Program Coordinator
(Female, Age 45) from Lexington, SC
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 45 who works as a Program Coordinator in Lexington, SC. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Program Coordinator |
|---|---|
| Salary | $40,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Lexington, SC |
| Years Experience | 4 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Public, not for profit, institution of higher education. More than 10k employees. My department is a self-supporting department within the school, which provides continuing education for established pharmacy professionals (not students).
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Assist the Continuing Education Director in the provision of quality education programs to healthcare professionals in SC and throughout the nation. Programs provided via distance education and traditional live formats. Create education programs in the Learning Management System and Blackboard, web-based education systems. Assist with program announcement design, speaker, co-sponsor and participant contact and follow-up. Apply instructional technology concepts to produce innovative tools, processes and procedures that ensure program needs are met faster, more responsively and within or under budget.
Create electronic and printed marketing materials.
Provide budget reconciliation, invoicing, collection follow-up, accounts payable and travel arrangements.
Assist in the file transfer of files and recorded programs.
Assist in curriculum development and implementation using performance-based, criterion-referenced instruction. Utilize the phases of the Instructional Design (ISD) model: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE).
Create program evaluations, quantify this data and disseminate related reports. Review testing material for training and alternative delivery programs to ensure conformity with performance objectives, qualification standards, validity and reliability of course content.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
3 weeks vacation, 3 weeks sick leave, health insurance, defined pension plan, 401k
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
appropriately compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
My job does entail that I work with others. However, this can be ‘hit or miss’. I have to provide customer service but not every day requires this. My supervisor is only here part time – so some days I am alone. I enjoy helping people, but as with anything, some people are just nasty.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in an office within a large building. I like my office, but wish I had some natural light.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 6
Co-Workers: 8
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 4
The Actual Work: 3
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Commuted in and arrived at work. This required parking over a mile from the office and walking in. |
| 8am to 9am | Reviewed email and voice mail. Returned calls and email. Resolved some minor customer service issues. |
| 9am to 10am | Fielded several calls about an upcoming program. Worked on a flyer announcement for an upcoming program. |
| 10am to 11am | Worked on our website landing page. Added graphics and general information. Worked extensively on the frequently asked questions section. This took a long time because we are transitioning to a new webpage and learning management system. It was important to think through basic steps and verbalize those clearly. |
| 11am to 12pm | Continued to work on the landing page and faq page of the website (see above). This was an extensive project that took several hours. |
| 12pm to 1pm | I ate lunch quickly before attending a committee meeting at 12:30. This committee meeting was created to oversee an upcoming, large-scale continuing education program. The committee meets frequently to discuss topics, scheduling and budgets. It is very ineffective because upper level management/faculty are not interested in bending on small matters. |
| 1pm to 2pm | The committee meeting lasted until 2pm. See above. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Returned to office space. Reviewed and returned emails and phone calls from the time I was tied up in committee. These were very simple in nature and mostly required clarification of information. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Reviewed materials submitted to this office for accreditation services. |
| 4pm to 5pm | I leave at 4:30 most days – so I shut down the office and left. |
| 5pm to 6pm | |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Internet posting
What was the application process?
Submitted electronic app with resume and references
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. Panel interview with upper management and direct management.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Ability to self-monitor, attendance record, computer abilities.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not really. My employer expected me to hit the ground running.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Not really. I had to learn most of it on my own.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I am completing my Masters Degree in Educational Technology and as we move more of our programming to an online format, I am very well appointed to do this.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
n/a
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
They would need to acquire a degree, preferably in adult education or the sciences. To be most effective, they would need to work in continuing education on some level for a few years.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Ability to explain, patience, detail oriented, ability to self-direct.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be very detailed oriented. Mistakes cause big problems on the backend. Be sure to be patient and pleasant with customers/attendees.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes – I want to become a director of continuing education or a senior level instructional designer. This job gives me practical skills toward that goal.
What are your current career goals?
Within 5 years, become a director of continuing education or a senior level instructional designer.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It has been varied and painful (at times). It took me a long time to get here. Sometimes you have to suffer to get where you need to be.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Claims Examiner | 1.5 | 29000 | Opened and maintained existing claims files. Required understanding and ability to apply medical coding systems and established policies and procedures.
Examined accident and hospital income claims for compliance with policy language. Paid all applicable benefits and educate insureds on existing benefits for which they may be entitled. Paid first level claims. Performed at established production and quality standards. Drafted routine and non-routine correspondence and provide customer service. |
| Prior Job 2 | Research Assistant | 9 mo | 7000 | Provided research and classroom support to assigned faculty member(s).
Compiled, manipulated, abstracted and coded research data for faculty member(s). Graded and proctored undergraduate examinations. Clerical and administrative duties as required. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.8
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
2.6 | University of SC | BA – Political Science |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
4 | University of SC | MEd – Educational Technology |
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