Now you just need to decide what field you want to work in!  But how do you figure out what field would be best for you?  Well, before you can make a decision like this you really need to get to know yourself.  You need to spend some time thinking about what you like to do, what is important to you, and what skills you already have.

So, sit down with some paper and pen and get ready to think!

First, you should look at the jobs you've had and the skills you already have.  Write down every job you've had and leave room to write down the skills you learned at each job.  You're also going to write down the things you LIKED about each job and the things you DIDN'T LIKE about the job.  Spend a good amount of time doing this.

Once you're done with the jobs think about the things you LIKE doing in your non-working time.  Do you like to spend time with friends or are you more of a loner?  Do you like learning computer programs?  Do you spend your time on the Internet doing social networking?  Do you prefer to be more active than sitting?  Are you interested in current events or entertainment?  All of those things can help you decide what kind of jobs you should be applying for.

Finally, get out the phone book and do some browsing.  Write down every place that you think would be interesting or enjoyable to work for.  Yes, every single one.  Then think about what kind of admin help they might need.  Now you have a list of places to consider applying for and you can narrow down the fields that you would be best suited for.

The Administrative Professional and Bookkeeping course is well suited for a wide assortment of fields.  Whether you like to be more creative or you like more structured settings the skills you learn in this course can be very helpful.

The Medical Office Assisant course is great for those who like helping people and have a very calm and reassuring demeanor. 

The Legal Office Assistant course is better suited to people who are great at remembering terms and love current events and the law.

The Veterinary Office Assistant course is perfect for those who love animals and love doing hands on work.

The Accounting and Payroll Administrator course (an extension of the Administrative Professional and Bookkeeping course) is perfect for those with a mind for logic and numbers!a

Social technology is unavoidable these days.  People are on Facebook, Twitter, Friend Feed, LinkedIn...and the list goes on.  They aren't just using it to fool around either.  They are using it to promote their businesses, find jobs, and yes, they are even using it to weed out potential employees when they are hiring. 

Today I came across a blog post at Mashable about using social technology in the classroom that I found interesting.  Greg Ferenstein says:

The modern American school faces rough challenges. Budget cuts have caused ballooning class sizes,  many teachers struggle with poorly motivated students, and in many schools a war is being waged on distracting technologies. In response, innovative educators are embracing social media to fight back against the onslaught of problems. Technologies such as Twitter and Skype offer ideal solutions as inexpensive tools of team-based education.  3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology

This got me to thinking about how social technology has been used in my classroom.  I've implemented a classroom website after being encouraged to play with the Google Sites option available to all instructors.  Our website is only for students as it includes most of our class material (other than the books).  Students can see our Calendar and see exactly what is planned for lectures, what they should be working on, and what the assignments are for the day.  They can see everything they need to know for a two month period at a time.  And if I need to change something it is easy for me to adjust.  Also, our website has information about speakers that are coming up, places they can find jobs, and any other information that is pertinent to the course. 

I've also started a classroom Twitter but I've had a harder time getting that to catch on.  I haven't made that mandatory as a lot of my students are not familiar with Twitter but I'm thinking of making it mandatory and making participation part of the course.  I think that learning how to use Twitter and other social networks can be valuable for anyone that is looking for a job.  After all, it has been shown that the majority of jobs are found through people's social networks and not through job ads and online networking is a great way to expand your network on a large scale!

Finally, this weekend I've been experimenting with Google Documents and Forms and have discovered that this is a great way to do tests.  Thanks to Rob Penner, I've been finding that Google give teachers some great tools including document sharing, forms, and even templates for things that teachers might want to do.

I'd like to do some more work with social technology in the class.  While I don't think that cell phones will be entering our classroom at any point in the near future I'm looking forward to finding new ways to implement technology in our classroom.

If you're interested in finding out more about the administrative courses at Robertson College, remember that enrollment is ongoing.  Contact us to find out more about what Robertson College can do for you and your admin career today!

When you are considering a business college it is important to get to know the courses that are available.  At Robertson College we have five administration courses.  That means you can choose to take a more general administrative course or you can pick one of our four specialites.  Today I'd like to just give you a summary of the five administrative courses you may wish to consider, but in the future we'll look at them more in depth and talk to the instructors.

• Adminsitrative Professional and Bookkeeping – 16 weeks

Instructor: Danielle McGaw (that’s me):

Administrative professionals are often the ones that are at the centre of everything.  People depend on them every day to get things done, to keep order in the office, and to make sure that supplies are available when they are needed.  And that’s just the beginning.  The administrative professional must have transferrable skills as they may be requested to do different tasks at different times.  One of the most important skills they need to have is a familiarity with different office programs.  This course will give you a general knowledge and practice in the most basic skills to get you started on your admin career and open doors in your future.

• Accounting  & Payroll Administrations – 32 weeks

Instructor: Michelle Tillet

The Accounting & Payroll Administration course is like an extension of the Administrative Professional & Bookkeeping course.  You’ll start off taking the same subjects and material as the Administrative Profession students but after the first 16 weeks you’ll continue to learn the in and outs of accounting and payroll.  This course is for people that love numbers, details, and logic.  You will develop a strong knowledge of accounting principles, computer systems, payroll fundamentals and the laws that govern financial affairs of a company.

• Legal Office Assistant – 30 weeks

Instructor: Andy Bunn

While you must have the same skills as any administrative professional – you must be able to prepare business communications, be comfortable with computer programs and software and be able to manage the office – there is so much more involved in being a legal office assistant.  People come to your business because they need legal help and as a valuable part of the office team you, too, must be familiar with laws.  They are the structures of our society that tell us what we can and can not do so lawyers will depend on you to be comfortable in writing letters and dealing with the public. This course will give you the knowledge you need to be a valuable part of any law office.

• Medical Office Assistant – 36 weeks

Instructor: D.  Bates

The life of a medical office assistant is challenging and even demanding sometimes.   After all, you are the one that the doctors and nurses depend on to keep records organized and update, to have information available when it is needed, and to keep track of appointments.  You are also the one that sets the mood and tone for patient’s visits.  It is a job you can be proud of!  Robertson College will teach you to assess and prioritize patient requests and to respond to basic questions from patients about their medical condition and prescriptions.

• Veterinary Office Assistant – 24 weeks

Instructor: Jennifer Lesage

Managing an office and getting to work with animals can be a dream come true for some people and if that is your dream then the Veterinary Office Assistant course is for you.  While you will learn the very important basics of a general administration program you will also learn the terminology that goes with being able to properly assist in a Veterinary office setting.  You will have the opportunity to work with animals but your people skills will still be very important.