In most cases, they are. Collect technical specifications and other information and then make your own decision about the usefullness of the product. Make an effort to attend trade shows and seminars in your local area. There are ways to gain access and exposure to a wide variety of software without breaking any laws. The best avenue for finding evaluation software is the Internet, plain and simple.
Many companies now offer time-limited evaluation copies of software directly from their web site.
You merely need to go there, download the software, install it to begin your education. Some companies might even send out their software on CD-ROMs or floppy disk to anyone that asks. This new method of software delivery has opened the educational possibilities for new computer careerists. One important item to remember, though, is to not use your evaluation software to generate final documents or data. It took me a few times to learn this fact.