DH Templates

Is this job giving me the "professional" skills I need?

I am a reporter for a local newspaper. However, I also work for the business manager doing real estate billing, bank deposits, legal notice filing and other administrative duties. Sure, it's good "experience" but we don't use ANY computer programs which most corporate companies use and when I've applied for other jobs, they ask me if I've used various billing programs etc. To bill people, this company I work for uses a manual type writer, or bills are handwritten. When I do real estate billing, things are typed on an old fashioned type writer on pre-printed letter head. I once felt like doing more than reporting for the paper was learning great financial and administrative skills, but we're not using technology or programs or anything that professional companies use (which will be the death of me looking for an administrative job in the future, if I don't continue reporting). Excell is also one of the most-used templates in offices and we don't even use that! Is this a waste of my "experience"?

Public Comments

1. The software you refer to is designed to assist businesses in doing what you are now doing the old-fashioned way. If you have been paying attention, you are learning or have learned the basic concepts that the software exercises for you. This is valuable. You know principles that a person who just plugs int software and runs with it doesn't. My suggestion would be to try to take some classes or tutorials on the software. This can be done online or by correspondence. So I would say you are fine with this experience. Were I you I would want to get the education on the software. You might even suggest your employer acquire it. But you do have basic skills that are marketable and I would take full advantage of that. And when you are being interviewed you can tell them you understand the concepts of billing and bookkeeping. Knowing software is a plus. Knowing basics is also a plus.