In defense of those who decided to take the plunge….I came across an article in my email this week that prompted me to write this post. Admittedly it touched on a subject that I’ve been wanting to write about for a while but haven’t stopped to take the time to do so. Until now.
The article promoted all the different jobs that don’t require a degree and inferred that in many instances a degree isn’t necessary, that experience counts more than anything. While I absolutely agree and think that’s great information, especially for job seekers, it lead me to think…Is there a need for administrative professionals to obtain their degree?
While it’s not a requirement in most administrative and executive assistant job descriptions, I would like to dispel the myth that a degree isn’t completely necessary. I know there are many opinions floating around and there seems to be an undercurrent of dare I say, resentment, from those who don’t have their degree towards those of us that do.
It almost feels like there is this unspoken message that makes the non-degreed professionals feel like they must go on the defensive whenever this subject is brought up. Whenever the talk turns towards higher education, it’s been my experience that most times the talk turns towards all the reasons why someone didn’t choose that path, rather than discuss the reasons why some did.
Here’s my story…I obtained my AA degree right after high school, because at the time I wanted a degree, but didn’t feel that a 4-year degree was necessary, my thinking was that I could do what I needed and accomplish my career goals without the additional college credits.
After joining the workforce and acquiring a full-time position as an assistant in a tax firm, I quickly decided that I wanted more education, I wanted to earn my Bachelor’s degree and bring more depth to my career, I wanted that degree distinction on my resume. Those were my goals when I started my academic career at my university, but much to my surprise I gained so much more.
While I agree that a higher education degree is not a necessity for administrative professional roles, what I gained through pursuing my degree brought so much fulfillment to my life not just personally but professionally as well. Make no mistake, it wasn’t easy. A typical day would entail working from 8am – 5pm, heading straight to school, attending classes, many not starting until 7pm, arrive home well after 10pm, only to get up and do it all again the next day. But it was worth it to me and I loved every minute of it!
I gained so much being in class and surrounding myself with other students. I felt inspired and a strong sense of community. However, more importantly, the skills that I learned are ones that cannot be taught and ones that have played well in my career.
I learned what it meant to work in a group to accomplish a project where not all ideas were aligned and where my skill of compromise and diplomacy was crafted and fine-tuned;
I learned what it meant to stand before a group of 20 – 30 of my peers and present my ideas or argue a point clearly and intelligently; I learned how to conduct a “mock” counseling session, how to be a mediator or counselor to someone struggling with life challenges;
I learned humility when an assignment came back with a less than stellar grade and I had to seek feedback from an instructor as to where I went wrong;
I learned how to speak up and be counted and to have faith that my opinion mattered. And to extend that same courtesy to others.
But more importantly I learned that it was OK to be proud of my accomplishments, so much so that when I walked across that commencement stage as my husband and family looked on and cheered, I smiled with pride at all that I had done and would now be able to do.
Now, years later as my administrative career has grown I’m grateful for all that I learned and continue to learn on this wonderful journey.
So please, don’t turn your nose down at your fellow admins who made the decision to earn their degree, don’t belittle their efforts by making negative comments about it not being necessary. Instead try to focus on all that they are sacrificing and all that they are gaining by making that very brave choice. I’m proud of my degree and all that comes with it, and I applaud my fellow admins that continue their education in whatever form that takes whether it be obtaining a CAP, PACE, WCA certificate, or any certification…good for you!
There is so much to be gained by furthering your “education” in whatever shape that takes for you. Let’s applaud those efforts and always strive to be continually learning.