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.

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.

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.