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.

Computer Training Schools

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.

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.