Want to get ahead in your career? Learn to excel at Excel

“Before personal computers, business managers had to talk to computer departments and maybe wait months to get the data they needed to create business plans,” Shumaker said. “Now, with a PC and a spreadsheet program, they are able to respond to changing conditions immediately.

“I think it would be hard to get any office desk job these days without knowing Excel. The program has so many applications.”

Administrative and executive assistants, accountants, project managers, sales managers, marketing departments and statisticians all use Excel.

While many people know how to use the program well enough to plug numbers into a spreadsheet that was created by someone else, many users don’t understand the full power and capability of the software. Earning the certification — Microsoft Certified Application Specialist in Excel 2007 (MCAS 77-602) — can help jobseekers find a position and allow workers to keep a job, broaden employment opportunities and increase their earning potential.

“Businesses are all looking for better return on investment from employees,” Shumaker said. “If people use the materials we give them and work between classes, they can gain skills in a short period of time. Learning some things to wow the boss can make them more valuable as an employee.”

Southern Polytechnic recently began offering an Excel 2007 Exam 77-602 Preparation Series through its continuing education program. The next series, which runs from Sept. 10 to Nov. 5, consists of five classes, offered every other Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuition is $1,025 for the four classes of instruction, self-study materials and an exam-preparation class.

“Participants need to have some computer skills, and it helps to have some familiarity with Excel,” Shumaker said. “They need to be comfortable working with numbers, to be able to understand basic math formulas and like paying attention to detail.”

The first class introduces students to the basics. Working in a computer lab with 11 other students, they learn how to create simple Excel files called workbooks. Each workbook consists of one or more worksheets with rows and columns of data. They learn how to enter data, create simple formulas and how to format, edit and print workbooks.

The intermediate class builds on the knowledge of spreadsheets to use more advanced function and formatting features. Participants learn how to work with multiple worksheets.

The advanced class teaches powerful database functions and features that help users solve problems and see important trends.

Shumaker likes teaching students ways to simplify their workload by using Excel.

“As trainers, we work toward hearing the ‘oohs’ and the ‘aahs’ that tell us students just figured out a way to make their lives easier,” Shumaker said.

The fourth class concentrates on teaching ways to automate daily tasks and how to customize the Excel interface. It also covers collaboration features and how to edit and troubleshoot macro systems.

“Students learn by doing exercises in class and practicing what they learned between classes,” Shumaker said. “Hopefully, by the time we get to the actual test prep, we’re just helping people fill in the gaps of what they don’t fully understand.

“One advantage to prep is taking sample tests to learn how the timed test works. It gives students more confidence.”

For information, call 678-915-7240 or go to www.spsu.edu and click on the Continuing Education tab.

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