Where do I start?

You start with what you want to do. Even if you don't know what you want to do, you can start there. You can say, "I want to find out what I want to do." The clearer you can be about what you are looking for, the easier it will be for you to find it.

Learning styles

One of the first things to do before you go looking for the training course for you, is to give a bit of thought to how you learn. Do you like to talk to people or do you like to figure it out for yourself? When you want to know how to spell a word, will you look it up in the dictionary or call out to whoever's in the next room?

When you get a new kitchen appliance, do you read the instructions, or do you just start using it and see what happens? If it still doesn't work, do you read an appliance repair book, or call up the place that sold it to you or a friend who has one just like it?

The answers to these questions can help you figure out the best way for you to begin. Should you start by reading brochures and pamphlets?

Would it be better to call someone to ask for information? Or, would you like to start by talking to a woman who has done it?

These answers can help you decide which learning situations would be best for you — seminar/discussions, classroom/lectures, independent work in a lab with a tutor available, or studying at home with a tutor available by phone. If distance education is your only choice and you do better in groups, maybe you can find a friend to take the course with you.

The shopping list in your head

Gathering information about training and education is like shopping at a superstore. If you don't want to be wandering around with a glazed look in your eye at closing time, you take a list.

In fact if you're really organized, you figure out what you're going to cook for the week, you look at the recipes to see what ingredients you need, you check your cupboards to see what you already have, and then you make a list of what you need to get. If it looks like you might run out of money, you put a check next to the things you have to have.

Then, when you get in the store and are faced with hundreds of choices, you have a list to remind you of what you want. A list could save your life.