As part of my book keeping course, I am also learning to use SAGE. I have been given work books to work through and when I have completed them, I will be given a test to complete to find out my knowldge of SAGE.
I am working through the work books at the moment, but the problem I am finding is that, by the time I get to the end of one work book, I tend to forget what was covered at the beginning of the book.
This makes me wonder if I can remember 'everything' by the time I do the test.
Is anybody else having this problem? If so, how did you overcome it? Is it a case of just going through the work books again and again, until you are familiar with the different types of screens?
Some people take to new software much quicker than others, especially if they have used something similar. I would definitely recommend that you keep redoing the exercises until you are comfortable at remembering how to do them without having to look it up. Hopefully the more exercises that you do, you will start to familiarise yourself with the different screens and options and then if you do tend to forget, you will roughly know where to look to find out what you need. Keep up the practice
It depends on the workbooks really. Some are over technical right from the off and tend to confuse. The Sage workbooks are a perfect example of this and in honesty they are ok if you have used sage in some capacity before or have some knowledge of the jargon. It is pretty straightforward really once you get to know the menus and what each one is for. Is it the Sage workbooks or are you using a training providers version?
The problem you have is that using Sage or any software on a computer is all visual. Therefore when processing sales invoices, purchase invoices, making payments etc... you use your eyes to guide the mouse to click the relevant button.
Overtime this will become second nature so using the software more and more will improve your memory and knowledge of the software.
Trying to learn from text books is a lot harder in my opinion as its harder to take in text based instructions and try to apply them to a visual based action. Its like your learning it twice and it conflicts.
I would suggest you use sage as much as possible using a dummy business or something. just keep processing the invoices and payments, running reports etc.. over and over until you are happy with it.
As with anything one learns it all depends on what type of learner one is as to what method works best. Don't want to go into it all here and bore everyone but the best way to find out is to do a learning styles test, find out what sort of learner you are and then tailor your learning to that. Maybe the using workbooks is not the best way of learning for you geek. Take a look at Honey and Mumford or Kolb learning styles.
