Regarding the inquiry about what kind of software to learn, that is a
tough one because there doesn't seem to be any uniformity across the
board.

Just to be on the safe side, I would recommend a word processing
program, a spread-sheet program and a data base program.  If you want to
be really employable, try learing Adobe Photoshop or Pagemaker.  The
skills you learn from those programs allow you to do your own graphics
and desk-top publishing.

Regarding registration software, again, each institution seems to use
its own.  Ask around in your region to see what the local standard is.

The message here is to be versatile.  If you can work your way through
Office 97 you can probably learn anything.