To become a proficient web designer and have the most recognised qualification for today's job market, you should find training in Adobe Dreamweaver. The whole Adobe Web Creative Suite ought also to be learned in detail. This will introduce you to Action Script and Flash, (and more), and could lead on to the ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) or ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) accreditation.

Understanding how to design a website just gets you started. Traffic creation, content maintenance and some programming skills are also required. Look for training with bolt-ons to teach these subjects perhaps HTML, PHP and MySQL, in addition to search engine optimisation (SEO) and E-Commerce skills.

One fatal mistake that many potential students make is to look for the actual course to take, instead of focusing on the end result they want to achieve. Universities are full of students that chose a program because it looked interesting - in place of something that could gain them the career they desired. Students often train for a single year but end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Don't make the mistake of taking what may be an 'interesting' course and then put 10-20 years into an unrewarding career!

Set targets for what you want to earn and what level of ambition fits you. Often, this changes what exams you will need and what industry will expect from you in return. Seek advice from an industry professional, even if you have to pay - it's usually much cheaper and safer to find out at the start whether a chosen track will suit, instead of finding out after two full years that you've picked the wrong track and have to start from the beginning again.

Quite often, students have issues with one area of their training which is often not even considered: How the training is broken down and couriered to your address. Often, you'll enrol on a course that takes between and 1 and 3 years and get posted one section at a time - from one exam to the next. While this may sound logical on one level, consider this: What would happen if you didn't finish every section at the speed they required? And maybe you'll find their order of completion doesn't work as well as some other order of studying might.

In an ideal situation, you want ALL the study materials up-front - giving you them all to return to any point - whenever it suits you. Variations can then be made to the order that you move through the program where a more intuitive path can be found.

Usually, trainers will provide a shelf full of reference manuals. This isn't very interesting and not a very good way of studying effectively. Research has repeatedly verified that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.

Programs are now found on CD and DVD discs, so you can study at your own computer. Utilising the latest video technology, you can watch instructors demonstrating how something is done, followed by your chance to practice - in an interactive lab. All companies must be pushed to demo some examples of their courseware. You should hope for instructor-led videos and many interactive sections.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where available, enabling them to be used at your convenience - and not be totally reliant on your broadband being 'up' 100 percent of the time.

Always expect the very latest Microsoft (or any other key organisation's) authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages. As many examination boards in IT come from the United States, you'll need to be used to the correct phraseology. It's not sufficient merely going through the right questions - they have to be in the same format as the actual exams. It's a good idea to request some practice exams so you can test your knowledge at all times. Mock exams add to your knowledge bank - so the actual exam is much easier.