Microsoft PowerPoint is the golden standard in slideshow creation and presentation that accounts for 95% of all presentation software sales. These days, it’s commonly used by marketing teams to create meaningful presentations about their advertising campaigns, business managers training their employees to perform various job-related tasks, and school teachers presenting educational information to their students. If you’re interested in mastering this program beyond its basic operations, there are many fantastic PowerPoint classes that will teach you more complex and in-depth slideshow-creation techniques.
Top In-Person & Virtual PowerPoint Classes
There are multiple organizations around the nation that can teach you how to use PowerPoint for personal or business use. These include in-person courses with a skilled professor who can fine-tune your learning to meet your unique abilities and learning style. However, you may also find various virtual learning programs that immerse you in PowerPoint skills and teach you how to use this engaging and enjoyable program successfully. Here’s a look at a few you may like.
PowerPoint Courses at Noble Desktop
Noble Desktop is a well-known New York City training school with many years of experience providing hands-on support in tech-related learning. They not only provide classes at their NYC office but virtual courses with a live professor who can teach you the ins and outs of PowerPoint. Each course has a free retake option, and most have a one-on-one mentoring option or small class sizes, depending on the format and the course’s subject.
PowerPoint Bootcamp
- Price: $399
- Length: 12 hours
- Location: NYC, live online
PowerPoint Bootcamp includes an intensive training experience over two six-hour days that will help you master this program on a deeper level. You’ll not only learn its basic operation but master things like layouts, text, images, SmartArt, tables, and charts. The second day covers animations, videos, presentations, customized shows, and producing reusable templates. When you’re done with this course, you’ll get a completion certificate that proves your abilities.
PowerPoint Level 1
- Price: $249
- Length: 6 hours
- Location: NYC, live online
PowerPoint Level 1 highlights basic slideshow techniques, including integrating text, images, shapes, and transitions. You’ll also learn to layer objects through your slides to make them more engaging and attractive. With your purchase of this course, you receive a PowerPoint video suite that includes hours of custom content that you can access whenever you want! This group of informative videos can help you practice your PowerPoint skills when the course is done.
PowerPoint Level II
- Price: $249
- Length: 6 hours
- Location: NYC, live online
Before taking this course, you must pass PowerPoint Level 1 to ensure you have the skills necessary for this one. Once you earn your certificate from that class, you can take this one-day program to learn all about Slide Master. This in-depth software lets you work with animations, produce interactive charts and tables, and much more. Like with other classes, you also get a free suite of informative videos you can watch to improve your education further.
PowerPoint Presentation Design
- Price: $325
- Length: 6 hours
- Location: NYC, live online
If you’re interested in more advanced PowerPoint skills, PowerPoint Presentation Design may work well for you. It covers key design principles for slideshows, including proper space utilization, laying your images and text out carefully, integrating in-depth typography, adding fun colors and animations, and producing more professional looks. You don’t need graphic design experience to take this course, though some PowerPoint knowledge is preferable.
PowerPoint Courses at NYC Career Centers
NYC Career Centers is a trusted training school that provides in-person courses in New York City and live, online classes around the nation. They primarily focus on tech-related fields, including programming, machine learning, graphic design, and web-based concepts. They provide multiple PowerPoint learning opportunities at reasonable prices. Finish a course, and you can earn a completion certificate and receive job coaching and placement help to make it easier to find work after you finish your in-depth and engaging training.
Microsoft PowerPoint Level I
- Price: $249
- Duration: 6 hours
- Locations: NYC, Live Online
Microsoft PowerPoint Level I teaches you the basic skills necessary for using Microsoft PowerPoint, including creating and editing slideshows. You’ll learn how to add images to each of your slides, integrate attractive charts and tables, produce interesting transition effects between each slide, add unique themes and slideshow concepts, and more. A live professor will help you better understand each point and adjust your training to suit your learning style.
PowerPoint Bootcamp
- Price: $399
- Duration: 12 hours
- Locations: NYC, Live Online
Training bootcamps are a unique experience that immerses you in specific learning concepts and helps you master a skill very quickly. NYC Career Center’s PowerPoint Bootcamp provides an intense learning opportunity that takes you from beginner-level skills up to earning an MOS PowerPoint certification. You’ll cover subjects featured on that test, including customized graphics, high-quality animations, and audio/visual integration. This information can help you master PowerPoint more quickly and become an effective slideshow presenter.
Microsoft PowerPoint Level II
- Price: $249
- Duration: 7 hours
- Locations: NYC, Live Online
After completing Microsoft PowerPoint Level I, you can progress to the Level II course. This class teaches you advanced PowerPoint lessons, including how to create dynamic presentations that look professional and engaging. You’ll also learn how to integrate customized templates, multimedia elements, animation, and attractive special effects. Upon completion, you can progress towards certification to highlight your skills and showcase your abilities in PowerPoint to potential employers, improving your chance of getting a job.
PowerPoint Courses at Training Connection
Training Connection is a popular tech-education facility that provides in-depth courses that help people like you learn various skills and boost their existing abilities. For example, you can learn about digital media, graphic design concepts, and even basic business skills, to become a better and more successful employee. Their PowerPoint classes are available in their two primary locations, Los Angeles and Chicago, and are worth considering if you live in either city.
PowerPoint Level 1 - Introduction
- Price: $350
- Duration: 1 day
- Locations: Los Angeles, Chicago
Most of Training Connection’s courses are fast-paced and immersive, meaning you learn what you need to know in one day. For example, PowerPoint Level 1 - Introduction teaches you about slide layouts, template usage, creating new slideshows from scratch, integrating charts, adding attractive visuals, and using transitions and other unique effects. Just as importantly, it helps prepare you for the more advanced class on this learning path, which teaches you more complex PowerPoint concepts, as well as popular alternative uses for PowerPoint.
PowerPoint Level 2 - Advanced
- Price: $350
- Duration: 1 day
- Locations: Los Angeles, Chicago
PowerPoint Level 2 - Advanced builds on the lessons learned in the Level 1 course to help you become even more skilled in PowerPoint. During your training, you’ll learn how to create beautiful presentations using more advanced design concepts. You’ll also practice advanced chart creation, diagram production, animation integration, and much more. By mastering these skills and earning a completion certificate, you showcase your abilities to an employer.
PowerPoint Courses at Certstaffix Training
Certstaffix Training provides effective computer and IT training and education that covers a broad range of different topics. For example, they have Microsoft Office classes, in-depth Python training, support for Excel education, Adobe-suite courses, and PowerPoint learning options. Thankfully, Certstaffix has multiple training facilities across the nation, as well as live virtual courses that you can take at home to minimize your travel time and other expenses.Here are a few PowerPoint classes that might fit well into your overall training needs.
PowerPoint - Level 1
- Price: $275
- Duration: 1 day
- Locations: Several (see school website)
PowerPoint - Level 1 is a popular training option at Certstaffix that covers the basic skills necessary to use PowerPoint successfully. For example, you’ll learn how to make effective presentations by adding and editing slides, as well as formatting text, adding images, presenting tables, and integrating charts. This one-day course is designed to transition you to the next PowerPoint class at Certstaffix to solidify your training with this powerful software.
PowerPoint - Level 2
- Price: $275
- Duration: 1 day
- Locations: Several (see school website)
PowerPoint - Level 2 takes the skills you will master in PowerPoint Level 1 and improves your proficiency even further. Subjects covered in this class include creating customized themes for your slideshows, which enhances their overall look. You’ll also master animations, transitions, images, and other important skills that take your PowerPoint presentations to the next level. Like with other training schools, you earn a certificate of completion upon finishing the class.
Key Information about Learning PowerPoint
If you’re interested in learning PowerPoint in any of these classes, it’s important to keep several points in mind. Understanding them can ensure that you get the support necessary to master PowerPoint more effectively. These include:
- Prerequisites for Learning: PowerPoint is designed to be a beginner-friendly program that most people can pick up and use right away. However, a basic understanding of computer usage is a good thing to have before you start your class. Basically, if you found this webpage and have read this far in it, you have more than enough computer knowledge to start.
- Reason for Learning: Everybody has a different reason for learning PowerPoint. Perhaps you want to make slideshows for your kid’s classes or your own higher-level education. You might even need to learn it for business-related purposes. Keep your reasons in mind when choosing courses to ensure you find the best overall option that fits your needs.
- Ease of Learning: How easily do you pick up on various subjects? Do you need time to process information and apply it in hands-on projects? Or are you someone who picks up on basic concepts quickly and can progress to more complex ones without help? It’s important to know exactly how easily you learn subjects like PowerPoint to ensure you feel comfortable with it.
- Length of Learning: Typically, most people understand PowerPoint’s basic operation in no more than 3-5 days. However, mastering this program may take a little longer. While most courses last just a few days or a week, you might need a few weeks to feel fully competent with PowerPoint. Finding classes that provide post-graduation support, like videos, is critical.
- Equipment Needed for Learning: To learn PowerPoint, you need a computer with this program. You’ll need to invest in Microsoft Office Suite either with a one-time purchase or a subscription plan. Note that you can also buy PowerPoint separately or use free, open-source alternatives. Note: those free programs often have limitations that make them less powerful to use.
- Methods Used for Learning: Are you someone who learns more effectively with in-person education or would you rather take online courses? Make sure that you carefully choose which option makes the most sense for you. If necessary, reach out to any of the schools listed here to get more information on what each of these classes has to offer you.
Career Paths & Job Outlook for PowerPoint
Multiple careers may require you to master PowerPoint or at least understand it well enough to create engaging presentations. Just a few jobs (without outlooks and salaries) that are likely to regularly use PowerPoint include:
- Business Administrators: Administrators may use PowerPoint to produce high-quality presentations about important planning details. This job makes about $99,290 per year on average and is growing at a 7% rate nationally.
- Marketing Professionals: People in advertising (especially marketing managers) may use PowerPoint presentations to highlight their unique ad campaigns. This career is growing at a 10% rate (faster than average) and pays, on average, $133,380.
- High School Teachers: As a high school teacher, you may use PowerPoint to highlight important subjects for your students. Most make an average of $61,820 per year in a career with a 5% increase by 2031.
- College Professors: In higher education, PowerPoint presentations may help professors showcase important details about their students’ assignments and work. With a 12% career increase by 2031, this career can earn you a median of $79,640.
- Business Executives: Business executives may use PowerPoint when presenting financial information, sales projections, and much more. They make about $98,800 per year, with a 6% job growth outlook by 2031.
What Can You Do With PowerPoint?
PowerPoint is a useful tool that can be used in many unique ways. For example, you can:
- Create slides that showcase important information in a sequential order
- Highlight important information in graphs, charts, and other visuals
- Share information online with others using SharePoint
- Import information directly from Excel to use in presentations
- Produce business proposals for their customers’ needs
- Control slide presentation to manage information flow
- Use the Charting tool to produce quick and effective visuals
- Embed videos, audio clips, and hyperlinks for increased interactivity
Top PowerPoint Tools For Beginners
PowerPoint also includes multiple high-quality tools that may help you produce better slideshows. These include:
- Pre-designed templates that create more professional presentations
- Easy-to-adjust slide layouts that let you use title and content slides
- Large text box areas where you can integrate information onto yours slides
- Image insertion that lets you upload graphics and pictures from your computer
- Hyperlinks you can integrate to navigate to various websites
- Animations that can make your slideshows more engaging and fun
- Slide Master, which helps you customize slides universally with a few clicks
- Transitions that make your slideshows even more fun and interesting
- Presenter View that helps you track everything more effectively
- Simple saving and exporting options that help you share your presentations
PowerPoint Comparison to Other Tools & Fields
PowerPoint is a useful tool that works well with other Microsoft products, such as Excel and Word. For example, you can write slide text in Word and import it directly to your presentation. Furthermore, you can sync an Excel spreadsheet directly to a presentation and showcase information in this way. That said, learning PowerPoint can also help you master other unique skills that could advance your career, such as:
- Learning programming languages, like HTML and CSS to make websites
- Planning business changes and financial statements using PowerPoint
- Integrating other non-Microsoft products to present even more in-depth subjects
Note that PowerPoint has many competitors, none of which stack-up to it as far as features and popularity. After all: the term “PowerPoint” has become essentially synonymous with presentations. Though there are software options that may suit some people better, PowerPoint is so heavily used that mastering it is often essential for many office-based careers.
PowerPoint Advantages
PowerPoint provides many advantages over similar tools, including:
- Great customizable templates
- Simple-to-use design tools
- High-quality graphics and animation
- Easy operation that minimizes confusion
- Ability to share information on the cloud with others
- Compatible with multiple devices and platforms
Learn more in these courses
- Microsoft PowerPoint Courses
-
Microsoft PowerPoint Level I
- Weekdays or sundays
- 6 hours
- Open to beginners
Get comfortable with PowerPoint essentials, from formatting text and visuals to delivering a presentation. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to create and edit PowerPoint files, add and adjust different types of content (photos, icons, tables, charts, shapes and more) and how to present to an audience that’s in-person or online.
-
Microsoft PowerPoint Level II
- Weekdays or sundays
- 6 hours
- Prerequisites required
Master PowerPoint’s advanced features from slide masters to custom shows in this six-hour PowerPoint course. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to create reusable slides, develop custom playlists of the same slideshow for unique audiences, and record presentations to deliver at a later time.