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Career Pathways Workshops: Microsoft Office

Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts > About > News, Events, & More > Blog > Career Pathways Workshops: Microsoft Office

Students attending Microsoft Word and PowerPoint workshop

Though students spend most of their time devoted to the reading and discussion of the classics of the western intellectual tradition, they also prepare for their vocations in postgraduate life in more overtly practical ways as well.  This takes place primarily through the internships, workshops, and guest speakers that constitute the “Career Pathways” program.

In a recent workshop, Debbie Harne, the college’s Career Pathways coordinator, led a two-part workshop teaching students the ins-and-outs of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. While students often use these programs during their time at the college, the workshop focused on how these programs are used within a business context.

The workshop started off with an introduction to the many features of Microsoft Word,
ranging from setting up custom layouts to editing images within a document. This
introduction was followed by a series of exercises, putting the features into practice. By
the end of the section on Word, students had even practiced setting up automated
mailings using the application.

The workshop continued by introducing PowerPoint, and covering the basics of
how to build cohesive and aesthetically pleasing presentations. Student Elizabeth
Figueroa (’20) observed, “The workshop helped me navigate through Microsoft Word and
PowerPoint, giving me the tools to effectively create and compile my work into
organized papers and presentations.”

The second part of the workshop focused on teaching students the fundamentals of using Microsoft Excel. The students learned basic formulas, table formatting, and how to create charts. The students who attended are now better equipped to use these programs in their future careers.

For more information about the college’s “Career Pathways” program and the way that liberal education can prepare students for professional success, visit https://magdalen.edu/careers/

– Contributed by Joseph McGrath ’20

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