Which Community College program is better for Office work?
Asked by Anne D
I am weighing my schooling options here (both have equal amount of insane debt): Which do office professionals prefer for receptionist/switchboard/office secretary/registrar/data entry professions? Office Assistant Diploma (one year program) Administrative Assistant Degree (2 year program) Office Assistant Diploma(one year program) + Human Resources Certificate (1 semester of 8 courses) The Administrative Assistant Degree would be my school's equivalent to a Business Administrative Associate. Office Assistant Diploma (which I will have this December): Business Professionalism Intro to Computer Bus Apps Business Editing Electronic Records Systems Business Math Intro to Word Processing Document Formatting Advanced Word Processing Information Processing (learned dictation & transcription) Intro to Accounting Office Procedures & Concepts Intermediate Computer Bus Apps Human Relations in Mgmt General Psychology Integrated Computer Bus Apps Business Communications Human Resources Certificate Courses: Principles of Mgmt Work Habits & Absenteeism Human Relations in Mgmt Training & Employee Development Human Resource Mgmt Wage & Salary Administration Business Law I Administrative Assistant Degree: (Office Diploma + these courses): Admin Office Applications Desktop Publishing Office Mgmt PowerPoint Multimedia Internship

Best Answer:
Can you provide links to the actual courses being offered? Sometimes the titles sound good but the content is poor. (I work in an office and have done entry level work before). Addition: The one that is the equivalent to the Business Administrative Associate is far more thorough. It never hurts to know MS Excel either these days. I was really surprised at how many entry level jobs require it.

Why not just go for a Business Administration Associates? Stay away from the specialized compartment degrees. This opens you up to many more better opportunities.
Answered by Pengy

Go for the two-year program. If it comes with an actual degree instead of just a certificate, it will open many more doors for you. You could always go back later to further a two-year degree, but there's not really anything you can do to further a certificate. Good luck. I did two certificate programs at a local college. I wish I had just went ahead and gone for an actual degree.
Answered by startwinkle05