XML Training: Where to Turn

By Zachary Rodgers

Eager to catch up with XML fever? You can do it. A number of training options are available, ranging from completely self-guided courses on the Web to instructor-led classroom offerings. A smattering of free tutorials have also appeared, catering to the unsubsidized seeker of self-improvement. So whether you have three hours to spare or three weeks, XML know-how is within your reach.

If you’re more prone to Web-based study, you might start with an extensive beginner’s XML tutorial. IBM also offers several free online tutorials, including “Introduction to XML,” “XML for Programmers,” “XML Programming in Java,” and a general “XML Tutorial”. SmartPlanet’s curriculum lets you choose between self-study and instructor facilitation.

If you learn better with an expert in the room, you can turn to one of the many instructor-led alternatives. DevelopMentor, based in Torrance, Calif., with offices in Boston, London, and Portland, Ore., offers “Guerrilla XML,” a five-day XML immersion for programmers, and “Essential XML,” a developer’s overview delivered in four days. “XML BootCamp,” from Richard Hale Shaw, is a five-day intensive course with 2001 sessions scheduled in Silicon Valley, Calif., and Ann Arbor, Mich.. Learning Tree International, a trusted training provider based in Reston, Va., with courses available in many states, is currently offering “Building XML Applications: Hands-On”.

A number of advanced XML courses are also offered. WestLake Internet Training, of Arlington, Va., has created a high-level course, “Advanced XML,” in addition to its “Introduction to XML,” in case you’ve already mastered the fundamentals. Global Knowledge Network, with offices around the world, also offers both beginner and advanced XML courses. Its “XML Fundamentals” can be taken in either an instructor-led classroom format or on the Web with instructor facilitation.

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