Top 5 careers with an Associate of Arts (AA) degree

Choosing a subject for your undergraduate degree is an important decision to make, given that this vital decision of your professional life will decide your future career path. This means it is an exciting, but sometimes tricky choice to make. While there are a range of options to choose from, an Associate of Arts (AA) degree is a popular choice for students who want to build a strong foundation before deciding the specialised education they want to pursue. If you are also interested in taking up one of the Associate of Arts degree career options and want to know what career prospects it offers, this blog is for you. Read on to find out about the varied options available for students with an AA degree under their belt.

Top 5 jobs with an AA degree:

• Marketing Assistant: Marketing assistants take up responsibilities such as compilation and distribution of financial information and statistical data, questionnaire analysis and making reports. They work under the supervision of marketing managers, on projects that aim at optimizing sales and profits for the organization. Apart from supporting the company’s marketing efforts, they work in close proximity with other departments such as advertising, production, sales and market research. A marketing assistant’s daily duties include:
  • Devising marketing strategies;
  • Organizing promotional and brand campaigns;
  • Preparing reports and company brochures;
  • Organizing and hosting promotional events;
  • Organizing customer visits;
  • Preparing budget spreadsheets.

On an average, marketing assistants earn C$38,226 per year.

• Assistant Retail Manager: If you assume the role of an assistant retail manager, you will be responsible for handling operational requirements of the store, and creating the schedule for employees and assigning them tasks. Typically, an assistant retail manager’s duties include:
  • Recruiting, training and supervising staff;
  • Budget management;
  • Maintaining financial and statistical records;
  • Handling customer queries and grievances;
  • Supervising pricing and stock control;
  • Setting sales targets and devising strategies to meet them.

The average salary of an assistant retail manager is C$38,192 per annum.

• Customer Service Representative: A customer service representative is responsible for helping customers with grievances, complaints and queries about a product or service. They are required to correspond with customers via phone calls and emails to provide them with information, help with troubleshooting, take orders and process returns and refunds. Generally, customer service representatives have to perform tasks such as:
  • Delivering quick and professional solutions as per customers’ enquiry;
  • Prioritizing customers’ queries and issues;
  • Addressing customers’ issues in an accurate and timely manner;
  • Addressing dissatisfied customers politely and with patience;
  • Devising new strategies to improve customer service.

The average annual salary of a customer service representative is C$39,145.

• Administrative Assistant: An administrative assistant acts as the point of contact for the employees of an organization. They ensure that the operational functions in an office run smoothly and efficiently. Typically, an administrative assistant has to undertake tasks such as:
  • Providing administrative support to employees;
  • Managing employees’ queries;
  • Attending phone calls, taking memos and maintaining files;
  • Sending and receiving correspondence mails;
  • Organizing company records.

The average annual salary of anadministrative assistant is C$39,916.

• Bank Teller: As a bank teller, your responsibilities would include counting cash, filing paperwork and deposit slips, balancing numbers and management of ATM deposits. Typical duties include:
  • Providing account services to customers such as receiving deposits and loan payments, and recording night and mail deposits;
  • Recording transactions by logging traveler’s cheques and cashier’s cheques;
  • Preparing currency transaction reports;
  • Maintaining customer confidence;
  • Keeping bank operations’ information confidential;
  • Complying with bank security procedures.

The average salary of a bank teller is C$34,103 per year.

If you are interested in taking up one of these jobs and want to pursue an AA degree, University Canada West (UCW) is the place for you. UCW offers an undergraduate degree in Associate of Arts (AA), which focuses on helping students develop a broad foundation before they enter the professional world. The program has a core focus on subjects such as English, science, mathematics, humanities, social sciences and arts. The university also gives you the flexibility to study this program online or on-campus, with both learning methods consisting of the same course structure.Enrol for the Associate of Arts degree program today!