[Libby Huffman]

Need an edge at work? Looking for a way to get that promotion? Get the real scoop on Microsoft certifications and whether or not they're right for you. We'll give you an unbiased review of the pros and cons of this additional training.

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[ladyzh]

If any of the office suite products is something that you will use on an everyday basis, then I would say yes to becoming certified. If it isn't something that is used as an everyday part of your job, then I would say no. Mainly because if you don't use, you will lose it. If you are training in something that you are using everyday or have a passion for, then being certified is almost the next logical step. If promotions or increases or based on at least having completed some type of training on the office suites, then again, I would say yes. Speaking for myself, I like to do things that have a purpose and meaning to it. For example, to learn how to create a web page for my company, I had to learn how to do HTML. Then to make the page better, I learned how to use Dreamweaver and some flash. Now I don't do web pages anymore. I still know how to do some creating, but because I don't use it everyday and the webmaster they hired is responsible for updating the webpages, I am not as good as I would like to be. My time is now spent on doing other aspects of my job that takes priority. I no longer feel a need to learn anymore about webpages, but I do have it in my background. If I put it on my resume, I usually indicate that it is knowledge only; not one of my strongest assets. Knowledge is power if you intend to take it to the next level. Otherwise, it is just knowledge. Whether you get paid more will depend on your company's budget. There is never a guarantee.

[kgarcia]

Certiport offered a "Certified by Summer" program this summer. For a fee I received a CD with practice tests and all the information necessary to teach myself Word 2007, Excel 2007 and Powerpoint 2007. I also received a voucher to take the Certification exam for each of the programs. It was about $105 which was great since each exam certification costs about $45. The vouchers are good for one year so I'm going to start working on the training classes next week. Wish me luck!!

[phillyfinest2]

Originally Posted by kgarcia

Certiport offered a "Certified by Summer" program this summer. For a fee I received a CD with practice tests and all the information necessary to teach myself Word 2007, Excel 2007 and Powerpoint 2007. I also received a voucher to take the Certification exam for each of the programs. It was about $105 which was great since each exam certification costs about $45. The vouchers are good for one year so I'm going to start working on the training classes next week. Wish me luck!!

Knowledge is power!! I wish you all the luck!! I'm also going in the same direction and love computers, computers are our future so learn as much as you can or you will be lost without them.lol

Have a great Holiday!!