The numbers vary all the time, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics is consistent on one point: information technology careers will continue growing with double-digit percentage growth year-over-year for the foreseeable future. Much of the expansion that took place during 2020 in the IT world has been helping to equip more businesses to operate from sites other than offices to enforce social distancing or boost capacity for everything from app-driven curbside grocery pick-up to online ordering at restaurants.

The information technology field is fascinating because, slowly but surely, nearly all businesses have technical aspects. To create and maintain their technological infrastructure, they need to employ or contract with programmers, troubleshooting and maintenance technicians, and other professionals who work intensively on computerized systems. Joining the ranks of information technology at this point is not just a good idea: you also may already want to start looking at how you can boost your skills.

Hallie Puncochar has taught Computer Applications at Rock Creek for ten years. Before that, Hallie was a Global Account Specialist with a trims manufacturer that served major apparel giants such as Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, and Kroger. After a competitor acquired the parent company, Puncochar pursued a Master’s in Teaching. She found training others so enjoyable that, soon after graduation, she applied and was hired to teach at PCC. Learn more about the instructor for Technology Professional Development below.

Every business has a seemingly endless amount of data to manage. When you combine financial, customer, administrative, and all the other information your business needs access to on a regular basis, it can be difficult to find what you need when you need it. You probably already use Microsoft Excel in order to manage some areas of your business. However, many business owners and managers fail to maximize the use of Excel and realize how it can make life a lot easier for both you and your employees.

Below are some of the benefits of Excel training and how it can transform your business. By learning how to use Excel beyond the basics, you’ll be able to save yourself quite a bit of time, money and headache.

Updated April 11, 2022

Coding has become both a lucrative, secure line of work and a necessity for the world's infrastructure in record time. Learning to code has even captured the focus of federal and state initiatives, for example, Code Oregon, to promote STEM careers.

Why so much talk about coding? Because that’s where the well-paying jobs are. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hundreds of thousands of positions entail coding, and the median pay for those jobs nationwide was over $89,000 in 2020.

If you spend a lot of time using Microsoft Excel at work, learning some tricks will help you get more done and get results to your boss faster. And, hopefully, that will result in some promotions and bonuses for you.

So don’t take this lightly. Learning shortcuts and formulas can feel tedious at first - as you’ll want to do it the way you’ve always done it - but, once you get used to them, you’ll feel better about your skills, proud of your expertise, and wondering how you ever used to do it the old way.