If you want to move up from your job as a secretary and pursue a career as an office manager, you'll no doubt need some training and education in the field. There are a number of schools that provide the education you'll need. But how do you pick the right school? Here are some guidelines that will help you:
Courses that match your career. Do the classes offered by the school provide the technical proficiency and knowledge you'll need to make you truly productive in today's in-demand office technologies? Will you be exposed to the different roles that today's administrative managers will find themselves in?
Equipment and resources. Does the school offer the services, facilities, and equipment you'll need to efficiently learn what office managers must know to succeed? Check out the computer systems, library facilities, audio/visual tools—all can help speed learning and help you "hit the ground running" when you do find work.
Tuition/Financial Aid. Compare tuition for what you're getting from the school and its faculty. Will the school help you get financial aid?
Job Hunting. Will the school help you find a job? Some schools have a long list of alumni that are eager to hire recent grads. Ask about this before enrolling.
Class size. Ask about student-teacher ratios. Check computer lab time. Is there enough time to really get comfortable with the computer and today's oft-used programs?
Graduate track record. What percentage of students graduate? And how many have found work in their field?
For an additional perspective, check out this video:
Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.
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