If Patti Lamusse is passionate about one thing, it’s teaching. If she’s passionate about two things, it’s teaching and Applied Business Technology (ABT).
Patti has been an instructor for NLC’s ABT program for seven years, but her experience in the field goes back decades. She’s done everything from being a temp for small organizations to being the office manager for a multi-million dollar company.
Now, working out of the Dawson Creek campus, she strives to prepare the next generation of office administrators, bookkeepers, accountants, and more.
“It’s totally my life’s passion,” she said. “This is what I love to do.”
ABT isn’t just typing and answering phones; it’s learning how to keep an entire office — and sometimes a whole organization — functioning as a cohesive unit. This involves great attention to detail and organizational skills.
Patti treats the classroom like it’s an office environment. Students learn the ins and outs of Word, Excel, and other software, as well as business communications and office procedures, before heading out to do a practicum at a local business.
“The feedback I get back from employers is ‘your students are job ready. They are mature, they know what to expect on the job, right? They’re mentally prepared for the workload.’ Yeah, because we do it in class,” said Patti.
“It’s totally my life’s passion. This is what I love to do.”
ABT is an ideal program for those that like to solve problems for others, enjoying working on a computer, and want to have regular hours—it makes it an ideal career path for parents with kids since they usually work while the kids are in school and can be home with them afterwards.
One thing Patti would say to anyone considering about taking ABT? If you like the idea of problem solving for other people, then this might be a good fit for you.
Also? Don’t worry about the math.
“If you’re afraid of the math, don’t worry about it. The math we do is minimal,” she said.
She recently learned that one of her students impressed their practicum employer so much that they’re going to sponsor her to get her full Certified Professional Accountant designation.
“That’s my inspiration,” Patti said. “If you wanna know what my passion is, it’s really their success.”
To learn more about Applied Business Technology, visit the program page.