I was asked to post a new thread of my own, sharing with you all why I am going to be sitting for the CAP exam, what I hope to gain by becoming certified and how I plan to prepare. Well... I went to college, studied hard and earned a degree in the field of Business Administration. I was so excited to go out and get my first "real job" (cause that's a thing, right?). So 10+ years later when I'm lost in the ant farm cubicle mazes of "Salesland, Customer Service" looking for an Administrative position that I swore I "deserved" because I had a degree that said so, I was devastated every time I was denied an Administrative position. I have the skills! I have the knowledge! Just let me SHOW you I can do it! Nope, next, denied, REJECTED! What I did NOT have was the "experience" based off of a "title". Wait, what? Do sales people not use office equipment? Or do administrative professionals not use customer service skills? Call me naive, but I don't know how it happened. Was I overzealous? Were my expectations out of undergrad too high? Relocating from a small city to a huge city, did I misinterpret my competition? How on Earth did I get stuck in Sales?? I had all but given up hope that I would find a job when I was employed at Aurora Pubic Schools as a substitute administrative professional. I would cover for the office ladies in different schools around the district and keep an eye out for permanent positions opening at the end of the year. My husband and most of his family were/is employed in the same district so they helped me network. I eventually got a permanent gig at the school my husband worked Security and coached at. It took a couple of more years and a couple of new positions in between, but I eventually landed a Department Secretary position in Support Services in the Superintendents office. Wow, talk about jumping steps on the ladder!! It wasn't' until I got here that I had ever even heard the term "Professional Development". Both sales and customer service gigs should definitely do the same, it's absolutely needed... but anyway, the position that I am in currently is technically a "learning" position and is never really "permanent". My boss expects anyone who sits in this seat to learn, grow and move on - or preferably, up.. and rather quickly! He pays for seminars, webinars, training... he even has me sit with various assistants and Principal's Secretaries around the district at different levels for half and full day training sessions. Whatever it takes to learn more. At my last evaluation he asked me to research and prepare to take some actual classes that earn credits and such in specific areas of concentration with some of our educational partners like Community College of Aurora, etc. Even though I already have a million certificates (different from certification, as I've learned) a degree (earned too many years ago to be relevant I suppose?) and had recently earned a handful of MBA credits, I took the IAAP information to him along with a couple of quotes for classes at other institutions and the CAP was selected mutually. Clearly education is important in this establishment... To prepare for this 3 hour, 300 question test I have purchased the study guide and smart book bundle and have joined Marie Herman's study group. Best of luck to everyone taking the CAP test!

Thank you for sharing.  Best of luck!

Hi Vanessa,
I am also in education (public schools K-12) working as Executive Secretary to the Superintendent of Schools in the Central or District Office. Thank you for sharing your story and I am looking forward to the CAP Exam in the spring.

Congratulations on taking this next step in your personal and professional development. Thank you for sharing your story with us about what brought you to this stage in your career. Best wishes with your studies!

Thanks for sharing Vanessa! Best of luck on your certification journey! You can do this!

We need your multifaceted skillsets...thank you for joining out team! Rock CAP!

@Julie Congrats to you as well!!

Thank you, everyone! Best of luck to anyone else who is preparing to take the test this Spring! @J.Winters, it's always great to meet other public school staff! We are a different animal, public schools... even our budgeting is different from most "businesses". That was actually one of the troubles I had with taking any "outside budget training". I always got the "Oh, schools do things differently. This won't apply to you." response. Needless to say, I could still use some budget training, as I don't anticipate retiring from the district. I'm not sure if we are connected or not, but I would love to connect with you both here and LinkedIn. It would be great to pick your brain sometime and learn from an EA to a Superintendent in a different district! I think my boss would be impressed!

Best of luck in your certification endeavors.

You are fortunate to have a boss who is passionate about continuing education. I hope that all of your bosses on the ladder upwards all have that passion, as well. Best of luck with your exam.