Become An Administrative Assistant With An Associates Degree

Times have changed since the Women's Rights Movement. Previously, women in business were mainly secretaries for men. The secretarial position, while honorable, was a low position with a low salary. Now secretarial work has been replaced with Administrative work, and both the compensation and position have changed greatly.

Today, both men and women work in Administrative Assistant positions. While in the past, secretarial jobs were mostly involved with creating correspondence or transcription duties, today people who serve as Administrative Assistants work in more of a managerial capacity. Their duties do not merely involving typing or taking transcription. Instead, they may find themselves in a position of power managing other people.

It is common for an Administrative Assistant to also be in the position of an office manager. They may delegate duties and responsibilities to other Administrative staff. They frequently carry out the wishes of the executive staff, and may even help the executive staff make decisions by giving them important information on office policies and procedures.

In the position of an Administrative Assistant, a wide range of skills and knowledge is necessary. Fastidious and polite customer service skills are essential. Assistants will also be required to understand a great deal of computer software, such as data entry, word processing, email, and desktop publishing. Skills in the use of spreadsheets are also essential. Administrative Assistants may even be required to know how to run and maintain an entire network, especially within the realm of a smaller company that doesn't have an IT budget. Depending on the company and the level of the position, some Administrative Assistants may be expected to have accounting and marketing experience, as well.

While many people may be interested in becoming Administrative Assistants, it's not so easy to just go out and get a job as one. Most companies require that you have a level of skill and education before they will consider you for the position. While some vocational schools may offer a short course in the basics of the Administrative Assistant position, many students are choosing Administrative Assistant Associates Degrees.

Community colleges and online schools typically offer two-year degree programs for students pursuing an Administrative Assistant career. The course work that is required ranges from general education classes, which include English and math, to other more specific course work tailored to business. Full time students can expect to complete their course work in about two years, while part-time students may take up to three years to complete the program.

There are several different types of Administrative Assistant degree programs to choose from. Some students may choose to take a general program that focuses on typical business knowledge that is used in most businesses. However, other students may choose to complete an Administrative Assistant degree program with a specialty base of knowledge for specific fields of business. Two good examples of specialty fields include law and medicine. Both fields have very specific terminology and business practices that other mainstream businesses do not. If a student chooses a program that focuses on medicine, he or she will be a Medical Administrative Assistant. In addition to the business courses required for the Associates, a medical specialty requires classes specific to completing Administrative tasks in a medical setting.

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