Does it really matter what your college major was in administration/office work?
Asked by operaphantom2003
I have never been asked what my college degree was in but now I am getting concerned. I have a background in retail which has a lot of night hours needed and I can no longer work those. I am looking for a career change. I just need something with more stable hours but don't know if I will be looked over in administrative/office type work because I do not have a business degree. My degree is in philosophy and logic.

Best Answer:
Many admin jobs will ask for an AA, but they rarely specify the discipline. I think it's just something they use to minimize the pool of candidates. One reason is that every admin position gets over 200 applicants, and most of those applicants can be generally unskilled people who think anyone can do office work. At least having a degree they know you have half a brain and can see something through. The only thing that could potentially hold you back is that you might look overqualified for the positions with your degree. They don't want to get someone who is going to be bored or dissatisfied, or who just wants "something" until they find the job they really want. With that in mind you might need to restructure your resume to refocus on office/admin, and make sure your cover letter states your interest in stability. It's only logical. That's my philosophy. ;)

Your degree shouldn't matter; the fact that you earned one is definitely a positive. I would locate a good 'head hunter' - a personnel agency. They usually specialize in administrative-type office jobs. They may ask you to take a computer test, to show your competency in word, excel, powerpoint, etc., but it's worth the effort. They will have good connections to employers, and (at least in the NY/NJ area) employers pay them a fee for finding good candidates. So, there's no cost to you. I've been working in an office setting for many years, and my degree was in teaching! (And Physical Education, no less!) Good luck!
Answered by Brave New Girl

A degree means: 1. You can start something and finish it. A degree takes four tiring, grueling, difficult years to comlete.You did it. 2. Proves you can consistently hand in quality work, and have it done on time.' 3. Can work for different people.Think of a professer as a manager Some inspire you do do work you didn't think you could do, while others are flaming idiots. You proved can can work under all kinds 4. You can work your way out of rough spots Ever have an exam on something in which you were totally clueless? Yes. You passed it! You didn't quit. You just worked harder and succeeded. 5. You learned to think. Tell me about the Civil war. Anyone can memorize days, you thought about why it was started and what the consequences were. You developed your ability to hink for yourself. Your degree is something important that you have, itis a ticket to a better future, a foot in the door,it is an edge. use it! Don't focus on the negative, true, you might be at a loss in discussing accoutning terms like capitalization, amorization, good will, etc etc, but you proved you can handle about existentialism , Descartes, and the writings of Locke Jesus, Mohammed and Buddah.,.You can handle that, you can learn Excel. Now, polish up your resume and go get em!
Answered by Barry auh2o

There are several different types of office jobs that you could do with that type of degree, but usually unless you have something higher within the office administration field, you may only get something like a filing clerk, office assistant etc., that is entry level until you're able to get the foundations of the skills necessary for the office field. The poster above was right about the head hunting and the employment agencies that they will do a test on all of the current office admin skills, and that might be a way that you would be able to get into the office field without having to start entry level work. But still even with the tests, they may still have you do entry level since you have had no previous admin experience.
Answered by mtwaites

It usually does not matter what your degree is. As the poster above noted, you have proven that you can jump thru the hoops; that you have persevered to successfully earn a college degree. That separates you from the ones who haven't. You have learned to use reasoning and judgment; adhere to deadlines; problem-solve. A college degree is always a plus.
Answered by Triscuit

Experience,experience, experience! I will hire someone for their experience (no matter what the degree is in) before I give the job to someone with a degree and no experience. If you do not have any office experience , now would be the perfect time to volunteer at your nearest church or community center.
Answered by A M