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PCC Continuing Education

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How to Choose the Right Electrical Technician Training Program

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on May 31, 2023

Electrical technicians have a promising future in an engaging career. As the push to move toward everything, from vehicles to home appliances, and away from fossil fuels continues, we can expect to see high demand for technicians to help make this technology usable and widespread. The career also offers flexibility in terms of work setting and location.  

Electrical technicians need only an associate's degree to embark on their career, making this training an excellent investment in the future. Those interested in joining this exciting career field can start the training immediately and have the skills for in-demand work relatively quickly. 

If you're wondering how to become an electrical technician, this article will help you understand how to choose the right electrical technician training program. Let's take a closer look! 

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Topics: Electrical Technician

How Medical Coders Hold the Healthcare Industry Together

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on May 24, 2023

Careers in medical coding are on the rise, and for good reason. It is a rising field in the medical industry and an immensely fulfilling career path as you form the connection between patients, medical providers, and insurance companies. 

As a medical coder, you will translate complex diagnoses, procedures, medications, and other doctor's notes into simple, standardized alphanumeric codes. These codes have a few different purposes: 

  • They enter the patient record to make it easier for their doctor and other providers to refer to and learn about the patient in the future. 
  • Insurance companies use them to understand what the patient needed and how it might be covered under their policy. 

Coders in the medical field are also responsible for maintaining the accuracy of patient records and verifying those records to ensure that insurance companies have everything they need to process billing. Medical terminology, an updated understanding of current coding guidelines, and knowledge of basic medical concepts will all help you succeed in this field. 

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Topics: Healthcare, Medical Coding

From Tenant Screening to Lease Agreements: A Comprehensive Guide to Property Management

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on May 10, 2023

Real estate is a consistently stable career choice because people will always need a place to live, but many jobs within this industry run on commission, which many people may not be comfortable with. Careers in property management are one of the exceptions to that since they're typically salaried positions with excellent job security and flexibility to work either full or part-time.  

Property managers are detail-oriented professionals trusted to handle daily operations on residential, commercial, or even industrial properties. Their job is to keep things running as smoothly as possible for both the property's owner and tenants, whether taking care of maintenance issues or advertising new vacancies. Property management requires everything from problem-solving skills to excellent customer service, so it's a rewarding career for someone who likes juggling many different tasks. This path is also widely considered one of the most accessible ways to get involved with real estate.  

Read on to learn more about working as a property manager and how Portland Community College's Property Management License course can help you get your foot in the door with just ten weeks of online classes.  

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Topics: Property Management License

4 Reasons QuickBooks Training Will Diversify Your Skillset

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on May 05, 2023

QuickBooks is the leading accounting software suite. From startups to established enterprises, millions of businesses use Quickbooks to balance their finances, track sales, manage budgets, and get useful financial reports on the state of the business. Anyone looking to break into the accounting or bookkeeping career, or build value in the bookkeeping career path, can benefit from honing their skills using the QuickBooks software. 

Learning QuickBooks could be the first step to a long and prosperous career. Software proficiency in a program as complex and diversely applied as QuickBooks doesn't happen overnight. One of the best ways to improve your prospects as an accountant or bookkeeper is to take a few courses in QuickBooks operations based on the specific digital bookkeeping skills you want to develop. 

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Topics: Professional Development, Remote Career Training

Who Benefits from Motivational Interviewing Training

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on April 17, 2023

People show they benefit from counseling when it helps them improve their lives by taking personal responsibility to change harmful behaviors. It's often challenging to push ourselves to make these changes ourselves. Even though we want to change, we may not feel ready for it. Which is where motivational interviewing becomes beneficial.  

It is a counseling technique that enables people to find the intrinsic motivation to make positive changes in their lives. Understanding how it functions helps people, even if they don't struggle with issues like addiction but have friends or relatives who do. 

We'll review Motivational Interviewing, how it helps people make positive changes, and who can benefit from learning about it. 

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Topics: Mental & Behavioral Health

What Motivational Interviewing is Designed to Help

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on April 14, 2023

People are complicated creatures. As individuals move from childhood to adolescence and adulthood, they may develop disruptive or self-destructive behaviors. When that happens, it may become difficult for them to motivate themselves to make the required changes. And all the while, those people may want to change their behaviors but don't know how.

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Topics: Mental & Behavioral Health

Renew Your Electrician's License with PCC

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on December 06, 2022


As a licensed electrician in Oregon, it is your professional responsibility to renew and maintain the appropriate licensure. Oregon grants various specialized electrical licenses, each of which has its requirements for education and work experience. It is vital to note that while the Oregon CCB (Construction Contractors Board) offers contracting electrical licenses, the Oregon BCD (Building Codes Division) office provides non-contracting electrical licensure. 

Renewing your electrical license does not need to be tedious. At Portland Community College (PCC), we can walk with you every step of the way to ensure you complete your electrician continuing education requirements in time to submit an electrician renewal license application.  

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Topics: Professional Development

How to Create an Inclusive Classroom Environment

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on July 27, 2022

It's easy to start a classroom teaching experience by looking around your room (or virtual "room" in an online class, as it might be) and asking what items would help people learn best in this environment. That is an excellent first thought because it means you don't want to approach teaching casually that doesn't put students on the track to success. However, in modern education, the goal is to go a step further, beyond what would work well for you to what would work well for as many students as possible.

Learning to create inclusive college classroom environments helps you see more students succeed, especially first-generation college students. Doing so also enables you to improve diversity and inclusion in the college classroom and empower everyone to share their experiences and viewpoints. To do so, however, there may be some needed mindset shifts that help you create an inclusive classroom.

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Topics: Classroom Strategies, Inclusivity

Tips for Fitting Class with Work and Your Busy Life

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on February 22, 2022

Many full-time workers feel like they are at a loss for advancing in their careers when they need their job to make ends meet. The truth is that, even with full-time work, there are ways to move forward by using part-time coursework that aligns with your next career goals.

Managing a class load when pursuing a certificate or degree from Portland Community College is entirely possible. Still, you'll experience your days as less hectic if you do some serious prep before starting the work-plus-school lifestyle. Here is how to balance classes and full-time work because you still want your life to have balance during this busy season! 

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Topics: Portland Community College, PCC

Why College is Worth the Cost

Posted by PCC Continuing Education on February 07, 2022

While we linger on the difference in earnings between bachelor's degree holders and high school graduates, many people still find themselves in a situation where a four-year, traditional residential bachelor's degree wasn't the right fit after high school. Often, life has carried people to a time when they have to make different calculations than an 18-year-old typically must make when it comes to answering, "Why is college worth the cost?"

While average data can tell us a lot about how education improves outcomes for many people, from access to healthcare to financial stability, it's also essential to think through what you want that education to do for you. If your goals are to progress away from entry-level, less-skilled positions, you need to determine whether a four-year degree will even give you access to those higher-level roles. If you need a particular certificate or credential, that might be much less expensive to obtain while providing a similar result when combined with your prior experience.

Many of the benefits of attending college, things like forming social bonds, may not be your priorities when deciding if college is worth it. Non-traditional students of all kinds can find a valuable way to make post-secondary education work for them.

Here are three ways to make college worth the cost at different stages of life.

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Topics: Portland Community College, PCC

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