You know how many of the larger software companies have educational programs which allow students to purchase some software packages at a discount?  Apple has had a well known program for college students for years.  Microsoft actually allows eligible (yep, fine print) college students to purchase a really beefy Office package for about 90% off of retail. 

Adobe, the maker of Acrobat, Photoshop, and many other design tools, offers two different education programs.  For some time now, they have had an education progrma for students grades K-12 and teachers.  This program gives significant discounts on individual products as well as their large CS4 packages.  I suppose if you have a seriously bright kindergartener, you might want to set him up with Dreamweaver and have him start building websites.  But kids even a little older would appreciate some of the other products – like InDesign for school projects.  Illustrator and Photoshop are lots of fun to play with – and they have so many features, your third grader might discover half of them by the time he’s in high school.

The new addition for Adobe’s Education store is their Higher Education program.  Now, a student enrolled in a school that grants degrees requiring at least 2 years of study is eligible to purchase products from the Education store at an even greater discount.   Even if you take only one creative photography class, or one class involving design or development for the internet, you’ll love having Photoshop or Illustrator or Dreamweaver.   This also includes Acrobat which I personally think would make anyone’s life easier (see my previous post).

The Ultimate Steal – Microsoft Office Student Discount

Adobe Education Store

Check with your college or university bookstore regarding Apple’s student program.