Exploring a Career as a General Office Assistant

Every organization needs the support of an administrative staff to fulfill its day to day responsibilities and to attain organizational goals. Executive support staff is very crucial for every organization. A general office assistant is a critical position for almost any employer. A general office assistant is responsible for the smooth running of his office, and is often charged with a great deal of responsibility and decision making authority.

With the growing demand for skilled executive assistants in both large and small organizations, general office administration has emerged as promising career opportunity. With long term experience and expertise in general office administration, candidates can be promoted to key positions in top level management with excellent salaries. Nowadays, employers seek for administrative assistants who have acquired education and training in general administration. Many institutes have established curriculum and courses to teach administrative assistant skills to candidates wishing to make a career in general office assistance.

Certificate Programs in Administrative Assistance

In order to pursue a successful career in the field of office administration, you can attend a vocational college and pursue a 1-year certificate program to learn administrative assistant skills. Certificate programs are designed to provide the knowledge and skills you need to land a clerical position in a modern office environment. An applicant is required to have a high school diploma or equivalent before applying to any accredited school. The program covers essential office administration skills such as advanced word processing, desktop publishing, general accounting, interpersonal skills and other Microsoft Office applications.

Associate's Degree in Office Administration

An associate's degree in office administration provides basic as well as advanced knowledge and training in the field. Students gain office administration skills such as computer programming, office management and communication. Some associate's degree programs also provide basic knowledge of accounting, taxation and business law.

Specialized Administrative Assistant

If you want to become a specialized administrative assistant in a particular office setting such as legal firm or health care clinic, you might need additional training to learn legal and medical terminologies. Possible careers with specialized office administration skills include medical administrative assistant, claims examiner, legal assistant, library technical assistant and so forth.

In order to enhance your career opportunities in the field of office administration, you can get certification by passing an exam conducted by International Association of Administrative Professionals. In order to obtain a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) credential, an applicant should have 2-4 years of experience and must pass a 3-part examination in general office administration. The office administration courses offered by most of the vocational institutes prepare candidates to pass such an exam to become certified. With the growing demand for skilled administrative assistants, a career as general office assistant can offer significant income, personal growth, knowledge and valuable experience.