Should you fancy a career in web design, you will need to study Adobe Dreamweaver. Additionally, it’s good practice that you gain an in-depth and thorough understanding of the entire Adobe Web Creative Suite, which includes Flash and Action Script, to be able to utilise Dreamweaver professionally as a web designer. These skills can take you on to becoming an ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) or an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert).

To become a web designer of professional repute however, there is much more to consider. You’ll need to study various programming essentials like HTML, PHP and MySQL. An excellent grasp of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and E-Commerce will give your CV some extra credibility and make you more employable.

How do we go about making the right choice then? With all these possibilities, we’ll need to know where to investigate – and of course, what to actually be searching for.

A typical blunder that many potential students make is to focus entirely on getting a qualification, rather than starting with the desired end-result. Colleges have thousands of unaware students that chose an ‘interesting’ course – instead of the program that would surely get them the career they desired. Don’t be part of that group who set off on a track that on the surface appears interesting – and end up with a certification for an unrewarding career path.

You also need to know how you feel about career development, earning potential, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. You need to know what will be expected of you, what accreditations will be required and in what way you can develop commercial experience. It’s worth seeking help from a professional that can best explain the industry you think may suit you, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ type of explanation for that career-path. This is of paramount importance because you obviously have to know if you’re barking up the wrong tree.

You should only consider learning programs which grow into commercially recognised accreditations. There are loads of trainers promoting ‘in-house’ certificates that are essentially useless in the real world. You’ll find that only recognised certification from companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA and Adobe will mean anything to employers.

Full support is of the utmost importance – ensure you track down something offering 24×7 direct access to instructors, as anything less will not satisfy and will also hold up your pace and restrict your intake. Don’t accept training that only supports you via an out-sourced call-centre message system when it’s outside of usual working hours. Companies will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. Essentially – you want support at the appropriate time – not when it’s convenient for them.

Be on the lookout for study programmes that incorporate three or four individual support centres around the globe in several time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to enable simple one-stop access together with access round-the-clock, when it’s convenient for you, with the minimum of hassle. If you fail to get yourself direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. You may not need it late at night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.

The old fashioned style of teaching, utilising reference manuals and books, is usually pretty hard going. If this sounds like you, check out study materials that are multimedia based. Where possible, if we can study while utilising as many senses as possible, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.

Search for a course where you’ll get a host of CD and DVD ROM’s – you’ll start with videos of instructor demonstrations, followed by the chance to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions. It’s very important to see examples of the study materials provided by any company that you may want to train through. You’ll want to see that they include instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s.

You should avoid purely online training. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where available, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – and not be totally reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.

Adding in the cost of examination fees up-front and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is common for a good many training companies. But look at the facts:

Thankfully, today we’re a bit more aware of hype – and generally we know that for sure it is something we’re paying for (it’s not a freebie because they like us so much!) It’s well known in the industry that if a student pays for their relevant examinations, when they’re ready to take them and not before, they’ll be in a better position to pass every time – as they are conscious of what they’ve paid and their application will be greater.

Find the best exam deal or offer available at the appropriate time, and save having to find the money early. You’ll then be able to select where you sit the exam – which means you can stay local. Big margins are netted by many companies who incorporate exam fees into the cost of the course. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons and so the company is quids-in. Astoundingly enough, providers exist that actually bank on it – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit. Additionally, many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of companies won’t pay for re-takes until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish – when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will get you through.

Now, why might we choose commercial certification instead of more traditional academic qualifications gained through schools and Further Education colleges? Key company training (as it’s known in the industry) is most often much more specialised. Industry is aware that a specialist skill-set is essential to cope with an acceleratingly technical workplace. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the big boys in this field. Essentially, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle remains that students need to cover the precise skills needed (along with a certain amount of crucial background) – without overdoing the detail in everything else (as universities often do).

Imagine if you were an employer – and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What should you do: Wade your way through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from various applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which vocational skills they’ve mastered, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that specifically match what you’re looking for, and then choose your interviewees based around that. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview – instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

How long has it been since you considered how safe your job is? For most people, this issue only becomes a talking point when something dramatic happens to shake us. But in today’s marketplace, the painful truth is that true job security doesn’t really exist anymore, for the vast majority of people. When we come across growing skills deficits together with areas of high demand though, we always find a fresh type of security in the marketplace; driven forward by conditions of continuous growth, companies are struggling to hire enough staff.

With the Information Technology (IT) industry as an example, a key e-Skills investigation showed massive skills shortages in the UK around the 26 percent mark. To explain it in a different way, this means that the United Kingdom can only locate three qualified staff for every 4 jobs available at the moment. This one reality on its own shows why the UK is in need of a lot more new trainees to enter the IT industry. It’s unlikely if a better time or market conditions will exist for acquiring training in this quickly emerging and developing market.