For some time I have been considering returning to school. While pondering this attempt, I also know that I barely have time to do laundry let alone attend classes and do homework. About a month ago, I rediscovered Lynda. Lynda.com has been around since I first began to surf the web twelve years ago and is an award-winning provider of educational materials, including Hands-On Training™ instructional books, the Online Training Library®, CD- and DVD-based video training, and events for creative designers, instructors, students, and hobbyists.
The best part is that lynda.com provides online courses that the student can digest at their own pace. Courses include Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Flash, CSS, Office, Web design, brochure design, digital photography and many many more. Each course varies in length (2 hours – 12 hours) and is broken down into bite size Quicktime movies that allows the student to view 2-10 minute clips on a sub-topic at their convenience.
It’s brilliant. If I find myself with a half hour before heading off to a meeting, I can go and take in a few movies on the new features of Photoshop CS4. If I’m feeling particularly cerebral, I can watch for a few hours.
For anyone who thinks that being a designer just entails owning a copy of Photoshop, one should visit Lynda and view the instructional videos given by top professionals and experts in the field. You will quickly see that while you may think you have it all down pat… there is much more to learn. Tips and tricks, keyboard shortcuts, technique and insider secrets will lend themselves to professional and emerging designers alike.
It’s always good to brush up on your skill set and learning at lynda.com will inspire you to use new techniques to improve your workspace and your design work. Library subscriptions begin as low as $25 a month, with no long-term commitment required.