Get your money's worth
Here is the boiled down version of my philosophy (what I call the TRAIN model) for making the most out of your Lotus educational experience: Take, Return, Ask, Insist, Negotiate. I've described each below.

Take
Take as many classes as you can justify. And by justify, I mean justify them in writing before approaching your boss for financial approval. Trying to learn everything on your own is a foolhardy way of increasing your knowledge. Sometimes you just need to be in the presence of somebody who knows a lot more than you do about Lotus technologies in order to begin to assimilate this knowledge. Sometimes the only way of finding the time you need to learn new information is by actually taking time off to attend a class.

Return
Most every reputable training center will offer the ability to take a class over again for free, so take them up on it if you think you need to. For instance, you might not use the information right after you learn it and, therefore, you might need a refresher course. Why not really get your money's worth by taking the class again in an attempt to not just learn the information, but to master it?

Ask
Be sure to ask a lot of questions during, before and after class. If you really take this philosophy to heart, you might prepare a list of questions that you want the answers to before the class begins for the day. Then, feel free to ask these questions during relevant parts of the class. If you can't find time or an opportunity to get your questions answered during class, ask them during a break or right after class. Most instructors will be more than happy to answer Lotus-related questions.

Insist
Insist on getting the most bang for your buck. Picture yourself handing over a dollar every minute to the instructor and having him or her stuff it in his or her pocket. Do you feel like they deserve the money or are just ripping you off? Above all, make sure that you are getting "Taught to" rather than "Talked to."

Negotiate
When you are thinking about taking a training class, be sure to do as much research as you can before calling a training center to reserve a spot in a class. For instance, knowing that there are one or more other LAECs in your area offering the same class gives you tremendous leverage. Even if there isn't another class in the area being given and you know it, still negotiate for a better deal. Whenever I book a Lotus class, I always ask for either 10% off the list price of the class or a Lotus certification exam voucher. Using this technique, I've only paid full-price and not received an exam voucher for two out of the eight Lotus classes I've taken. If you're really savvy or have a lot of leverage, ask for 10% off your class and an exam voucher. Those of you with major cojones or who are taking a lot of training in a short period of time might ask for a full 20% off instead. And definitely don't be shy about bragging to your boss about how you saved the company money.