Since the beginning of the year, students in the Business Information Modeling class have been learning how to use computers and various Microsoft Office programs efficiently. BIM I & II students who’ve mastered the program and students who studied and utilized Word 2013, were awarded a Microsoft Office Specialist certification in February.

“Getting this certification for mastering [the Microsoft] Program was worth it,” sophomore Kyle Heath said. “It’s given us knowledge about Microsoft Word that we did not previously know.”

Students in the BIM program at school signed up for the elective class in order to educate themselves on business skills and important lessons needed later in life. The class currently teaches technology tips, handling money, speaking strategies and more. The students take an exam at the end of each unit worked on and receive certifications if they score above a 70 percent.

“I signed up for BIM without knowing exactly what the class consisted of,” junior Benjamin Cross said. “I’ve learned super helpful strategies on the computer, speaking, and how to deal with real-world situations.”

The Microsoft unit comes intertwined with all other lessons since the main focus in the class was using computers to one’s advantage, giving them life-long advantage. Now that the class has completed the Microsoft Word unit, they will move on to receiving their Excel certification by the end of the six weeks.  

“I think that knowing more of this information will definitely help me get a job someday,” junior Fernando Suazo said. “Knowing how to use various programs will give me long term benefit and help me rise about over competing students  in college and when applying for a job my certificate for fully understanding the program puts me higher on a list of those being hired.”

Students say that knowing not only how to work basic elements of the program, but having further knowledge on how to improve their experience has had a large impact on work outside the class. Many jobs now require having knowledge on how to use Microsoft programs because they are used so commonly with many benefits.

“Industry focuses on Microsoft, and being standardized lets employers know they’re hiring someone with experience in technology,” Miss Michalek, BIM teacher, said. “It’s an important life skill to be familiar with computers for this exact reason.”