All posts by Lori Kelley

The Fall 2023 Bull’s Eye Award Winners

College of Business, Featured

Congratulations to the SPC Capstone Fall 2023 semester’s Bull’s Eye Award winners!

Dash Co. members won their industry and tied for the top number of Bull’s Eye awards. They also earned the most badges (micro-credentials) in the course to win $1,000.

Industry partner Universal Financial Consultants (UFC) sponsors this award each semester for the College of Business Strategic Capstone Project. 

UFC is a long-time industry partner offering this award as the skills students build and demonstrate to earn the Bull’s Eye Award align with the same skills that their organization relies on to grow and succeed. They also host an Open House for all capstone students where this check is presented, and UFC career opportunities are explored.

The award represents the pinnacle of student engagement and proficiency in applying business concepts. Awarded to the most adept teams in the Capstone Business Strategy Game, it benchmarks success in a way that resonates beyond the classroom, directly into the heart of industry standards.

At SPC, the Bull’s Eye Award is a symbol of our commitment to excellence and the practical preparedness of our students. It reflects the real-world value of our business education, positioning our graduates a step ahead in the professional realm.

Thinking about becoming a Project Manager?

College of Business, Featured
Picture of a person with multiple arms multitasking.

You are the one everyone relies on to keep the team on track. You seem to know the best way to keep each project on the rails. You keep at the forefront the impact a successful outcome would have on your business. You feel it: you are a Project Manager. However, you don’t have the credentials to validate that. To even take the PMI PMP test you need either a bachelor’s degree and three years of experience or project management education and five years of experience. So how do you even begin?

St. Petersburg College has the way. SPC’s College of Business’s Project Management Certificate Program has what you need to gain the foundational skills required of project managers. You will learn the principles and practices of high-quality management in addition to learning how to minimize conflict and encourage the openness that leads to strong working relationships.

Benefits of a Project Management Certificate

The benefits of a Project Management Certificate are clear:

  1. Lucrative salary: Once you have the skills and the certification to back it up, you can expect a higher salary that reflects your expertise.
  2. Versatile, in-demand skill set: Project management skills are transferable across industries. You’ll be able to choose to work in IT, marketing, healthcare, tourism, and more!
  3. Career advancement: Whether you stay with the company you’re already with or choose to move on and up, many organizations are looking for certified professionals to lead their projects. Having this SPC certificate can help you get on the fast track to bigger and better opportunities.
  4. Global opportunities: Whether you want to stay home or go abroad, project managers are in demand worldwide. You’ll get to choose where you want to land.

Not only does St. Petersburg College have the flexible online and face-to-face options that suit your busy life, but as an SPC student, you’ll also gain access to crucial networking events and job placement assistance services to help you find job opportunities, prepare for job interviews, and polish your resume to make you a standout candidate in the competitive job market.

At SPC, you can obtain your Project Management Certificate either after you have your bachelor’s degree or take the classes right along with your upper division courses, so you’ll have both upon graduating. Either way, your future as a Project Manager starts here!

Become a Business Analyst Specialist

Woman working on a laptop in a server room.
College of Business, Featured

The College of Business at St. Petersburg College is one of the most convenient and affordable options for higher education in Florida, especially if you’re someone who loves technology and business. At SPC, you can learn to be great at interpreting data, evaluating business processes, and finding ways to present recommendations for improvements. You can become the ideal Business Analyst candidate!

SPC’s eight-week sessions allow you to finish credits faster than having to attend a traditional semester of 16 weeks. Our online options also ensure that you’ll still have time for your family and/or friends while working toward your professional goals.

Even if you’re not confident in those skills yet, we can teach you! The courses you will take to obtain the Advanced Technical Certificate in Business Analysis will prepare you for a new role. Your role as a Business Analyst is to make it easier for everyone to grasp the stories data tells, manage large projects keeping businesses on track, and learn how to ease companies into those tough changes that are sometimes resisted by those who need process change the most.

You’re going to get older anyway. You may as well get there with a certificate in hand that will keep you moving your career the way you want it to go. Whether you are looking for a nice salaried position here in town, a job with a multinational corporation that will set you traveling the globe, or you want to be a freelance consultant, St. Petersburg College’s Business Analyst Specialist Advanced Technical Certificate can help you get there!

Commercial Real Estate Course to Launch at SPC

College of Business, Featured
Commercial real estate skyscraper under a clear blue sky.

St. Petersburg College’s (SPC) Workforce, Community & Corporate Partnerships team and the SPC College of Business are partnering up to bring a Pathway to Commercial Real Estate course to the college next year, capitalizing on the continued growth of commercial real estate in Florida.

A career in commercial real estate can be an exciting one filled with extensive travel and entrepreneurial opportunities in addition to high-wage earnings.

SPC’s eight-week course will be held in person at the college’s Downtown Center in St. Pete beginning in early 2024, and it will cover how to get involved in commercial real estate, building and construction, and opportunities available within the real estate industry.

The cost of the course will be $149, and internships worth $2,500 each will be presented to the top ten participants in the class.

The course examines various pathways to commercial real estate and its development. It is designed for students interested in new or existing commercial real estate ventures. Further, those who require more subject matter knowledge on commercial buildings, their procurement, purchase, and management.

The Sunshine State epitomizes the resilience of the American economy, as it recovered better than most states since the crash in 2007, and it will stand to tackle this current economic turbulence in 2020. Here are some economic highlights and lifestyle factors that make Florida’s commercial real estate market one of the best places to invest not only in the United States but in the world.

  1. Growing Economy
  2. Best States for Business
  3. Tax-Friendly State
  4. Low Unemployment Rate
  5. Population Growth
  6. Positive Vacancy Rates
  7. Foreign Investment in CRE Market
  8. Quality of Life
  9. Still a Bargain
  10. Global Ranking
  11. Infrastructure & Connectivity

Anyone interested in additional details about the new course should register online for an upcoming virtual information session. It will be held on Nov. 15, 2023, from 6:30–7:30 p.m.

To learn more about the degree and certificate programs offered through the SPC College of Business, please visit www.spcollege.edu/business. For additional information on Workforce, Community & Corporate Partnerships at SPC, please visit www.spcollege.edu/workforce.