The most important question that teachers fail to answer about Adobe software

The most important question that a teacher needs to answer for a student who is learning Adobe software is exactly how that student will use it. I've been teaching since 1996, and was surprised how many of my students had no idea why they had to take a particular class. If you are a student, or a person being sent to a training class, you need to ask yourself "why am I here?"

At The Art Institute, I would always start each class with personal introductions and the question as to why the students are here. Some people said that it was a required class, and some felt that they just been sent there for no particular reason. If you ever asked a high school teacher, "Why do we gotta do this stuff?" and been told something like "it's a requirement" or "because I'm in charge", I can understand your reluctance to ask the most important question there is - how will learning this help me?

I'm sorry to say that many professional teachers and trainers have lost track of this answer. They may have been doing it for so long that they forgot why they started. Which is why I make answering this question the most important part of all of my classes and training sessions. If some bored student from the back of my class doesn't say, "Hey, Mister Hall, how come we gotta know this stuff?", I will ask it myself. If you have a teacher or trainer who can't answer that, you need to get your money back and go find someone who can.

Where to start with Adobe training

I am an Adobe Trainer. I specialize in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I have been using these software programs since their invention, and have been teaching them since the late 90s. But Adobe has added a lot to the family since then! I was noticing that their products look like a chart of elements from high school. Needless to say, no one out there is an expert in all of these. If anyone claims to be, don't believe them.

If you are just beginning with computer software, and would like to know where to start, here is my advice -

• Start with Adobe Photoshop. That's the blue logo that says Ps.

• Then learn Adobe Illustrator. That's the orange logo that says Ai.

• Learn Dreamweaver. That's the green logo that says Dw.

Be sure to learn them in that order. That will get you up to speed with the most basic programs for Adobe - raster, vector, and web design. Those are the foundation programs. After you learn those, you will be ready to tackle any of the others. And whatever will be invented in the future!