General Office & Clerical Services

Types of Degrees General Office & Clerical Services Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general office occupations and clerical services graduations there were in 2019-2020 for each degree level.

What General Office & Clerical Services Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to general office occupations and clerical services and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for General Office Occupations and Clerical Services Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in general office occupations and clerical services should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for General Office Occupations and Clerical Services Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to general office occupations and clerical services:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for General Office Occupations and Clerical Services Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a general office occupations and clerical services student include the following:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a General Office & Clerical Services Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with general office occupations and clerical services:

How Much Do General Office & Clerical Services Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

General Office Occupations and Clerical Services majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $41,160 to $43,180 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Office & Clerical Services

Some careers associated with general office occupations and clerical services require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for general office occupations and clerical services careers below.

Online General Office & Clerical Services Programs

In 2019-2020, 210 schools offered a general office occupations and clerical services program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Is a Degree in General Office & Clerical Services Worth It?

The median salary for a general office occupations and clerical services grad is $42,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 6% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $45,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to General Office & Clerical Services

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to general office occupations and clerical services.

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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