Software education and training can range in price from free to hundreds of dollars if you choose to invest in supplemental tools and learning skills. Having the knowledge to efficiently run most computer software, though, has become a must not only in the corporate business world, but also for most everyday employees.

You can pay as much as you'd like to for software education and training based on the level of education you need for your business.

To figure out what software courses are right for you:

1. Evaluate what you want to do with your software training once it is complete, and work backwards from there.

2. Determine your budget for computer software training. Do you need to earn software certification, or are you just trying to overall improve your software skills on your own time?

3. Assess the time management that you plan to put into your training. Obviously, taking a class for certification is going to be more time costly than surfing the web for tutorials. Either way, set a goal for yourself as far as number of hours you plan to commit to your software application training.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Obtain your computer software training through a variety of sources

Obtain your computer software training through workshops, seminars, training products and more. You can even take software classes for more personal instruction.

I recommend: Visit VTC for 66,000 video tutorials (12,500+ free), over 625 courses, and low-priced monthly access to ensure your computer software training. Check out the software training products and CDs from Marrutt Software Training. You can also try a free demo while you are visiting their site. Look into the software classes available at Software School, Inc. Find out about seminars from CompuMaster, a division of SkillPath.

Find software courses though search engines and through software companies

You can find software courses through industry specific workshop and coursework search engines. You can also seek out what training major software brands have to offer along with their products. They like to do this because people who can understand their product can easily use it and apply it, thus preventing customers from switching to another software brand.

I recommend: Obtain Adobe certification and training from Adobe Systems Incorporated. Find coursework and certification information from CBT Planet. There you will find Computer Based Training and CBT Tutorials, Computer IT Training Videos, IT Certification Boot Camps, Computer Training Courseware and Computer Training Courseware. Like Adobe, IBM offers certification and training on their brand's software products.

Look for free software training

You can easily find free software training online for almost every software available.

I recommend: Check out the free training tools for Word, Dreamweaver, Excel,Web Development, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Project, FrontPage, Photoshop and Flash from EducationOnlineForComputers.com. Taming the Beast.net offers free computer and IT training software and downloads. Intelligentedu.com offers free software training lessons and online tutorials. Look at the free software and online courses from Learnthat.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You probably won't be hired for a job unless you can use software packages like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office or Microsoft Excel. You don't necessarily need software certification in them, but you have to at least be familiar with how they work and be prepared to show a potential employer your skills if you are put on the spot.