Anyone recommend classes so I can afford software?

[orbitalpunk]

Can anyone recommend any affordable online classes I can take that would qualify me to legitimately purchase student discounted software? Times are tough but still trying to stay legit.

Thanks

 

[paulrbeers]

Can anyone recommend any affordable online classes I can take that would qualify me to legitimately purchase student discounted software? Times are tough but still trying to stay legit.

Thanks

How much in software are you going to be spending? Seems like you would have to be buying a LOT of software for the educational discount on many software titles to equal the cost of even a 2-3 credit course at your local Community College (assuming you are in the USA).

 

[thetman]

What will you be using the software for? I believe that often the education based discounts are on the premise that you will not be using them for business type purposes. ie - If you get Photoshop on discount you may not be legally allowed to use it for your home based photography company. I may be wrong here but I think for at least some of those types of programs this is true. What software are you looking at buying?

 

[kelon111]

Can anyone recommend any affordable online classes I can take that would qualify me to legitimately purchase student discounted software? Times are tough but still trying to stay legit.

Thanks

Are you a college/university student in the US or do you just work?
Many educational facilities give a big discount to their students when it comes to software but legally you should be using the software for "educational" purposes and not business use.

 

[orbitalpunk]

I'm can't afford college and am trying to self teach. Its not for work. And I don't want to pirate. I know not only colleges are approved. I was hoping to purchase an Adobe CC membership. Can anyone recommend online schools/classes that are accredited or recognized by them?

Thanks

 

[Xgm541]

Easiest way would be to ask a friend.

 

[orbitalpunk]

not really cause its a monthly membership fee via credit card. again, if anyone can recommend schools or classes, that would be great.

Thanks

 

[blanka]

• If it is for some hobbying at home or self study: don't bother to get pirated or buy a light version like PS Elements.
• If you do a relevant study, get the relevant study and the discount comes with it
• If it is for business, get the real stuff. If on a budget, buy 5 year old versions. Adobe CS for example still rocks and does most of the current Bloatware CC versions and can be had for little money including official transfer of license.

 

[kazmac]

...

If you can't afford classes, I, sadly, do not have suggestions outside of taking a cue from blanka and/or trying Pixelmator.

UCLA Extension has some great sounding design courses but all are at least $550-700 a pop (They are on my online university of choice for non degree coursework.) NYU is a little cheaper, but their online network is a headache to negotiate. New School and Parsons are even more expensive than UCLA.

If you dig a bit online you might be able to find cheaper alternatives, but with funds being tight it's tricky.

Pixelmator is a very cheap and fantastic Photoshop substitute (presuming you're using a Mac.) $29.99 at the Mac App store. Updates have been free for some time too.

 

[r0k]

not really cause its a monthly membership fee via credit card. again, if anyone can recommend schools or classes, that would be great.

Thanks

I would start with Coursera and Udacity. Sadly most online courses which are free do not confer any "student discount" on the enrollees. In fact, I'm not sure if even a paid online course would work. Why are you willing to fork over hard earned money for a CC membership? If you need Photoshop, get Gimp. If Gimp is too balky to use get Seashore or purchase Pixelmator. If you are thinking of Adobe Flash, think again. It will be extinct in a few years.

Please provide what you think you need purchased software to do and perhaps we can suggest free alternatives. You are really in a tough spot if you can't even afford Community College tuition and you are looking to buy software. Perhaps a better option for you is to buy used copies on ebay, being VERY CAREFUL to avoid scammers who are trying to sell pirated copies. There is a reason there is an educational discount on software. When you're scraping together ten thousand dollars of tuition, software is something you simply cannot afford and most companies would rather sell to somebody who is going to graduate and buy their stuff in a few years because they have been using it in college. They could care less about offering a discount to somebody who isn't on track to graduate and become able to afford the retail price soon. Discounted educational software isn't a "benefit," it's a marketing ploy.

The best advice I have for you is this: Until you can afford better, learn to live with freeware. Office? LibreOffice. Photoshop? Gimp. Operating system? Wipe an old Windows box and install Ubuntu.