the first step, let’s get on a major search engine like Yahoo or Google and do a search for the term ‘free HTML training’ or ‘free online computer training’.  You will find quite a few results come up in reference to these terms, but don’t be fooled.  Most of these won’t really have free training, maybe just a free sample class or two.  Some of these won’t have anything free at all, they either buy an advertising slot or they develop their website in a way to show up higher in the results to get your attention.  Remember, what you are looking for is a site that is truly going to give you free online computer training.

Sometimes the best results for free online computer training can come in the form of free forums or bulletin boards.  For those of you who are really new to the Internet, let’s talk about this for a minute.  Forums and bulletin boards are web pages that allow visitors to sign up as ‘users’, usually for free.  Once you are registered with these sights, you can then post and respond to others on the forums or boards and ask questions.  The beauty of these resources is that there are literally hundreds of them out there on almost any subject imaginable, especially dealing with computers.  So, for someone looking for free online computer training, they are a great resource and should definitely not be overlooked.  They can contain a great wealth of information from other users who have asked questions and had them answered on the boards.

Another great source of free online computer training consists of e-zines and newsletters.  Do another search and use the terms ‘e-zine’ and ‘newsletters’ in conjunction with the free online computer training you are looking for.  Most of these will be free as well, and you will have to subscribe for a short time to separate those that truly want to share some information with you versus those that are really only looking to sell you a product or a service through their correspondence.  Overall it can be said that where there is a will, there is a way, especially when it comes to free online computer training.

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Free computer training can take many different shapes and forms.  The most common forms of free computer training usually include things like online forums, community classes, online resource bulletin boards, etc.  However, there is a little-discussed option for free computer training that can boost your computer knowledge and make you one of the few, the proud, the people in the know about computers!

The method of free computer training we will discuss in this article is self-teaching.  Now, obviously, in order to teach yourself something about computers (or any other subject for that matter) you must have access to some sort of reference material, right?  While most new reference material will cost you an arm and a leg (especially in the computer field), there is a way around this!  In order to get material for your free computer training, one area that is most overlooked is the used book store.

Now wait a minute, I can hear you saying, “That’s not free!”  Ah, but when you get the right kind of used book store, it literally can be free! You see, there are many used bookstores that offer book exchanges, or in-store credit for books that you may bring in for them to have.  They are, after all, in the business of selling used books.  Get the idea?  So, free computer training material can be found at either no cost, or very low cost to any one seeking to be self-taught in the computer world.

So the next question becomes, “How exactly do you go about teaching yourself?”.  Well, admittedly, there is a knack for this sort of thing.  However, anyone can attain free computer training through self-taught methods if you apply yourself and get organized.  One method that I would recommend is the overview method.  Get your materials together and go over all of the table of contents to find the exact topics that you are interested in.  Then you can develop an outline for yourself, basically creating your own free computer training course.  As you study the material, you can check it off of your outline, until you have completed your course.

It is important when you are teaching yourself through free computer training that you ensure that you are developing a firm grasp on the material.  One way that is recommended to make sure you ‘get it’ would be to put into practical use whatever it is you are learning.  Fore example, if you are learning HTML (website coding language), then a great way to test and practice what you are learning is to put together a web page from scratch!  Another example of testing your knowledge that you are learning from free computer training is to upgrade your computer!  If you are learning about how to install additional RAM or a better sound card, then take on the challenge!

If you fail to firmly grasp the things that you are learning through your methods of self-taught free computer training, then you will never know how much you really know.  Only through self-testing and practical application of this type of knowledge can you be confident in your ability to ‘talk it up’ around the water cooler, or even help a friend with their computer problems.

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Computer training courses are easy to find:  a simple Google search on the internet for computer training provides numerous ‘hits’.  Deciding which course to take, however, is a bit more complex.   When evaluating computer training courses, several questions may come to mind.  Each plays a major part in the decision making process.  The most commonly asked questions include, but are not limited to the following:

What is the method of course material delivery?  It has long been accepted by education professionals that there are three methods of human learning:  visual, audio, and physical.  Audio:  the student learns by hearing.  Visual:  the student learns by reading or other visual cues.  Physical:  the student learns by doing.  There are those however who learn by a combination of two or more of these.  Online computer training courses offer all three. The students learning style plays a large role in determining which kind of computer training course to take.

Time considerations:  how much time is necessary to devote to course completion?  Is the computer training course available 24 hours?  Is there an instructor available to answer any questions the student may have?  Oftentimes students who are taking computer training courses are doing so beyond time constraints of work.  Military members are especially subject to time constraints with deployments and duty schedules playing a major role in making this decision. Time considerations are also a consideration for potential students who do shift-work or are on a rotating schedule.   

Self-paced instruction or scheduled:  self-paced instruction is especially attractive to students who are unavailable to attend scheduled classes.  Self-paced allows computer training courses to be completed at the students convenience, yet requires self-discipline.

Location:  is the computer training course available online or will the student be required to attend formal classroom instruction?   Depending on the students work schedule or other personal considerations, online computer training may be the best option.  Opportunities abound for hands-on instructor led instruction if location is not a factor.  A potential problem with a formal classroom training environment is seating availability. Having online computer training available alleviates this potential problem.    

Financial:  What arrangements can be made towards financing the computer training course?  The majority of educational programs are eligible for government funded grants provided they meet certain requirements.  Will the computer training course require a down payment and offer monthly payments? Are there other payment options available?   Some employers even offer tuition assistance depending upon what type of computer training course taken.

Certification:  What certifications can be attained through the particular computer training course?  Knowing the relevance of information being taught is of high importance.  After all a student wanting to learn a Microsoft application would want to learn about the most current program available.

Other evaluations or course reputation:  What have previous student experiences been?  Knowing what past students experiences with the computer training course is invaluable.  Did they find it challenging?  Were they satisfied with the material presented?  The lack of this information is often a deterrent.  Along with this, is the student provided with an opportunity upon completion to provide an evaluation?  In other words, opinions count in evaluating computer training courses as with any other training.

Finding the answers to these questions will provide the prospective student with the tools to make an educated decision.

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There are many different types of computer training schools available to anyone who is interested in learning the various aspects of the computer field.  If we take a few minutes, we can examine some of these in depth, and you can get a good feel for what would be a match for you.  There are a few factors that are always important to think about when considering going to any type of school.  Money is always an issue when deciding which computer training school will provide the most bang for your buck.  Time is another issue.  If you take traditional classes in a classroom, then you will have to make sure that the classes will work with your other schedules, such as work, family, religious, and others.

The first type of computer training school to consider would be your local area college, or junior college.  In this type of environment you will be able to pick classes that you are interested in, and set the schedule to match up with your home schedule.  Often times, however, a traditional computer training school is not the best option for those with families and a lot of external commitments.  There are other real-world, brick-and-mortar computer training schools that are also available.  In some metropolitan areas these schools offer full-time students a chance to get the training they are looking for.  While these schools will usually not provide a degree when the course is completed, a lot of times you can get a certificate of completion or certificate of training from the computer training school.

The second type of computer training school to consider would be the correspondence course.  There are quite a few of these that have come up over the years.  You can look in almost any magazine and find an advertisement for schools that offer ‘career training’ in a variety of fields.  Usually these will include things like paralegal, court reporter, medical transcriptionist, and, you guessed it, computer training.  Just like the traditional schools, these will usually not provide a degreed program, but will provide a certificate of completion and perhaps some sort of certification program to follow up with.  These computer training schools are much more flexible than the traditional schools, and usually work well for those people with family commitments, because they can easily work around their home schedules.

The last type of computer training school that we will look at is the online computer training school.  This option is very similar to the correspondence courses, as you will find them to be very flexible and less restrictive on the home time environment.  However, one big difference is the completion time factor.  Most correspondence courses will let you drag them out as long as you want, as long as you are making progress towards the goal.  With online computer training schools, you usually have a time limit to make the completion of the course and complete any required tests.  Once again, these schools do not provide a degree, but will usually provide the completion certificate.  Online computer training schools are much more likely to offer a transition to a certification program, however, than the correspondence courses mentioned above.

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