Microsoft Office Certificates Chicago, IL

Microsoft offers a package of client and server software under the umbrella of Microsoft Office, also known as Office or MS Office. This package includes productivity applications that are used for a variety of purposes such as organizing data, managing calendars, and creating documents. More than 1 billion people around the world utilize the services and applications provided by Microsoft in Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office has a long history. Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced Microsoft Office in 1988. The version first on the market included Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Microsoft Office was a bundle of applications that users could purchase together for affordability and ease of use; now, Microsoft Office has expanded, with applications containing shared features, rollouts of versions targeted toward different end-users, and mobile versions available for download.

Microsoft Office’s popularity has soared as its uses have expanded, with individuals and companies purchasing it for a variety of purposes. PowerPoint and Word, for example, are often necessary applications for students. They may purchase it on their own, or their school may provide it for them. Businesses also rely on these applications, along with Outlook, Microsoft’s electronic messaging and personal information manager software system, and other apps for productivity.

Learning how to use Microsoft Office is essential for many professions and in academics. Although you may not need to use every application Microsoft offers through this package, it may surprise you to learn about all the tools and features available to you. Tech-savvy individuals can jump into Microsoft Office and learn as they work through its software, but for others, experts recommend taking a certificate course to ensure that you’re getting the most out of these services.

Why Become Certified in Microsoft Office?

There are courses and bootcamps available to you online that feature MS Office programs. These courses can teach you the ins and outs of all Microsoft Office programs, or you may select a course that focuses on one specific program such as Excel or PowerPoint.

Many careers these days that require knowledge of data management, data tracking, and project management expect candidates to understand the basics of Microsoft Office programs. These programs can do all these tasks and more, making them the go-to suite for careers in Project Management, Software Engineering, and even Human Resources. Learning to use the apps in Microsoft Office effectively is a great way to expand your skill set and put yourself in a suitable position when applying for jobs.

If you own your own business, consider taking a certificate course in Microsoft Office. From Word to Outlook to Excel, the apps offered in Microsoft Office can help you get your business off the ground by assisting with organization and planning. Office skills are not a guarantee of business success; however, the tools and features of the products offered in MS Office can make business operations that much easier for you.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Microsoft Office Certified

What you learn in a Microsoft Office certificate course depends on what type of course you enroll in. Schools and training centers offer courses on specific programs such as Excel and Outlook, while other programs focus on Microsoft Office as a whole. If you’re looking to understand how to track and manage data, an Excel course might be right for you. If you do a lot of writing, however, for work or school, you should take a course that offers an in-depth look at Microsoft Word and its features. Read below to find out more about the tools and skills that a Microsoft Office certificate course can offer you.

Excel

Microsoft Excel allows users to edit spreadsheets. Taking an Excel course will teach you how to use beginner and advanced-level Excel tools. This includes creating basic spreadsheets, sorting data, and performing data analysis. Excel is a popular program used by data professionals such as Data Analysts and Data Scientists.

PowerPoint

Does your job require you to create easy-to-understand and visually appealing presentations? Knowing how to use Microsoft PowerPoint can help you level up your presentation designs and set you up for success at your next meeting. This program offers a variety of design and formatting tools to its users so they may create fun and informative slides for their next big presentation.

Word

Microsoft Word serves as one of the biggest draws for acquiring Microsoft Office. The program has established itself as the premier word processor around the world. At its most basic, anyone can open up the program and create the document they need. It also features more advanced tools that allow users to organize their work. You may think you know all there is to know about Microsoft Word, but a certification course can teach you all the time-saving tips and tricks of the program.

Outlook

Outlook allows companies to gain efficiency with its integration of an email system and functions like calendaring, task managing, and web browsing. You can use the software as a standalone application or as a multi-user software. The schedule feature of Outlook is especially useful for managers and other professionals who require precise planning of their day and time. Certification courses in Outlook will cover the fundamentals of its email system as well as the other benefits gained from it.

Remote Work Skills

With more people working in remote or hybrid positions, the importance of understanding how to use client/server software has increased. Working from home requires self-management, and understanding how to use the software and tools provided by Microsoft Office can make that task simpler. Microsoft has even launched a business communication platform, Microsoft Teams, to help make the remote working process easier. If you’re interested in working remotely, taking Microsoft Office courses is a great way to learn about the software and tools you need to know or you want to improve your work productivity.

Microsoft Office Industries in Chicago

Microsoft Office is useful for both in-person and remote work across industries. In Chicago, in particular, several key industries depend on Office applications to run their operations smoothly.

Financial Services

Chicago has one of the most diverse economies among U.S. metros. The city employs the third-highest number of people in the finance and insurance sector. The economic diversity and talent in the region have made it a prime location for financial services companies.

These companies use Microsoft Office applications to keep track of data and to create reports. The financial services industry relies on Excel, in particular, to track, manage, and analyze data. They can make financial reports easily using Excel and slideshow presentations using PowerPoint, making Microsoft Office a must for financial services businesses.

Transportation and Logistics

Chicago’s transportation and logistics industry boasts its innovative technology. The city’s central location makes it a prime location as an industry hub. This industry moves both people and freight, which requires it to stay on top of research if Chicago is to remain a global leader in this area. The city also relies heavily on this industry, which has become a significant contributor to Chicago’s economy.

Outside of Microsoft Office, Microsoft offers Dynamics 365, a supply-chain management tool. The program allows users to calculate the cost-effectiveness of routing solutions and vendors. The T&L industry can use this program in conjunction with MS Office programs like Excel to keep track of data. Microsoft’s many Office programs can help individuals write expense reports and summaries for various departments.

Innovation and Technology

Tech startups find that Chicago offers them an ideal ecosystem. The city is the fifth-largest startup ecosystem in terms of growth capital. In addition, Chicago is also the fourth-largest producer of STEM talent. It’s pivotal in a startup environment that you manage projects well to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Failing to do either of these two things could spell the end for your startup. Microsoft makes these things easy through programs like Outlook, Excel, Access, and SharePoint.

Microsoft Office Careers in Chicago

Learning how to use Microsoft Office does not guarantee you a job. However, thoroughly understanding the relevant programs in Microsoft Office can prove to be an attractive skill set to potential employers across industries. When you understand how to use Office programs that are used in your daily role, it demonstrates to potential employers that you can handle the necessary tasks for the position, eliminating the need for them to train you on new skills. Two lucrative careers that require an understanding of MS Office programs are in Project Management and Front-End Web Development.

Project Managers manage projects from beginning to end. Often, this includes planning a project, budgeting for the project, assessing risk, creating a schedule or timeline, and overseeing teams working on the project. Microsoft Teams helps Project Managers coordinate with a project’s team members. Using this application, Project Managers divide up roles and assignments, as well as keep track of daily or weekly projects. Project Managers are in high demand in Chicago-based industries. They make an average annual salary of $100,000.

Front-End Web Developers work on the client-side, or front-end, of a website. Front-End Web Development involves developing the user interface of a website, including interactivity. Becoming a Front-End Web Developer requires knowledge of coding languages such as HTML and Python. Microsoft Office can help Front-End Web Developers implement their coding and formulas. Excel provides Front-End Web Developers with programming functions they can use when developing websites. Excel users can input code and data in columns and rows for organization. Front-End Web Developers in Chicago make an average annual salary of $107,500.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or a Certification

When learning how to use Microsoft Office, you can choose to earn a certificate or become certified. The route you choose will depend on your experience level, career goals, and amount of available time.

You can earn a certificate in Microsoft Office by completing a certificate course or bootcamp. Instructors will guide you through the fundamentals of Microsoft Office applications in an in-person or online course format. You can ask them for tips and tricks on using specific software or about Microsoft Office as a complete package.

To earn certifications, individuals must pass a certification exam. To prepare for an exam, you may take a course in Microsoft Office or one of its many applications. Third-party testing sites offer these standardized exams.

Beginner-level Microsoft Office users who need to learn the fundamentals of the suite and are interested in gaining hands-on experience with its applications should take certificate courses. These courses cover the essentials of using programs like Excel, Word, and Outlook before more thoroughly examining the advanced tools they offer. Certificates show potential employers that you know about MS Office programs and that you are working to improve your skills.

Experts recommend that experienced Microsoft Office users strive for certification. Earning a certification requires you to have experience using MS Office and be comfortable enough to take a test on your knowledge and skills. Certifications show potential employers your abilities when it comes to Microsoft Office, letting them know that you understand its programs and will use them to help carry out your responsibilities.

Top Microsoft Office Certificate Programs in Chicago

Schools and training centers in Chicago offer Microsoft Office certificate programs to beginners. Enrolling in a certificate program can help you learn new and essential skills when looking to start a career in the city. You can find courses offered both online and in-person who can help you learn the essentials of Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and more.

Excel Bootcamp

Noble Desktop offers a wide variety of Microsoft Office courses and bootcamps to help you. The Excel Bootcamp offered by Noble Desktop will help you go from beginner to professional-level Excel user. This hands-on bootcamp covers functions, formulas, Pivot Tables, and other Excel essentials. The three-day bootcamp includes three different courses, with one course covered per day. The bootcamp progressively advances from beginner to intermediate to advanced Excel for business concepts and topics.

Included in the price of tuition is 18 hours of live online instruction, which involves project-based learning. Students also have access to proprietary workbooks, a supplemental refresher video suite, and a free retake within one year. Students will receive assistance in acquiring a free trial of the required software before the first class.

PowerPoint Bootcamp

Noble Desktop also offers a PowerPoint Bootcamp. An instructor will cover this industry-standard presentation tool in depth during the two-day bootcamp. Students will make the most of PowerPoint as they work on hands-on projects to learn about the program’s features such as layouts, adding text, and working with tables and charts. The second day of the program is more advanced, with students tackling themes and templates.

This 12-hour course costs $399. Along with access to the live online bootcamp, students also receive a proprietary workbook and a supplemental refresher video suite. Additional benefits include a free retake within one year and a verified digital certificate of completion. No prior knowledge of PowerPoint or Microsoft Office products is required to enroll. However, students should be comfortable using a computer.

Complete Microsoft Office Bootcamp

NYIM Training’s nine-day live online Microsoft Office bootcamp will teach you the fundamentals of four of MS Office’s most popular programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. The bootcamp is 54 hours long, spread across nine days. They have split the bootcamp into four units covering the four programs, with each unit including two to three levels of lessons. The first level of lessons covers core functions, while the other levels dive into more advanced functions of this software.

Students enrolled in this bootcamp benefit from hands-on, project-based training by expert instructors who cover a rigorous curriculum. NYIM Training also offers students the ability to retake the course for free within one year, allowing them the chance to refresh on concepts.

Microsoft Access Bootcamp

For a change of pace, enroll in NYC Career Centers’ Microsoft Access Bootcamp. Over two days, you will learn how to use Microsoft Access effectively to create databases, tables, queries, and reports. This program is a premier database management system used widely across industries, particularly by Software Engineers and Data Architects. This bootcamp specifically targets Excel users looking for a new way to manage data and create data visualizations.

Each day of the bootcamp consists of 6 hours of live online training. Tuition is $499 and is due in full before the bootcamp begins. Along with the bootcamp itself, tuition also pays for supplemental material, a one-year retake, and a certificate of completion.

Microsoft Office 365 Online (with Teams for the Desktop)

Certstaffix Training’s Microsoft Office 365 course introduces students to Teams, Microsoft’s business communication platform. By enrolling in this course, you’ll not only discover new tricks for familiar applications in Office 365, but also how to collaborate with your team members using Outlook and Teams. This course focuses on utilizing Office for productivity purposes, making it an ideal class for groups to enroll in.

Certstaffix Training makes team training a breeze with its on-site training options and group rates. You also have the option of enrolling by yourself in this live online course. This training class takes place over one day and culminates in students earning a digital badge and certificate of achievement.

Excel, Finance, and Investing Summer Program

Do you have a teenager who’s interested in finance? Or a new college student who’d like to take the summer to get ahead in their business coursework? NextGen Bootcamp’s Excel, Finance, and Investing Summer Program teaches high school and college students the essentials of Excel alongside finance and stock market investing. The concepts will merge as students practice using Excel to find and analyze financial statements, use Excel to perform corporate valuation, and calculate financial ratios.

Your child’s instructor has years of Excel and finance experience and follows a Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and NYU Stern–crafted curriculum, so you can trust that they’ll spend the two-week-long live online program learning the best material from the best. The live online format allows students around the country the opportunity to enroll in this program, where they’ll master Excel and learn finance and investing concepts essential to their future should they choose to work in the business field.