Achieving work-life balance with VIU's Office Administration program

Working as a retail supervisor with hours and shifts that didn’t line up well with childcare availability motivated Amanda Rozenboom to search for other career options.

“I wanted and needed a new career that would better support my family’s needs and allow me to be more present for them,” she explains.

These factors piqued her interest in working in an office environment, and she found herself “in the right time and place to make the change.”

She connected with WorkBC and was sponsored through the Single Parent Employment Initiative to attend the Office Administration program at VIU Cowichan.

She chose VIU Cowichan because “it is well-known, centrally located and close to home, and the program availability and start date was great for me.”

Beyond the convenience factor, Amanda says the 10-month certificate program also gave her the tools necessary to successfully transition careers.

Students in the program are required to do a work placement practicum and Amanda decided to do hers with the Cowichan campus.

After her practicum, she was asked to continue with a project she had been involved with during her work term. Following this experience, she then got placed on the casual employment list before she was ultimately offered a longer-term contract with VIU Cowichan, where she still is today, as an administrative assistant in the Student Affairs department.

In her role, she regularly uses a wide variety of skills and programs she learned about and worked with during her time in the Office Administration program, including Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Publisher and Access.

“I am fortunate to be part of a very supportive and friendly office environment. I like that I am able to continue learning new tasks and skills to grow in my position and help where I am needed for the overall team,” she says. “Most importantly, my people skills are used in a face-to-face environment and over the phone, as I am the first point of contact for the department that I work in.”

For anyone considering – or currently enrolled in the program – Amanda encourages them to chat regularly with their instructors. “They are extremely friendly, understanding and really want to see their students succeed,” she says. “I am grateful to the instructors and staff at the Cowichan campus for always being so welcoming and friendly during my time as a student. Taking the Office Administration program was positively life-changing for me and my children.”