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Christine Ross
Project Control Analyst, Science Applications International Corporation
Microsoft Office Specialist
When asked if Microsoft® Office Specialist certification changed her career, Christine Ross responds with an enthusiastic "Yes!" Certification proved to be the tool needed to move her from an administrative assistant to the program position she enjoys today.
Ross worked with computers from an early age and enjoyed several administrative jobs that required her to be familiar with the entire Microsoft Office Suite. She came to a point in her career where she wanted to find a new position that would continue to challenge her and provide opportunities for promotions. About this time, a friend told her about Microsoft Office certification and encouraged her to become certified. Ross was interested in pursuing the certification for her own personal satisfaction, but was doubtful that certification could make a difference in her career.
When Ross' manager, Al Spratley, a Vice President at SAIC, learned of her goal to become certified, he approved funds through the SAIC tuition reimbursement program to pay for her training and certification. Ross received a one-year membership for training and certification at a local computer training center. While preparing for the exams, she found that despite all her experience with computers she was unaware of the full capabilities Office programs offered.
Spratley knows that investing in employee training and certification yields a high return for the company. In his words, "It costs us man hours and dollars if someone doesn't know what they're doing. We need employees who can fully use the Microsoft Office tools so we can finish our work faster and more efficiently, while increasing our profit."
Ross successfully passed the Word Expert and PowerPoint 2000 exams and proved that the investment was, indeed, well placed. Certification validated the potential Spratley knew Ross possessed, and moved her to a position in a newly created Project Control Department as a Project Control Analyst. Ross loves her position and continues to make substantial contributions to her company by organizing a "Lunch and Learn" program to share computer skills and other development activities. She also recently used her computer skills to help develop a proposal that won SAIC a multi-million dollar government contract.
Ross continues to update her skills and will soon complete Master level certification. What keeps her driven to continue learning? She explains, "I love to help others improve their job performance by making them aware of the functions available at their fingertips."
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