Why Take a Refresher Course?

Are you planning some learning objectives for the months ahead? While it is tempting to focus on acquiring new skills, often the best training investment can be in updating and honing the skills we already have.

Why should you consider taking a refresher course in an skill or software application for which you’ve already got a training accreditation?

Here are some of the reasons why we think it could be a good idea.

We know what it’s like. You leave with armfuls of course materials and a huge enthusiasm to put all your new skills to work, but how often do you refer back to what you covered?

No one’s job is static. Sometimes you’ll be on one app all week. Other times, you might be out of the office for a few days. Knowledge gets lost along the way. You get into bad habits. You forget about the new techniques with which you were going to experiment. Perhaps you’ve got a little rusty? Or maybe you just need a boost in inspiration?

A refresher course in the app you use most in your everyday work can be a great way to brush up your skills and reinvigorate your creativity.

When did you first take your Adobe Photoshop course ?

In just the last 12 months, Adobe has added new features to the product, including: new pre-sets and templates, with links to Adobe Stock; a new search bar for tighter integration with other creative cloud resources; support for SVG fonts and characters, including a new emoji font; improvements to liquidity; and new control options in the property menu.

And it isn’t just Photoshop. Adobe invests heavily into developing all its products. The improved integration through Creative Cloud, in particular, has huge benefits that are widely under-used. But how do you know about them? How do you keep up-to-date with what’s possible?

A refresher course helps to ensure that you are making the most of all the latest features.

Not only does the software evolve, our expectations do too.

There’s a reason you aren’t using that 90s bevel effect and the heavy drop shadow… it’s always good to add the latest techniques to your repertoire. Getting your hands on all the new techniques and tools designed to make current design trends easier to create is one important reason to take a refresher course.

Simple inspiration is another. Sometimes we all need some encouragement to get out of our comfort zones.

You know those workarounds probably aren’t the best or the quickest way to achieve what you want to do. But getting around to working out how to do it better gets pushed into the background when the job needs doing urgently.

Taking a refresher course puts you in front of an expert who can help you tackle all those recurring actions which make you think “there must be an easier way to achieve this”.

Because, if you are thinking that, there probably is – and think of all the time that could save you!

Yes, it is exciting to get your hands on the latest video editing tools.
Or the leading-edge web development apps.

But if most of your day is spent using Adobe Illustrator then taking a refresher course in Illustrator is probably going to give you the biggest returns. The small tweaks and improvements, and the new skills and tips, you pick up on a refresher course for the app you use most regularly are going to give you the greatest and fastest returns on your course fees.

So, yes, while you want to do more video, perhaps the refresher course is the one to tackle first?

If you aren’t sure whether an introductory, intermediate or advanced course would suit you, give us a call and let us know what you need your course to cover.

We can tailor our courses to suit your needs – or we can run a completely bespoke course and come to you.

Talk with one of our team to find out more.

Tags: Adobe, Design, Training