Microsoft Office Certificates Houston, TX

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, introduced Microsoft Office in 1988. This bundle of productivity applications went on to include some of the most popular productivity applications worldwide.

Over 1 billion people around the world use Microsoft Office. They depend on its programs to organize their data, manage their calendars, create documents and spreadsheets, and conduct data analysis. Microsoft Office’s easy-to-use reputation has made its applications popular among students and working professionals. The widespread availability of MS Office helped make it popular. Schools, for example, have built entire classes on how to use Excel and its many functions, and Microsoft Office offers subscriptions for mobile phones and tablets, allowing users to work on the go.

Businesses and organizations that require their employees to work with data, send emails, create reports and memos, and collaborate with coworkers often require candidates to have Microsoft Office experience. Not all positions will require candidates to have mastered every application in Microsoft Office, but most candidates benefit from having a working knowledge of Word, Excel, and Outlook.

If you're interested in learning how to use MS Office applications to advance your career or ace your next project, consider enrolling in a Microsoft Office course.

Why Become Certified in Microsoft Office?

You can work toward certification in Microsoft Office by taking an MS Office class. Schools and training centers offer courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level learners interested in becoming certified. But why would you want to pursue a certification?

Microsoft Office includes several productivity applications valued by businesses. At some point, you’ll likely need to know how to make a spreadsheet in Excel, a document in Word, a schedule in Outlook, or a presentation in PowerPoint. Taking a certification class will ensure that you have learned the foundations of Microsoft Office before diving headfirst into a career that requires it. You can learn new skills in these classes that will prepare you to look for a career that is heavily dependent on using MS Office for day-to-day tasks.

Mid-career professionals can also pursue certifications in Microsoft Office. Learning new skills is a great way to show your company that you’re willing to learn new skills. These new skills may translate to your current position or prove that you’re qualified to take on new tasks and, possibly, receive a promotion.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Microsoft Office Certified

What you’ll learn while becoming Microsoft Office certified depends on the course or boot camp you enroll in. Some courses will cover one application in MS Office, while others will spend several days covering every application in MS Office. Other programs allow you to mix and match classes at a discounted price. Typically, students opt to take courses in Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. These applications provide you with the skills necessary to work remotely and effectively.

Excel

Microsoft’s spreadsheet program, Excel, allows users to format, organize, and calculate data in a spreadsheet and across spreadsheets. Courses on Excel cover the fundamentals of creating and importing data into your spreadsheet. Longer courses will focus on using advanced features of Excel such as creating formulas, sorting data, and performing data analysis. Aspiring Data Science professionals would benefit from enrolling in an Excel course.

PowerPoint

To learn how to create a presentation that will wow your audience, enroll in a Microsoft Office course that covers PowerPoint. These courses teach students how to make effective design choices when creating a PowerPoint. This includes slide style, formatting, color, and importing images and graphs. Learning how to craft excellent presentations can make all the difference in your professional life.

Word

Microsoft’s word processing software, Word, is featured in many Microsoft Office courses. Individuals with little to no experience can jump straight into using Word, but enrolling in a class will teach you about advanced features within the software that make creating different document types simple.

Outlook

Businesses rely on Outlook for collaboration, including scheduling and sending emails. Microsoft offers Outlook as single-use and multi-use software. The many features available in Outlook make it intimidating to begin using, but an expert-led class will help you master all of its functions in no time. Once you’ve become an expert in Microsoft Outlook, you’ll see your productivity levels skyrocket.

Remote Work Skills

Microsoft Office applications promote efficiency and productivity among remote workers, which is why they are frequently used. Understanding how to create a document in Word, design a presentation in PowerPoint, create a spreadsheet in Excel, and utilize other features of MS Office products empowers remote workers. Doing these things from home, without in-office support, makes remote workers self-sufficient and prepared for a productive day of remote working.

Microsoft Office Industries in Houston

The energy, life sciences, and aerospace industries greatly impact the economic growth and development of Houston. These industries also make ample use of Microsoft Office products. If you have or want to gain experience with MS Office and would like to learn more about these industries, keep reading.

Energy

Houston’s energy industry has made it the Energy Capital of the World. Nearly one-third of US jobs in oil and gas extraction are in Houston. Over 4,700 energy-related firms operate in the region, which has become the forefront of foreign energy investment and a leader in all sectors of the industry. The concentration of energy expertise in Houston has helped draw more companies into the area that have helped innovate toward renewable forms of energy and efficient energy technology.

Energy companies use data science to optimize the performance of assets such as power plants and wind farms. Excel enables energy companies to keep track of, organize, and analyze data, making it an essential program to learn if you're considering working as a Data Science professional in the energy industry.

Life Sciences

Houston’s world-class healthcare institutions and talented workforce have made it a hub for medical device manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and health research. This industry is even larger than Houston’s energy industry, employing nearly 400,000 workers. As employment has grown, so too has the concentration of talented workers, National Institute of Health funding, and the number of medical research and health services institutions in the region.

Life Science professionals can use Microsoft Office tools to keep track of transactional, behavioral, and demographic data. Microsoft Access allows users to organize and manage data in a database, enabling them to analyze and report results. They can then convert this to Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft's data platform.

Aerospace and Aviation

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston is just one giant in the city’s robust aerospace and aviation industries. Over 500 companies and institutions in the city are involved in aircraft or space vehicle manufacturing, research and technology, and other air transportation support activities. Texas A&M University constructed a $200 million research and training facility adjacent to the Johnson Space Center. In total, the city’s industry traded $2.9 billion in aircraft, spacecraft, and parts in 2019.

This industry relies on data tracking to maintain efficiency and cost-effectiveness in its operations. Data Science professionals can depend on Excel and Access to track and analyze such data.

Microsoft Office Careers in Houston

In Houston, you can find careers in the above-mentioned fields that require candidates to have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Some of the career positions include Project Manager and Front-End Web Developer.

Project Managers strive to successfully plan and manage their company’s projects from start to finish. They first establish budgets for a project before moving on to coordinating with the teams that will work on the project. Responsibilities for this position also include risk assessments. Project Managers utilize MS Office tools to guarantee that projects run smoothly and communication between teams. A Project Manager in Houston can expect to earn an average salary of $83,500 per year. This salary depends on years of experience and the industry you're working in.

Front-End Web Developers work on the front-end of websites—the side of websites that clients see. They learn how to code using HTML, Java, Python, and other client languages to help with the visual appeal and interactivity of websites. Keeping track of code is possible in Excel thanks to its columns and rows. With these features, Front-End Web Developers implement their code in Excel and even work with formulas. Houston-based Front-End Web Developers earn an average annual salary of $102,000.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification?

Before enrolling in a Microsoft Office course, you should decide whether it is more appropriate for you to pursue a certificate or certification. The option you choose will depend on your learning goals and your level of experience.

Beginners should pursue certificates. Certificates are awarded upon completion of certificate programs. These programs teach the fundamentals of MS Office and provide students with hands-on learning experiences. The length of a program varies, typically from one day to two weeks, depending on the depth of the course.

Microsoft Office users with considerable experience should pursue certification. Certification is gained by taking and passing a standardized certification exam, often offered by a testing site. Schools and training centers offer classes and boot camps that prepare students for their certification exams. Some of these schools and centers will even include the cost of the exam in the class tuition price.

Individuals looking to start a career that requires knowledge of Microsoft Office should enroll in a certificate program to gain experience using its applications. Earning a certificate shows potential employers that you have received training in MS Office and have experience using its programs. Mid-career professionals who earn certification can leverage that certificate for career advancement or explore switching careers.

Top Microsoft Office Certificate Programs in Houston

You can find a beginner, intermediate, or advanced-level Microsoft Office Certificate program held in-person in Houston or online. In-person classes follow a traditional classroom teaching style, whereas online classes allow students to learn following a flexible schedule. Here are a few of the top Microsoft Office certificate programs available to individuals in Houston.

Intro to Data Analytics and Data Science

Skillspire’s Intro to Data Analytics and Data Science course follows a curriculum designed to help students become proficient junior Data Analysts. The course utilizes Excel, Power BI, Python, and ChatGPT AI. With these programs, students will learn data analysis with extra emphasis on ensuring data quality and creating engaging data visualizations. Students will also focus on job readiness as they work toward professional development and create a career portfolio.

The program lasts 12 weeks and follows a part-time schedule. During weeks one and two, which focus on Excel, you’ll learn how Excel is used for data analysis before gaining experience using its tools and packages that allow for expert-level data analysis. Tuition may be paid upfront, for a $500 discount, or follow a four- or six-month payment plan.

PowerPoint Bootcamp

Noble Desktop’s PowerPoint boot camp covers how to create presentations using the software to its full potential. This means learning about the basics such as layouts, adding text, and SmartArt, before diving into advanced features that can improve your work. The live online boot camp lasts two days, with beginner and advanced lessons divided between the two days.

Each day of class consists of six hours of hands-on, project-based learning. Your live online instructor will follow a carefully crafted curriculum that will culminate in lessons on how to manage large presentations and collaborate with others. After the course has ended, students can retake it for free for up to one year.

Complete Microsoft Office Bootcamp

NYIM Training provides a well-rounded lesson on four of Microsoft Office’s most popular software: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Students will work through four units, which cover each software. Each unit breaks down into subsections of beginner and advanced-level lessons.

The live online boot camp lasts for nine days, or 54 hours. The boot camp costs $1,725, which is due before the first day of class. Enrolled students will have access to supplemental materials, expert instructor guidance, a free one-year retake, and a certificate of completion.

Microsoft Access Bootcamp

NYC Career Centers offers an Access boot camp. The program trains students on Access, an information management tool. The program helps users manage data efficiently and analyze large quantities of it, making this boot camp ideal for data professionals. Students will learn how to create databases in the application, along with tables and reports.

The short six-hour course takes place online with a live instructor. NYC Career Centers guarantees small class sizes, which means students can expect to receive thorough instruction in the course.

Microsoft Office 365 Online (with Teams for the Desktop)

For a one-day crash course in Microsoft Office 365 Online, enroll in this course offered by Certstaffix Training. The live online course reviews Office 365’s productivity apps along with Outlook on the web. The course offers a lesson in Microsoft Teams as well, Microsoft’s premier video conferencing platform that’s used by teams to collaborate and communicate.

Individuals pay $335 for the course, but Certstaffix Training offers group rates for teams interested in on-site training. That makes the course worthwhile for businesses interested in promoting collaboration and efficiency among their employees.

Excel, Finance, & Investing Summer Program

NextGen Bootcamp summer programs target high school and college students interested in learning about technology, finance, and design. Its Excel, Finance, & Investing Summer Program welcomes students with an interest in finance, business, real estate, entrepreneurship, and related fields. Students will learn advanced-level Excel skills alongside the basics of finance and investing.

This course encourages enrollment from students looking to get ahead in the subject matter before college. With a curriculum crafted by Wharton School of Business and NYC Stern graduates, parents know their children will benefit from the week-long live online program.