I am a newbie to the Administrative Assistant world. Before my current job, I worked part-time at a smaller college in a similar role (although it was not called Administrative Assistant). While I enjoyed the work, my boss, and my fellow colleagues I also needed to have a full time job. Luckily the experience there lead me to my current position as an Administrative Assistant in our Student Union Event Services department at a larger college. However, it has become even clearer that this is not the ideal job for me. First, having lived in Knoxville, TN my entire life I would like to be able to get a job in another state to see what else is out there and have the experience of living somewhere else. Second compared to everyone else I have very little responsibilities and work to keep me busy. If the phone doesn't ring or an email doesn't come in then there is nothing for me to do. This can go on for hours and not just because it is the summer as this is the way it has been since I started in January. I have been told that once our new Student Union Building is finished and we move in January 2019 they expect us to be busier. Third, having worked in two colleges now, I think the atmosphere is too political. While I know that politics comes to play in any type of job, I think in higher education it is even more so. The difference between the two schools is that at my previous job, despite everyone being part-time except our Director of Event Services, our department was able to get our work done without anyone constantly having to remind people to do the work. Even with student workers they took responsibility and did what needed to be done. With one particular person, who I like, and he has the capabilities to do his job a lot of his behavior and lack of motivation has apparently been going on for 15-16 years or so. My boss who is also this guy's supervisor apparently has reported it to the higher ups over the years, and it just falls on deaf ears. Also, the tone is full of apathetic people as people don't seem to be willing to go out of their way to get work done or find out information even if that is not part of their job. Especially having read information about teams in the reading from Marie's class to the books that were suggested by the CAP Body of Knowledge, there is not a sense of teamwork going on. I think we are more like groups as I don't get a sense of a common goal or objective. With all this being said my hope for taking this exam, is that having this certification along with my various experiences will help with future employment. I came across Marie's class in contacting some people about getting the books who had previously taken the test. Apparently someone at my school, along with her husband, used to teach classes. She said that the Knoxville chapter, along with other chapters were dismantled, and so they no longer teach classes. She had recommended finding a study buddy, and when that proved to be a fail someone else had recommended Marie's class. I look forward to learning more from Marie along with everybody else in the class who has more years of experience than me.

Hello Katherine, and welcome!   Good luck to you in your certification journey!   You will find it very rewarding.   And it sounds as if you have just not found the correct job for you.   Hang in there and do the best you can.   It also sounds as if you can mold this position by being proactive and managing up perhaps.  Please feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions.    I have been an admin for a very long time and find it rewarding and fulfilling.   Best wishes.

Welcome to IAAP. Appreciate you sharing your story. Best of luck in your certification studies. You got this.

Good for you for wanting to invest in yourself to help you reach your goals.  Marie's group is amazing.  Best of luck with obtaining your certification.

Kathryn,

Congratulations on pursuing your own certification and best wishes with Marie's CAP Study Group! Also, hang in there. I want to recommend you go to our IAAP Careers page and maybe allow them to do a resume review. Once certified, you can add that to begin your search toward a rewarding position in another geographic area. This association will prove a tremendous benefit in networking with other area admins. Keep us posted on how things are going with your studies and your professional life.

Welcome and best of luck!

Congratulations on taking this next step in your personal and professional development! Best wishes with your studies.

Well, you've identified that you are not happy in this position and you are taking steps to change it, so you are way ahead of your peers in that respect. You may find your frustration of your job to be a good motivating factor in preparing for the exam!

Congratulations on committing to take the CAP exam.  May your success aid you in becoming a change agent at your place of employment.