Explore the costs, benefits, and opportunities linked to learning Microsoft Word, a powerful word-processing software used by professionals worldwide. Discover how training in Microsoft Word can enhance career prospects in various fields, from authoring books to creating professional business documents.
Key Insights
- Microsoft Word, a robust word-processing software, is used extensively in professional settings for creating reports, letters, and contracts.
- Costs for learning Microsoft Word range from free tutorials to professional classes that cost around $200-$300 per class.
- Beyond simple document creation, Microsoft Word offers interactive elements like fillable forms, checkboxes, dropdown menus, and visual graphics.
- Free introductory Microsoft Word courses are available online, offering basic skills and insights into creating simple documents.
- Live online, in-person, and on-demand training are available with varying price ranges. Noble Desktop offers two levels of live online Microsoft Word courses for $229 each.
- For career advancement, Microsoft Word Certification Programs are available at costs between $500 and $900, providing comprehensive Word training and certification exam prep.
Are you looking to learn Microsoft Word and wondering about its cost? A one-time purchase of Microsoft Word costs $80. Alternatively, you can purchase the entire Microsoft Suite for $70 per year. Beyond the upfront cost of the software, you’ll want to consider the cost of training. Training in Microsoft Word varies from free tutorials and professional classes, costing around $200-$300 per class. Read on to learn more about how much you can expect to spend learning Microsoft Word.
What is Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word is a powerful word-processing software that offers tons of flexibility when it comes to creating professional reports, letters, contracts, and other documents. Its features are more robust than other word processors, allowing it to become an industry-standard used by companies and entrepreneurs worldwide. These advanced features include mail marges, spellchecker, text formatting, tables, and page layout, among many others. Microsoft Word can also produce documents in various file types, making it compatible with many other programs. Its popularity means it’s also compatible with nearly any computer.
Since its release in 1983, Microsoft Word has continued to evolve to the needs of its users. Modern integrations have allowed the use of Microsoft Word over mobile, the web, and the Cloud for collaborative document creation. Cloud-based sharing and permissions make it easy for colleagues to collaborate and maintain security. Though Microsoft Word has faced many competitors over the decades, it continues to stand the test of time.
Read more about what Microsoft Word is and why you should learn it.
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What Can You Do with Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word is primarily used as a word-processing program for creating professional-looking documents and reports. Authors use it to write novels, job seekers create resumes, and students write essays. In the workplace, Microsoft Word is used to create a host of documents, including letterheads, reports, templates, training manuals, calendars, invoices, and promotional materials, among others. Businesses also use the mail merge feature that outputs created documents to a mailing list or newsletter.
But Microsoft Word is more than a typing software. The program includes interactive elements such as fillable forms, checkboxes, and dropdown menus. It can easily convert documents into fillable PDFs or vice versa. Plain text documents are made more visually appealing with images, animations, or WordArt. Tables are also easily converted into visual graphs and charts. Microsoft Word can even transcribe audio files, transcribe live speech into text, and translate documents.
A particularly valuable feature of Microsoft Word is its collaboration tools for group projects. Professionals can easily share documents with others to work on. Changes such as comments and edits are tracked so the original owner of the document can decide what suggestions to make official. A history of changes to a document is also saved and can be reverted to at any time. Microsoft Word is a powerful tool for any business’ communications needs, whether internally or with customers or clients.
In-Depth Review of the Training Cost
There are three training formats for learning Microsoft Word: live online, in-person, and on-demand training. Prices vary between each method, and each method has various advantages and disadvantages to their specific learning style and life situation.
In-person training can be the most expensive of the three. While in-person training often features a professional instructor and has similar upfront costs as live online training, students should also consider the cost of their commute and any required classroom supplies. Live online training seeks to simulate an in-person classroom environment without the commute, saving students on extraneous costs. They also tend to be slightly cheaper than in-person training.
Noble Desktop offers two levels of live online Microsoft Word courses. Both courses cost $229. The Level I course is ideal for beginners to gain a comprehensive understanding of the program. This course is all most people will need to learn how to use Microsoft Word confidently. Professionals wishing to become experts in the program should attend the Level II Microsoft Word course to learn all the tips and tricks and advanced features. Live online and on-demand Microsoft Word training offered through other schools feature similar prices and course content.
Additional training professionals may be interested in Microsoft Word Certification Programs that combine learning the features of Microsoft Word with certification exam prep. These classes are ideal for those looking to learn Microsoft Word and advance their career in one stroke. These courses cost more than traditional Microsoft Word training (anywhere from $500-$900) and partially vary based on the desired Microsoft Word certification level (specialist, expert, and master).
Free live online and on-demand Microsoft Word introductory courses and seminars may be available through some institutions. These courses are usually enough to learn the program’s most basic tools but not to comprehensively learn the program. Noble Desktop offers free Microsoft Word learning hubs designed to guide students interested in learning Microsoft Word on how and where to find the best training materials and other resources.
Free on-demand training includes courses from Coursera, Udemy, and similar skill-sharing websites. These courses tend to be under two hours and feature both comprehensive overviews of Word for beginner learners and guides on how to complete specific tasks within the program. The downside of these courses is having no instructor or peers to turn to with questions or struggles. Advancing through classes also requires personal motivation rather than an official class schedule. Thus, some students may struggle with the lack of accountability to continue with the material. Even with motivation, these courses will likely not be comprehensive enough for professionals looking to advance their careers by learning the ins and outs of the program.
Free Introductory Microsoft Word Course Online
If you aren’t ready to dive into a full Microsoft Word course, you can look for an online introduction to Microsoft Word through Youtube, Coursera, or Udemy. In these free courses, you can learn a variety of basic skills, including Microsoft Word fundamentals and how to create simple documents such as fliers, brochures, and resumes. Some courses even teach advanced and expert Microsoft Word tips and tricks.
However, many of these courses teach older versions of the Microsoft Word software. While most of Microsoft Word’s features are consistent through subsequent iterations, newer versions of the program may possess previously unseen features or place features in different locations. It can also be impossible to verify if the information taught in these courses is quality or correct. While these free online classes can be valuable and cost-effective for pure beginners, they aren’t ideal for professionals looking to learn comprehensive Microsoft Word skills to advance their careers.
Read about more free Microsoft Word videos and online tutorials.
Learn Microsoft Word with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
In today’s busy world, live online learning can be a fast, engaging, and comprehensive alternative to in-person classes. Noble Desktop offers live online classes in Microsoft Word that are hands-on and open to beginners. Classes are small, taught by expert instructors, and include free retake options.
Microsoft Word Level I is a one-day course that teaches all the Microsoft Word essentials. You’ll learn how to avoid common page formatting errors and prepare and send mass emails, letters, and labels with one click. You’ll also learn all the necessary shortcuts to shave hours off your time. Students who want to increase their Microsoft Word skills can attend the Microsoft Word Level II course.
Microsoft Word Level II is an advanced class that teaches next-level Microsoft Word skills. You’ll learn how to use automation to speed up your workflow, create custom document templates, use advanced formatting techniques, and build long documents. This is the ideal course for individuals wanting to become Microsoft Word experts.
Noble Desktop also provides additional Microsoft Office classes, including Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook.
How to Learn Microsoft Word
Master Microsoft Word with hands-on training. Learn how to use Microsoft Word to create, format, organize, share, and print documents for business or personal use.
- Microsoft Office courses at Noble Desktop: live, instructor-led courses available in NYC or live online
- Find Microsoft Office Classes Near You: Search & compare dozens of available courses in-person
- Attend a Microsoft Office class live online (remote/virtual training) from anywhere
- Find & compare the best online Microsoft Office classes (on-demand) from the top providers and platforms
- Train your staff with corporate and onsite Microsoft Office training