AAP Open Forum

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  • 1.  Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-18-2022 08:48
    For my professional development goals, I was considering working towards a Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in Outlook or Word.

    • Has anyone done this?
    • Is it worthwhile?
    • How did you gain your MOS Certification?
    • Did your work cover the cost?
    • Is there a better alternative you would recommend?
    • Any advice or tips?


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    Holly Bartell
    Office Administrator
    Boeing Canada Ltd.
    (613) 716-8095
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  • 2.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-19-2022 08:17
    I will be following your thread, Holly. I have all the same questions.

    AAP members were offered a discount for Red Cape MOS training late last year, but my work PD request was not approved due to its cost ($1500 US). It was steep for my not for profit organization.
    We have Office 365 at work and my director supports my desire to keep developing my skills in order to maximize our use of it; especially in a hybrid environment. Finding learning opportunities to become a power user is part of my 2021/2022 PA action plan. I would ideally like MOS certification. Any recommendations/suggestions in this thread would be greatly appreciated.

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    Radmila Minor
    Executive Assistant, Marketing & Communications
    Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
    (905) 563-3987
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-19-2022 10:58
    Good morning Holly & Radmila:


    I am a Microsoft Office Specialist – Expert . I started to work on my MOS certification last January (2021) as part of my professional development goals. I had completed an Advanced Word course and an Advanced Excel course through online distant education with our local college prior to starting my journey.

     I am excited to share my experiences of doing it 'alone'. I have to first say that I had no idea there were support groups available one year ago. I just thought "how hard can it be?". I signed up for my first MOS Word exam in January 2021 thinking it would be a walk in the park with my knowledge and experience.  WRONG!  The exam was probably the most difficult exam I have ever written. I was not even close to prepared.

    My confidence was completely shaken but my determination took over. I was not going to let this beat me. Over the next 6 months I studied and I mean, I studied every weekend. I used  Certiport as my main resource. I purchased the CERTPREP practice tests powered by GMetrix package. This package was worth every penny. It gives performance based assessment and test preparation tools.

    I did not learn about Red Cape until after I was done my certifications. I did find an excellent resource online and joined the Patreon Group of Mike's Office. His resources are on YouTube and he helps go through some of the questions on the Exams. This was was also well-worth the money in addition to the Certiport membership.

    I eventually passed my MOS Associate and then my MOS Expert. In order to become an Associate you must pass Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook exams. To then become an Expert you must pass two of the three - Word Expert, Excel Expert, Access Expert exams. The true difficulty in all of the exams is not the content itself but the very tight time limit allotted to the examination itself (watching the clock count down...yikes).

    Doing the MOS Certification on my own was time-consuming and very stressful.  Very rewarding when I finally accomplished my goals but a lot of stress a long the journey.

    Finally, I will say that I never did end up using Professional Development funds for these courses and for the exams. I wasn't confident that my organization would pay for my failures (and there were failures!) and so I privately/secretly worked on my certifications.

    I don't regret any of my learning. My MOS Certifications did not result in higher pay or greater respect and I really don't think anyone cared or recognized the value of my certifications except our IT Department. Our IT Department found out that I was working on my certifications and encouraged me all the way. They were so IMPRESSED and celebrated with me when I finally did get certified. 

    I hope this helps. Do it for yourself and you will feel complete satisfaction.  I sure did.



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    Jane Nixon
    Executive Assistant
    School District 5 (Southeast Kootenay)
    (250) 427-8757
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-20-2022 09:33
    Hi Jane. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Congratulations on achieving your MOS expert. I will add your recommended resources on my list to explore. 
    Kudos to you for persevering and achieving your goals.

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    Radmila Minor
    Executive Assistant, Marketing & Communications
    Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
    (905) 563-3987
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-20-2022 09:00
    Edited by Yvonne Arnowitz, CAP, CCAP, CWCA, PACE 01-20-2022 09:48
    Hi Holly.
    I started the process of doing my MOS certification, but a new job and its commitments put it on hold for now. I will say that, in my personal experience, joining Red Cape didn't add any extra value given the cost involved. I felt the help was, well, not all that helpful, in terms of learning steps that work for me. I will say that one of my favourite online instructors is Marie Herman, based in Chicago. She was an amazing resource for when I was going for my CAP certification through IAAP. She has various bootcamps for MS products - here is her website with details on her bootcamps (https://mrhenterprises.com/studygroups.shtml) and webinars (https://mrhenterprises.com/webinars.shtml). Each one is about $100 USD and very much worth the money. She gives you copious tips in each course/webinar, as well as a LOT of resources. Best of luck in your next steps!

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    Yvonne Arnowitz, BA (Hons), CAP, CCAP, CWCA, ACEA, PACE
    Board Governance Officer
    University of Windsor

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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-20-2022 09:37
    Yvonne. Thank you for sharing your experience with RedCape. I was really bummed when my PD request did not go through for their program. However, I am confident that there are many valuable resources out there to discover and I value the input from fellow colleagues in this forum in my search for a quality and cost effective program path.

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    Radmila Minor
    Executive Assistant, Marketing & Communications
    Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
    (905) 563-3987
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 01-20-2022 10:49
    Edited by Jane Nixon 01-20-2022 10:50
    Mike's Office is free and available on YouTube. I chose to join his study group which was a very minimal cost ($4/month). He posts questions and and answers for the study group to use.

    I think it is really important to let everyone know that the exams are skill assessments. There is no theory. You need to be able to do the tasks within the allotted time. It is for this reason that I would highly recommend Gmetrix platform I mentioned in my previous post. This training system provides sample exams, training on how to answer the questions in a timely fashion and feedback. It is a one-time cost for access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook. There are practice exams and training for both the Associate and the Expert levels. The cost was under $100 at the time I purchased it. 

    I wish I could tell you that MOS Certification changed my career. MOS Certification takes a lot of work and a lot of practice. It is so much more than doing an online course. In my opinion, I don't believe employers recognize the value of the certification and this is very disappointing.

    For me, there was very little ROI. However my true return on investment came from within.

    I am more than happy to answer more questions.


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    Jane Nixon
    Executive Assistant
    School District 5 (Southeast Kootenay)
    (250) 427-8757
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 02-14-2022 07:43
    Edited by Holly Bartell 02-14-2022 07:44
    Happy Valentine's Day! 

    Thank you for your responses, they are most appreciated. I am now debating which is more worthwhile to pursue: the MOS (Outlook & Word) or the CCAPA Certification? Which one has more weight for career advancement?

    Any thoughts?

    Many thanks,
    Holly

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    Holly Bartell
    Office Administrator
    Boeing Canada Ltd.
    613-716-8095
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

    Posted 02-14-2022 10:24
    Hi Holly:

    You sound very keen! I think CCAPA Certification and MOS certifications are not really comparable. This is my opinion. I have both CCAPA Certification and MOS. I had started my MOS certifications without even realizing that it would help with my CCAPA.

    MOS will count towards your technical elective for CCAPA Certification. If you know you want to do your CCAPA Certification then I would suggest finding out what courses and electives you need and start there. I have to say, Gale Belcourt was an amazing resource for me. 

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    Jane Nixon
    Executive Assistant
    School District 5 (Southeast Kootenay)
    250-427-8757
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    Original Message