It's likely that you're quite practically minded - the 'hands-on' person. Typically, the world of book-reading and classrooms is something you'll make yourself do if you have to, but you really wouldn't enjoy it. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don't do it for you. We see a huge improvement in memory retention with an involvement of all our senses - experts have been clear on this for decades now.

You can now study via easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM's. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you'll absorb the modules, one by one, via the demonstrations and explanations. Then it's time to test your knowledge by practicing and interacting with the software. Be sure to get a look at some courseware examples from the school that you're considering. You should ask for slide-shows, instructor-led videos and lab's for you to practice your skills in.

Often, companies will only use training that is purely available online; and while this is acceptable much of the time, consider how you'll deal with it if internet access is lost or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. It's preferable to have CD and DVD ROM materials that don't suffer from these broadband issues.

Extra skill-sets which are important for professional web designers are a knowledge of project management & e-commerce. Another field - that is not to be under-estimated - is SEO ('Search Engine Optimisation'). This is focused on how to optimise website indexation on search engines like 'Google' and 'Yahoo'. And in the background but vitally important we have the web-server installers and administrators that make sure that everything operates smoothly. Technically they are network administrator specialists though.

One crafty way that training companies make a big mark-up is by charging for exams up-front and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. This sounds impressive, until you think it through:

We all know that we're still paying for it - it's not so hard to see that it's been inserted into the full cost of the package supplied by the training provider. It's definitely not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) Students who take each progressive exam, funding them as they go are much better placed to get through first time. They're conscious of what they've paid and so are more inclined to be up to the task.

Shouldn't you be looking to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, instead of paying a premium to a training course provider, and also to sit exams more locally - rather than in some remote centre? A great deal of money is made by a number of companies that get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don't take them for one reason or another and so the company is quids-in. Amazingly, there are providers that actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that's very profitable for them. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams through training course providers with an 'Exam Guarantee' inevitably are heavily regulated. You'll be required to sit pre-tests until you've demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.

With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric tests coming in at around 112 pounds in the UK, it's common sense to fund them one by one. Not to fork out thousands extra in up-front costs. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

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