Best Classes Grand Rapids, MI

Known as the “Great Lake State” and a “Water Winter Wonderland,” Michigan is known for its natural beauty and diverse and dynamic landscape. Grand Rapids, bordered by its gorgeous namesake and a short drive from the depths of Lake Michigan, is perhaps the best representation of all that Michigan has to offer. Spend a day or lifetime exploring the metropolitan area Outside Magazine calls “America’s Best River Town.” Scale the impressive dunes around Lake Michigan or kayak or paddle down the calm waters of the Grand Rapids river throughout the summer while enjoying the silence and tranquility of the mild yet snowy winters. 

Those who enjoy the rush and benefits of urban life will also find a home in Grand Rapids. As the second-largest city in Michigan, Grand Rapids has a bustling downtown area with a thriving theater scene and museums such as the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, the African-American Museum and Archives, The Grand Rapids Art Museum, and The Grand Rapids Public Museum. Discover why Thrillist Magazine calls Grand Rapids “Michigan’s Food City” by sampling the many flavors of the over 130 restaurants in the downtown area. As the previous “Furniture Capital of the United States,” Grand Rapids provides the right tools to build a spectacular life. 

Tech Careers in Grand Rapids

Whether you are looking to build a career in one of the area's well-known industries or advance your professional growth by networking on the many golf courses around the city, Grand Rapids is the ideal place for young and established professionals. Fortune 1000 companies in the area include names such as Spartan Stores, Inc, Steelcase Inc., and Universal Forest. Job availability is also about to skyrocket as large companies such as Amazon and Whole Foods are planning to develop major facilities in Grand Rapids soon. 

Grand Rapids is not a well-known hub of technological development and innovation in the United States. Consequently, tech professionals are frequently paid less in Grand Rapids than they are in other cities, with most professionals making $45,000-110,000 per year. This pay range is significantly higher than the average individual annual income of $26,000. Those in the technology industry that have skills applicable to multiple industries, such as User Experience Designers and Data Scientists, tend to have the highest wages among these careers. Those aspiring to enter a tech career in the Grand Rapids area can maximize their chances of securing employment by diversifying their skills in one of the many live online and remote instruction training centers in the area. 

Tech Schools in Grand Rapids

Many people assume that entering the tech industry requires years of expensive schooling. Nevertheless, several training centers offer short-term remote instruction and live online classes in Grand Rapids. 

Take a break from perfecting your golf swing at the Cascade Hills Country Club to attend one of the short-term remote instruction sessions at the ONLC or Certstaffix training centers across the street. ONLC Training Centers offer one to five-day courses that cover programs and skills in Adobe Suite, AutoCAD, Data Analytics, and Microsoft Office Suite that are perfect for professionals looking to take their careers to new heights. In addition to remote instruction classes in business skills and computer programming, Cerstaffix Training also provides onsite instruction in programs such as AutoCAD, Excel, and Quickbooks. These classes are available to students at every level of computer and technological expertise, preparing them for immediate employment and long-term success. 

Michigan-based company Grand Circus also offers online training in coding to students all over the state. This 10-week program transforms novice students into competent software developers. Students also have access to the company’s career services, which have helped over 90% of the program’s graduates acquire employment in the technology industry. 

Virtual Tech Schools

If you are interested in a more flexible learning environment than the traditional classroom or computer labs available for remote learning, consider looking into live online software training. Like in-person classes, live online courses are taught by industry professionals in real-time on your computer anywhere in the world. Students can ask their instructors questions in real-time and can have more difficult subjects explained on their screens as the professors can control and see their screens (with permission). 

Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, offers live online software training to students from their Manhattan campus. Students across the country thrive in Noble Desktop’s small class setting and “learn and then practice approach.” Many students frequently report having the opportunity for one-on-one mentoring in many of the certificate programs, preparing them to successfully enter the workforce in several industries. 

With classes that run from several weeks to multiple months, Noble Desktop has relevant courses for students of varying levels of technological expertise and schedule availability. Most Noble Desktop programs are available full-time during the weekday or part-time during the evenings and weekends. Students searching for a short-term program may want to consider enrolling in the three-month part-time (three to four week full-time) Graphic Design Certificate or Data Science Certificate or the four-month part-time UX & UI Design Certificate or Digital Marketing Certificate. Looking for a longer and more comprehensive program? Consider taking Noble Desktop’s five-month part-time (five-week full-time) Web Design Certificate or 10-month part-time (17-week full-time) Full Stack Web Development Certificate. Each of these courses will prepare you for new or expanded job opportunities in the technology industry. 

Several other training centers offer online training to residents of the Grand Rapids area. NYIM Training offers 10-100 hour live online classes in topics ranging from graphic design and project management to data science and software programming. Career Centers likewise provide 6 to 210-hour live online courses for learning various uses of Python Programming language. Students interested in coding, data science, and web development classes should look into Practical Programming’s 6 to 288-hour training courses. 

Younger students ages 13-21 can also learn important technical skills such as data analysis, investing skills, and graphic and web design through NextGen Bootcamp's summer computer classes for high school students. Taught by leaders of the technology industry, these 30-110 hour courses employ an active learning approach to maximize student learning and long-term retention. The classes are all live online, allowing students to choose their preferred classroom environment throughout the summer. 

Corporate & Onsite Tech Training in Grand Rapids

With so many training opportunities available, it may be difficult to design a curriculum that will help your workers successfully manage and have the technical skills to bring a project to fruition. Noble Desktop’s Corporate Training Program is here to help! 

Train your workers using Noble Desktop’s on-site or live online via teleconferencing courses that work to maximize worker retention and productivity through immersive and interactive training. Students will also be able to keep handouts and workbooks to use as reference after the course’s completion. Corporations can also purchase vouchers for Noble Desktop’s many open-enrollment courses for their employees and even receive a discount when they purchase multiple. Start your company’s next chapter by contacting a Noble Desktop representative for a free consultation today!