Tips for Entry Level Admin

[Leigh 87]

I am doing admin online and I went out and secured my own work placement. Which wasn't included in the online course......

 

I think admin and reception are great options for college students.. With a mere certificate and work experience, it isnt too hard to get a job and it is nicer than fast food and waiting tables.

 

I have tried out a few things since personal training and admin work is definitely my best bet during college.with experience receptionist earn 40 to 50 K. A great back up career if podiatry suddenly becomes.... Low paid and over saturated.

 

I volunteer with children and frail aged as I enjoy working with these pipe however, when I went to try and look after young children as a job I hated it. When I tried an aged care course I found that I'd rather wait tables than clean faeces all day. Even though I enjoy volunteering with the young and elderly, I didn't end up enjoying the jobs.

 

I definately think admin and reception is a good way to go for college students.

 

I know a few people who enjoy aged care and child care.. I have not yet met a waitress who actually enjoys serving food.

 

 

 

I can finish the business admin certificate within two months.

 

I start my work experience such is basically being a receptionist without being paid.

 

It will be so worth it if I get a job in admin or as a receptionist during college.

[Leigh 87]

Dunno Leigh,

 

I graduated at 22. I coasted into university with my last remaining clean T shirt. Spent 2 years avoiding lectures but attended seminars. Smoked quite a bit. Had quite a laugh. 3rd year put my head down, washed some clothes, took vitamins etc....

 

It is merely a discipline to show any employer that you can stick at something. I was never training to be a judge or doctor or any job where i really really had to know what i was doing.

 

I worked in a office for 3 hours and left. Not my thing. Although i did aquire a years emblazoned stationary. (The shame)

 

Good luck.

 

 

I was a personal trainer and fitness instructor for longer than my friends degree was? so....i have demonstrated that I stick to things I enjoy.

 

I don't believe her social science degree puts her ahead of me for jobs that aren't social science related or require a degree.

 

A few years experience in a job like personal training where it is well known that you have to generate your own business with no set pay guaranteed, is normally ranked the same as having a degree in social science for the jobs that don't advertise that they require a degree.

 

I am opting to start a degree soon that's a very specific degree. I cannot just do something else if it doesn't work out. Social science grads tend to end up in banks or other organisations that don't relate to their degree.

 

If I dont find work as a podiatrist I want admin and reception work to fall back on. As there isn't any other area that I do not hate.

[Leigh 87]

How are you doing online cert courses without a computer?

 

How long will it take you to finish the cert 3 in admin that you are doing?

 

It is self paced online.

 

No work experience is included since it is government funded.

 

I have managed to secure work experience by asking.

 

My Christmas I sincerely hope I have the cert three in business admin and experience from my 15 hours a week unpaid receptionist job.

 

Sadly you have to get experience before most people will employ you. No experience = you have to work for free for a good month minimum before anyone will think of hiring you.

[Haydn]

I agree that people can be just as successful without a degree. Many a cunning business mind out there to prove that. But those people who make big big money do tend to stand out in their business.

 

However if you or i are applying for jobs, having a degree is always an advantage. Not always but often.

 

So i do think you are making the wisest choice by opting to study.

[todreaminblue]

I am doing admin online and I went out and secured my own work placement. Which wasn't included in the online course......

 

I think admin and reception are great options for college students.. With a mere certificate and work experience, it isnt too hard to get a job and it is nicer than fast food and waiting tables.

 

I have tried out a few things since personal training and admin work is definitely my best bet during college.with experience receptionist earn 40 to 50 K. A great back up career if podiatry suddenly becomes.... Low paid and over saturated.

 

I volunteer with children and frail aged as I enjoy working with these pipe however, when I went to try and look after young children as a job I hated it. When I tried an aged care course I found that I'd rather wait tables than clean faeces all day. Even though I enjoy volunteering with the young and elderly, I didn't end up enjoying the jobs.

 

I definately think admin and reception is a good way to go for college students.

 

I know a few people who enjoy aged care and child care.. I have not yet met a waitress who actually enjoys serving food.

 

 

 

I can finish the business admin certificate within two months.

 

I start my work experience such is basically being a receptionist without being paid.

 

It will be so worth it if I get a job in admin or as a receptionist during college.

 

I have not yet met a waitress who actually enjoys serving food.

 

I have met many leigh........wait staff that really enjoy their job....these jobs are not lesser jobs......they are often physically hard long hours...and wait staff and food service people get little recognition for what they do ....yeah you dont need a degree, my mum ran her own business for many years..my mum is actually an accountant .......and then went and worked in a takeaway shop serving food.....she loved it......my daughter has been hounding the cafe down the road for work experience as a barista.....

 

a degree doesnt make you a happier or better person.....some people are happy serving food, you werent happy selling food which is fine....thats you ....but there are many who are happy.....wait staff check out chicks....dont get the recognition they should..they are not lesser jobs they are actually important jobs......deb

[anne1707]

Well I suppose social science doesn't really contribute much to life really.

 

Apart from provision of education, health care, housing, crime policy, traffic management, immigration, media, tackling discrimination, right to vote, public libraries, emergency services,......

 

 

If you only did 6 months Leigh than you had barely started the degree. You are quick to react when you think people are undermining you. Have you any idea how often you post things which are rude and undermine posters who are trying to help you?

[amaysngrace]

some people are happy serving food, you werent happy selling food which is fine....thats you ....but there are many who are happy.....wait staff check out chicks....dont get the recognition they should..they are not lesser jobs they are actually important jobs......deb

 

Every job is an important job to the person who has it. Or should be since it pays their bills.

[sweetjasmine]

Degrees like engineering, pharmacy or law are academically challenging. Social science is not.

 

Having done a humanities degree and being in the process of doing a science degree, I can tell you that different fields are challenging in different ways. The way you keep talking about this is really insulting.

 

I was proud of my friend for graduating. I am not knocking her at all.

 

Actually, you are. You've pointed out over and over again how much smarter and more academic you are and how easy her degree was.

 

You have a tendency to make whatever you're interested in into the best thing that ever existed and everything else that you've not chosen into stupid, useless, or generally a waste of time. And as your focus shifts, so do your opinions of the fields you once thought were the absolute perfect fit. Convincing yourself that a certain field is perfect and better than everything else in the history of forever, every time you pick something new, isn't helping you at all. You'd be better off slowing down and being honest about what you can REALISTICALLY do to get to where you want to go instead of thinking about how 5 years from now, you'll do this or that or the other thing and totally love every minute of it. I think you would really benefit from having a counselor to talk to so you can work through all the thoughts going through your head and so you can deal with the uncertainty of starting on a new path constructively.

[amaysngrace]

What was your score? I guess since you are clearly trying to allude that you think I'm stupid, I a guessing you got in the high 90s?

 

I don't appreciate you alluding to me being non academic and not intelligent.

 

In 2010 I proved that I am not academically dumb or below average and my marks deserve credit and respect, not ridicule.

 

Leigh, I enrolled in a program a while ago for administrative assistant specifically. I completed it with the highest mark possible or, in other words, perfectly. I sat for a civil service test and tested better than anyone in my county and had the third highest score in my state, which actually means I outscored many who held the top spot in their own counties.

 

None of that really matters though if I were to lack the ability to proofread.

 

Attention to detail is critical. An employer will expect all correspondence to reflect well on them.

 

Failing to proofread doesn't make you unintelligent but it does show something about your attention to detail, and I don't know of many employers who would be able to overlook that.

 

You want to do the job to the best of your ability, don't you?

 

Slow down and read it again, it's a good habit to have.

[MidwestUSA]

 

Attention to detail is critical. An employer will expect all correspondence to reflect well on them.

 

Failing to proofread doesn't make you unintelligent but it does show something about your attention to detail, and I don't know of many employers who would be able to overlook that.

 

 

Good point. Attention to detail, accuracy, and conciseness. I would say those are at the top for ANY profession. But particular social services, where you will be summarizing cases and presenting evidence, and anything medical, where it's crucial to get to the heart of the matter and be specific, in a manner that anyone else in the field can skim and get right to the meat.

 

 

Both of those fields have the potential to be involved in future scrutiny or even litigation. In nursing, we say 'if it's not charted, it didn't happen'. Furthermore, the only way to get thru a days work is to be quick (in thought and actions), concise, and to the point. We're all reporting to someone higher up, including the regulating board. Sloppiness doesn't fly. When I'm on the defending end of a malpractice case, the marks I made to get into college don't matter one bit, nor does my high school ranking. Sadly.

[ufo8mycat]

Personally I think there is very little relationship between university entrance score and general "success in life". I got quite a low entry score, under Leigh's rules I wouldn't have been allowed to enter university, but I did. Sandstone one too. Did OK, P's make degrees but I didn't develop any capacity for critical thought until I was in my early 20's then study got a lot easier.

 

I employed a guy once who had an ATAR of 99, HD average in his finance degree but simply lacked common sense. He was inflexible and impossible to work with. Clever? I am sure of it but he didn't get things.

 

I have also employed people without a degree and they ended up working their way to senior roles in charge of teams quite quickly because they were good communications, good with people and just snappy in the way they worked and picked up things.

 

This relationship between academics and intelligence seems to be really important to you leigh but I wonder if you are just assigning a degree of prestige or status to something that doesn't really warrant it. Outside of high school and first year uni no one cares about your ATAR.

[Leigh 87]

I use my recent ATAR as a proof that I am not STUPID, which I believe a lot of you are calling me.

 

It also shows that I am capable of working hard towards achieving something if I put my mind to it.

 

I did advanced English and HATED IT. It was like watching paint dry. Yet, all I did was study it daily because I wanted to get into a good degree and I was NOT going to accept anything less than a 90 ATAR.

 

People are telling me that I cannot proof read and that I have terrible grammar. Hang on. I actually speak in a way that would be on par with the way the average Australian speaks/types. I am certainly not BELOW average.

 

I tell you, if I was below average in English why the heck would they award me a high distinction in it? When I hated English as a subject to be studied?

 

People who are fundamentally INEPT do NOT get high distinctions!

 

I bring up my score to highlight that I am not below average the way people have claimed me to be.

[Leigh 87]

Leigh, I enrolled in a program a while ago for administrative assistant specifically. I completed it with the highest mark possible or, in other words, perfectly. I sat for a civil service test and tested better than anyone in my county and had the third highest score in my state, which actually means I outscored many who held the top spot in their own counties.

 

None of that really matters though if I were to lack the ability to proofread.

 

Attention to detail is critical. An employer will expect all correspondence to reflect well on them.

 

Failing to proofread doesn't make you unintelligent but it does show something about your attention to detail, and I don't know of many employers who would be able to overlook that.

 

You want to do the job to the best of your ability, don't you?

 

Slow down and read it again, it's a good habit to have.

 

You said that I was below average at spelling and grammar. You ASSUMED that he was in which I type here, is obviously on par with the way I type elsewhere.

 

It is highly insulting that you feel that the institution I did my tests with, would give someone who was "BAD" at English, high distinctions in it?

 

I DO NOT appreciate you telling me that I am just flat out atrocious at English when I am very clearly NOT a degenerate illiterate. I DO NOT appreciate being put in the same basket.

[Leigh 87]

Personally I think there is very little relationship between university entrance score and general "success in life". I got quite a low entry score, under Leigh's rules I wouldn't have been allowed to enter university, but I did. Sandstone one too. Did OK, P's make degrees but I didn't develop any capacity for critical thought until I was in my early 20's then study got a lot easier.

 

I employed a guy once who had an ATAR of 99, HD average in his finance degree but simply lacked common sense. He was inflexible and impossible to work with. Clever? I am sure of it but he didn't get things.

 

I have also employed people without a degree and they ended up working their way to senior roles in charge of teams quite quickly because they were good communications, good with people and just snappy in the way they worked and picked up things.

 

This relationship between academics and intelligence seems to be really important to you leigh but I wonder if you are just assigning a degree of prestige or status to something that doesn't really warrant it. Outside of high school and first year uni no one cares about your ATAR.

 

 

 

hmmmmmm. I believe I am more academic than my friend. I have the ability to study harder and retain the information better. I am very hardcore when I put my mind towards something.

 

My entire family have very high intellects and are doctors, financers, and just all very bright people. They went to the best schools and one of them studied to hard he won prizes, speaks another language fluently, AND is nearly a doctor. Got 99.9 in HSC.

 

Moreover, I partially grew up in Hong Kong when I was 8 - 11, and let me tell you, I picked up some very Asian/full on study habits. Asians in my opinion have a superior mode of study; they actually STUDY.. ALL the time.... It is inspirational.

 

I am just very proud of, when I find something I am driven by, my ability to commit 120% and study constantly. I have methods to break up study so I stay sane and still enjoy my life.

 

 

 

She is better than me at academic writing. An area I despise, having to reference every sentence. Math, science, and problem solving is 100% more interesting to me than spending 2 hours referencing an essay that you have already written, or throughout the writing process.

[Leigh 87]

Having done a humanities degree and being in the process of doing a science degree, I can tell you that different fields are challenging in different ways. The way you keep talking about this is really insulting.

 

 

 

Actually, you are. You've pointed out over and over again how much smarter and more academic you are and how easy her degree was.

 

I am stating that I don't think she is any smarter than me. I was very proud when she graduated and brought her a nice present. I was thrilled for her, but I am not going to admit that she is " so far ahead of me" when I have already worked for years in the past and been very good at a job that is frankly, HARD to be good at. More than half of personal trainers do not last more than a month, they cannot generate any client base.

 

I think my friend is a highly desirable, pleasant person and she will definitely earn a crapload and go very very far, she is truly a person who has it all going for her!

 

She is also a nice friend, funny, ambitious and driven. She is the sort of person I WANT in my life.

 

She is not, however, any smarter than me or any "better than me" in terms of her achievements. I have overcome and achieved a lot in my life and don't appreciate people assuming that her degree makes her more successful than me.

 

When I was very young, a teenager, I did swimwear modelling and personal training from year 11 onwards. I made an absolute mint and had to not eat for two days before a shoot. I would often faint and be yelled at. I still stuck it out, was professional even though I thought everyone in the industry were awful..... I sent myself for my first overseas trip. Then I fell ill at about 20 and my life stopped temporarily.

 

I just don't see why her having a "degree" means that she has accomplished MORE than me, when I have worked before! For linger than she took to do her degree! And was GOOD at the job!

 

You have a tendency to make whatever you're interested in into the best thing that ever existed and everything else that you've not chosen into stupid, useless, or generally a waste of time. And as your focus shifts, so do your opinions of the fields you once thought were the absolute perfect fit. Convincing yourself that a certain field is perfect and better than everything else in the history of forever, every time you pick something new, isn't helping you at all. You'd be better off slowing down and being honest about what you can REALISTICALLY do to get to where you want to go instead of thinking about how 5 years from now, you'll do this or that or the other thing and totally love every minute of it. I think you would really benefit from having a counselor to talk to so you can work through all the thoughts going through your head and so you can deal with the uncertainty of starting on a new path constructively.

 

 

 

Because I have always been so interested and enjoyed anything math/science and medical/biomedical.

 

TO ME it is riveting, albeit I have not done math in ages it is what once interested me the most in school along with science and the like.

 

I don't need help, I know who I am enough to KNOW the area sI am interested in.

 

I know with 100% certainty I hate humanities and essay driven degrees and am much more suited to science/medical/allied health style degrees.

 

 

 

Nothing else to figure out regarding the degrees in which I am the most interested in naturally ^^^

 

 

 

 

And I have TRIED all the menial jobs out there, literally tried them all after personal training fell through due to falling ill and using up all my savings and not being able to afford to get back into a gym to train people.

 

Admin is the only thing I don't totally hate, as I enjoy typing, answering phone calls ( which I did in my retail and training jobs), and I just don't hate it the way I do serving food, retail, or looking after stupid kids.

 

So yeah, doing podiatry whilst working in admin is surely the best path for me.

 

Serving fast food, working in retail or looking after kids, whilst I do a NON science/math or medical degree, IS NOT best for me.

 

I am not sure how more clear I can be!

 

I always intended on going to college, but in the meanwhile I have been trying to figure out what job to do DURING college as it is important that I work during my studies.

 

I have tried a lot of different courses and I believe entry level admin is the best fit for me during my studies.

[Leigh 87]

Well I suppose social science doesn't really contribute much to life really.

 

Apart from provision of education, health care, housing, crime policy, traffic management, immigration, media, tackling discrimination, right to vote, public libraries, emergency services,......

 

 

If you only did 6 months Leigh than you had barely started the degree. You are quick to react when you think people are undermining you. Have you any idea how often you post things which are rude and undermine posters who are trying to help you?

 

 

 

 

Um when did I knock social science? I said the DEGREE was easy. To me. And boring.

 

I never said it didn't create important jobs.

 

I highly respect case workers and social workers, for instance.

 

My mum is a long time teacher.

 

What are you talking about? I simply said the degree was not as hard as engineering.

[todreaminblue]

I use my recent ATAR as a proof that I am not STUPID, which I believe a lot of you are calling me.

 

It also shows that I am capable of working hard towards achieving something if I put my mind to it.

 

I did advanced English and HATED IT. It was like watching paint dry. Yet, all I did was study it daily because I wanted to get into a good degree and I was NOT going to accept anything less than a 90 ATAR.

 

People are telling me that I cannot proof read and that I have terrible grammar. Hang on. I actually speak in a way that would be on par with the way the average Australian speaks/types. I am certainly not BELOW average.

 

I tell you, if I was below average in English why the heck would they award me a high distinction in it? When I hated English as a subject to be studied?

 

People who are fundamentally INEPT do NOT get high distinctions!

 

I bring up my score to highlight that I am not below average the way people have claimed me to be.

 

Leigh i don't feel anyone has questioned your intellect at all...i think they question your rationale and logic.......

 

 

you have ridiculed other professions and considered them beneath you however......i know this is a defense mechanism of yours to state your capabilities.......... but its almost like bragging leigh...ok it is bragging.....i am guilty of this myself.....you feel you have to defend yourself and it comes across badly to some.....you want to hear only good things and don't want to deal with the negative......again....i like to look on the brighter side of life too...but when you ask for advice you get two sides normally...the good and the not so good....and i tend to believe its better to be informed than not...areas that might help you grow some more......

 

as far as going with grammar and spelling punctuation and the like....i am the worst on the board and the truth is i never use spell check.... i correct my posts myself and ill use dictionary.com if i use a word i dont understand after i have used it...weird huh.....and i go wow learn something new every day.....i dont even know i know the word and i use it correctly.....spins me out a bit...anyway...the fact is they dont tend to pick on me anymore about my ellipses and poor grammatical context.....because i really dont hold myself above others.......new posters might have a crack at me....i could make my posts letter perfect..it would take me a while.....because i type like a dyslexic and sometimes i dont even recognise the word i have typed.........i dont.....and i think it is quite possible that you could make your posts correct if you wanted too.....it would take time....

 

 

i think what they are saying is that to be in admin this is something that will matter it si quite important....but no one...and i repeat no one has actually questioned your intelligence...your inability to see what they have said is true and your rationale(ok looking up rationale dictionary.com) yep rationale is the right word......deb

[ufo8mycat]

I think what people are saying is ease up with the comparisons - to your friend and of yourself to others. It doesn't add any value.

 

You may believe you are more academic than your friend but the reality is that employers don't care what you believe. They care about what you do. What evidence is there to back these beliefs up. You say you are ambitions a driven but these are verbs - how have you shown your ambition or your drive since finishing your HSC. That's the evidence that employers look for.

 

It is the difference between fact and opinion. You believe that you are more academic (and may well be, we will find out in 2015) but the reality is your friend has a degree. Thats the fact. So move away from the comparisons they are apples and oranges and simply don't serve you in any way.

 

Also this association between score and intelligence. There is more than one type of intelligence. For medicine you can have low ATAR (as low as 90 - gasp!) as you have interviews as well. Good ATARs don't make good doctors. Good analysts and communicators do and you can't tell that from a score.

 

I wouldn't despite the referencing too much - there is as much of it in science as there is in the humanities. So podiatry will still have PLENTY of academic writing. All err... academic degrees do

[amaysngrace]

You said that I was below average at spelling and grammar. You ASSUMED that he was in which I type here, is obviously on par with the way I type elsewhere.

 

It is highly insulting that you feel that the institution I did my tests with, would give someone who was "BAD" at English, high distinctions in it?

 

 

I never said anything about any institution you attended Leigh or said anything about your improper spelling or being below average in that area. I am beginning to think you either hear voices or simply make things up.

 

Either way you really should learn to slow down and re-read. It would benefit you a great deal once you gain employment.

[CarrieT]

You said that I was below average at spelling and grammar. You ASSUMED that he was in which I type here, is obviously on par with the way I type elsewhere.

It is because *most* people use the same spelling and grammar on every platform they utilize.

 

It makes little sense to use proper grammar and spelling one place and then deliberately dumb-down elsewhere.

 

It is not an assumption that the way you communicate here would be how you would type elsewhere: It is a logical progression of thought.

[todreaminblue]

Admin is the only thing I don't totally hate, as I enjoy typing, answering phone calls ( which I did in my retail and training jobs), and I just don't hate it the way I do serving food, retail, or looking after stupid kids.

 

 

Leigh, kids aren't stupid......i understand that you in particular don't like working with them.....but kids are your future, my future, everyone's future leigh...when you are old and grey and needing someone to look after you those are the kids that will be doing it...the government and every doctor starts as a child....who needs nurturing and understanding and learning to fulfill their capabilities and be the best they can be.....teaching and looking after children is one of the most important responsibilities anyone can have to make a difference to the world ...its all little ripples leigh......and those little ripples aka kids....are the ones that make the pond an eternal one that hopefully has a brighter more compassionate future to look forward to, than now...........

 

i think you should just do what you want to do leigh to be happy.....do that....if you dont want to take advice into consideration don't, take what is useful.....deb

[Leigh 87]

It is because *most* people use the same spelling and grammar on every platform they utilize.

 

It makes little sense to use proper grammar and spelling one place and then deliberately dumb-down elsewhere.

 

It is not an assumption that the way you communicate here would be how you would type elsewhere: It is a logical progression of thought.

 

Then how does a bellow average person score a high distinction in English?

[Leigh 87]

Sorry but I don't believe It am atrocious at spelling and grammar across the board.

 

I got straight hds in social science when I did it so I don't believe that because I'm " atrocious " when I'm typing on my smart phone, that I am bad in all facets of my life when it comes to grammar.

[sweetjasmine]

I am not sure how more clear I can be!

 

Look, if you want to understand where other people's reactions are coming from, go back and read some of your threads from the past year.

 

You're now referring to what you did before as looking after "stupid kids," whereas not too long ago, you were going on about how much you loved working with children and how much you thought you were going to enjoy doing it while studying.

 

Complete 180 from just a few weeks ago. That's exactly why I think you'd benefit from having someone who you can run your ideas by, face-to-face, in real time, so that you stop this prevaricating and start focusing instead of already counting all the money you'll have in the bank 4 years from now. You're on step 8 and planning your move from 496 to 497 instead of making sure you don't trip on your way to step 9. It's not helping you.

 

Since you insist you don't need any help, that's the last I'll say on the subject. I hope you get to where you want to go no matter what you decide to do.

[Kizmet Fisher]

No offence but you would have to really screw up academically to get 60.

 

Meaning you would have done terribly at the exams. To get into uni, you can redo the HSC. It takes six months.

 

Time management and poor study habits are why many students do badly. I consider 70 and bellow to be bad. Plenty of very smart people do badly in the HSC which sucks but I do believe they should have to re do it and get at least 72 or thereabouts to get into college.

 

I just don't find 60 out of 100 acceptable when it used to be only the top 15 % used to be alloud in to uni.

 

Yes my spelling and grammar are not the best when I type from a smart phone, but I am the one who was able to study effectively and do well.

 

 

It is offensive though, and my final exit grade (we don't actually use ATAR in QLD) is not even slightly reflective of my abilities. Which is actually the case with most people I know.

 

I got somewhere in the late 60's because I only did about half of my assignments, and stopped studying completely.

 

Even with my low score, I got straight into University and completed a double degree in psychology and biology. Then I got into honours for psychology because I had a really high GPA. Finally, last year I got accepted into a clinical doctoral programme for psychology at one of the best universities in Australia. It is one of the most competetive postgraduate courses to get accepted into, along with med school. My uni only accepted the top 5% of applicants.

 

The point is Leigh, high school exit marks don't mean squat. It's what you do after high school that matters. I think the only reason you keep parroting that 92 like it means a damn is because you have no subsequent achievements. Lord knows, we wouldn't want you to lose that inflated sense of ego.

 

Or maybe I should just drop out of my DPsych and redo the HSC