Adobe training will prepare you for the desktop publishing job market

Jane Smallman, July 17, 2006

To take advantage of the pending boom in desktop publishing jobs, make sure that you are an expert in the right software. This includes all the Adobe programs, such as InDesign, PageMaker, Illustrator and Photoshop. If you don't know them already, get some Adobe training now!

According to the U.S. Dept of Labor, desktop publishing jobs are forecast to grow at a faster than average rate during the next six to seven years. If you want to take advantage of these employment opportunities, familiarity with the Adobe family of desktop and graphic design programs will help you to get ahead.

Why Adobe?

Knowledge of Adobe programs is useful because they are so widely used in the industry of design and publishing.

For example, if there is one skill that a desktop publisher really must have, it is being able to use a page layout application (also known as "desktop publishing software"). Page layout software is designed to make it easy to combine text and graphics in a publication, and Adobe produces two of the industry standards in this field: Adobe InDesign (used for short documents and single pages) and Adobe PageMaker (for longer documents).

Adobe also produces two graphics programs: Adobe Illustrator (a vector-based drawing program) and Adobe Photoshop (for manipulating photographs and other "realistic" images).

Adobe Training

There are several different ways you can do some Adobe training:

• Online. Many colleges offer training programs online, many of which you can start any time and take at your own pace. There are also many free tutorials on offer through the Internet.
• Take a class locally. There might be a school or college near you offering a short course in one or all of the Adobe programs.
• By yourself, using a book or video.

Whichever training method you use, increasing your knowledge of Adobe programs will also increase your chances of getting the desktop publishing job you want.

Sources
U.S. Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
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