2 answers
Odalis
Student
Horizon City, Texas
3
Questions
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how many years does it take to do Office Administration?
I am very caring I have good morals. When I am working I enjoy working as a team with my co workers. #business #career
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2 answers
Lisa Moreno
Senior Growth Engineer
2
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Lisa’s Answer
Hi Odalis,
Office Administration covers a lot of areas; you'll also hear it called Business Administration. You could be the office manager for a small company and the only person that works in the office. Or you could work for a large company and be part of hundreds of people that work on the administrative needs for the business. Having an education and experience working in business administration provides tons of opportunities, as every single business needs someone to help keep it running by doing things like: ordering team lunches, paying the bills, fixing the copier when it's jammed, ordering office supplies, answering the phone, etc.
I recommend getting a job at a company before deciding that you want to go to school for Business, even if it's just part time. You'll know pretty quickly if you like it.
If you decide to go to school for Business, there are a variety of programs that will help you succeed in the workplace. You could take individual classes in things like Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word; these would boost your skills immediately in any business. Other options include a Certificate program (usually 1 year), Associate's degree (usually 2 years), Bachelor's degree (an additional 2-3 years after finishing an Associate's degree), and an MBA (an extra 1-2 years after finishing a Bachelor's degree).
The most important advice I can give is to be curious -- ask about things that are interesting to you and follow that path. What's interesting to you may change many times in your life, but it doesn't matter as long as you're curious about what you're doing.
Office Administration covers a lot of areas; you'll also hear it called Business Administration. You could be the office manager for a small company and the only person that works in the office. Or you could work for a large company and be part of hundreds of people that work on the administrative needs for the business. Having an education and experience working in business administration provides tons of opportunities, as every single business needs someone to help keep it running by doing things like: ordering team lunches, paying the bills, fixing the copier when it's jammed, ordering office supplies, answering the phone, etc.
I recommend getting a job at a company before deciding that you want to go to school for Business, even if it's just part time. You'll know pretty quickly if you like it.
If you decide to go to school for Business, there are a variety of programs that will help you succeed in the workplace. You could take individual classes in things like Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word; these would boost your skills immediately in any business. Other options include a Certificate program (usually 1 year), Associate's degree (usually 2 years), Bachelor's degree (an additional 2-3 years after finishing an Associate's degree), and an MBA (an extra 1-2 years after finishing a Bachelor's degree).
The most important advice I can give is to be curious -- ask about things that are interesting to you and follow that path. What's interesting to you may change many times in your life, but it doesn't matter as long as you're curious about what you're doing.
Cindie Horton
Sr. Manager - Data Privacy
29
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Cindie’s Answer
Hi Odalis. Office, or Business, Administration can start very early on. In fact, the minute you own a business or work in a business, you are immediately involved administering an office because there will be phones to answer, appointments to make, and employees to manage plus a whole lot more. One of the first things people do out of high school or college is work in customer service or sales to understand how the business makes money. When I think of Business Administration, I think in very broad terms, but some might think of it in terms of managing the company's money--paying bills, receiving payments, managing employee benefits, and so forth.
I encourage you to think about what you are good at in school and how you might use your talents to help a business to be successful. For example, if you like helping people be the best they can be, you might pursue a career in Human Resources. If you are good at math, you might be interested in Finance or Accounting...or even Information Technology (computers). (Finance is figuring out how to acquire the money to support a company's goals and determining how much to spend in certain areas of the business to get the best results. Accounting is tracking where the money is spent.
If you don't think you want to go to college, I encourage you to learn how to type on a computer really well and learn how to use computer applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Start working for a company in Sales or Customer Service. (If you really like people and aren't afraid of asking people to buy stuff from you, I highly encourage you to go into Sales. You'll make more money in Sales.) Be the best you can at what you do. Then look for others in the company that are doing what you want to do and ask them to tell you how they got where they are. More than likely, they'll be interested in helping you get where you want to be.
Good Luck Odalis in your pursuits. Believe in yourself and you will succeed!
I encourage you to think about what you are good at in school and how you might use your talents to help a business to be successful. For example, if you like helping people be the best they can be, you might pursue a career in Human Resources. If you are good at math, you might be interested in Finance or Accounting...or even Information Technology (computers). (Finance is figuring out how to acquire the money to support a company's goals and determining how much to spend in certain areas of the business to get the best results. Accounting is tracking where the money is spent.
If you don't think you want to go to college, I encourage you to learn how to type on a computer really well and learn how to use computer applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Start working for a company in Sales or Customer Service. (If you really like people and aren't afraid of asking people to buy stuff from you, I highly encourage you to go into Sales. You'll make more money in Sales.) Be the best you can at what you do. Then look for others in the company that are doing what you want to do and ask them to tell you how they got where they are. More than likely, they'll be interested in helping you get where you want to be.
Good Luck Odalis in your pursuits. Believe in yourself and you will succeed!