What do administrators really do?

Administration is one of the most chosen careers in both in Peru and the world due to the versatility it gives you in the job market. Maybe you’re passionate about this career but have no idea about the specific area that would suit you better or what are your options, really.

This career not only offers a wide variety of job alternatives but it also has higher salaries on the market and even though it seems like the perfect profession, you need to take into consideration that due to its high demand, the job market is extremely competitive so you need to find a way to stand out. How? Starting with choosing your specialization correctly. 

Let’s start with the basics because, let’s be honest, most of the time we think we know the meaning and when the time comes, it turns out we don’t know a thing or expect something entirely different. Administration is a social science that studies companies in order to execute planning, organization, direction and control of resources to obtain the maximum benefit (I swear we didn’t search that up on Wikipedia). 

In English: when you administrate an organization or company you have to take care of planning and organizing everything that involves resources (human, financial, technological) to achieve the proposed goals and, of course gain profits. So you’ll need to know a little bit of everything: numbers, marketing, personnel management, etc.

Responsibilities will also vary according the specialization you choose and this is where we start talking about them one by one to help you find the perfect alternative to suit your calling and abilities: 

Administration and finance

This branch is all about investments, financing and, well, everything that has to be with finance and money. You’ll be in charge of making budgets to distribute funds to every area of the company, analyze its financial statements and you’ll also be responsible of keeping the balance between liquidity and profitability; beside getting things straight with rules about the management of assets to avoid misunderstandings and make everything work flawlessly. 

Where can you work? Well, you can become a financial manager or a General Manager in any organization. What courses will you take? Project management, organizational behavior, market research, global economic geography, etc. 

Administration and marketing

Now, when you decide to specialize in the marketing area you’ll have to be constantly studying the market to find opportunities to innovate and develop business ideas that satisfy the changing needs of the consumers to make them loyal customers of your brand. 

In this area you can dive deep in the world of marketing and advertising to develop the right sales and positioning strategies that will help your company take a chance in both national and international market. Think about it, you can become the Don Draper of your generation. 

If you’re wondering about the classes you’ll take, these are some of them: entrepreneurship and innovation, consumer behavior, management of products and brands, international marketing and formulation and evaluation of projects.  

Administration and international business

If you’re more into negotiation in global markets and searching for integration processes between regions and cultures in order to generate institutional benefits, then international business is definitely for you. You’ll develop products and brands that compete in the world market, besides promoting competitivity and value. 

Having a deep understanding of the global economy and how tendencies can affect the markets will be a must throughout your career as much as analyzing your consumer behavior to innovatively satisfy their needs so you can standout from your competitors. 

The bright side of this branch is that you’ll be able to assume strategical positions in any business with an international inclination; you’ll develop abilities such as leadership, communication and a global vision. 

Administration and human resources 

On this branch you’ll focus on the human asset of companies: their employees. And even though HR isn’t normally the most liked department, it has a HUGE goal: implementing strategies to promote a healthy working environment, full of innovation, continuous improvement and nice work relationships. It’ll be your responsibility to guide their abilities, talents and competences in order to achieve success. 

Objectivity is, of course, fundamental. You can’t let yourself go by prejudices or personal perceptions. Remember you’re representing a business with an identity of its own. 

Culture and organizational climate, management and analysis of positions, strategic direction of HR and recruitment and selection of human talent will be some of the classes you’ll have to take during your education. 

As you can see, administration has a lot of branches and alternatives. We’re sure you’ll find the one that suits perfectly your personality and calling so now’s your job to do a bit more research to choose the one you’ll feel comfortable with. Hard work will pay off!