what should I major in ?

Question

I know what career path I want, but I don't know what I should major in to help with it...

I want to have a receptionist, office manager or secretary type job..
So what major should I decide on?

Answer 1

There are office manager and secretary jobs that are very high level. When most people think of these they think of entry level positions but that is not always the case. At the highest level "assistant to the CEO" at a major company, these jobs can reach well over $50K and often lead to a VP slot.

Think of this career area as a continuum of positions and not simply an entry level. For most receptionist jobs, no college education is needed. Office managers and administrative assistants increasingly require a bachelor's degree due to the advances in technology over the past few years.

Several majors are well suited to the future administrative manager (the proper name for the higher level jobs).

Business Administration
Communication
Information Technology
Liberal Arts (General Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies)
at the bachelor's degree level

Administrative Office
Business Administration
Information Technology
Liberal Arts (transfer)
at the associates degree level

MBA at the graduate level

Answer 2

You can major in pretty much anything and get one of the jobs you listed. Why? Because the skills you gain in almost any major will allow you to do those jobs well. Most employers looking for people to hire for such positions require a high school diploma, computer skills, and typing speed.

Are you interested in an associates degree or a bachelor's degree? If you want an associates degree go for an administrative assistant (sometimes called secretarial science, or both) major at your local community college. If you do that, since associate degrees take two years to complete, you can come out in two short years with a leg up on the competition for the jobs you're interested in. If you're going for a bachelor's degree, you can major in English, business, international studies, etc.. However, with a bachelor's degree, you can aim much higher and go for better paying jobs. It's up to you. I'm not putting down any of those positions - I've been a receptionist and an administrative assistant before, one with a bachelor's degree and the other when I was in college). Both were great work experiences. Good luck.

Answer 3

You might consider going to a good secretarial school, rather than to a four-year college for these things, since none of them require a college education. Another possibility is that you could probably do somewhat better financially if you specialized in some field and got a job as an assistant to someone with a higher degree in a related field. For example, you could get a degree in something legal-related and become a legal secretary, or in science and become a medical secretary, or finance and assist someone in a bank.

Answer 4

Have you thought about going to a technical college/vocational tech school rather than a four-year college or university? Those schools have programs that will train you for the jobs you listed, and it won't take four years for the training like it would if you went to a college.

Answer 5

Major in human resources. Here is some info..--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B.S. in Business Administration
Human Resource Management Walden University

This concentration will help you develop insights into recruitment and selection, performance evaluation, compensation and benefits, job design, training, retention and turnover. In addition, you'll explore how economic, social, psychological, legal and cultural forces influence employment relations