Career management: Has anyone taken a SkillPath seminar?

Marvelous, what a webpage it is! This weblog provides helpful data to us, keep it up.

Any suggestions on other companies that offer these type of seminars in Southern California?

Not price it, conflict of clans the real mvp.

Basically it all boils down to you get what you pay for. Don’t expect much and you won’t be disappointed.

There will be a Fred Pryor Seminar held in Mobile, Alabama on May 15, 2018 @ Ashbury Hotel & Suites. The only thing is the rate for the hotel was sort of out of my price range, but I was able to book a room at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites (251) 661-9978…if you need lodging as I did. I didn’t know if you mention Fred Pryor Seminar at that location they offered a group rate at their location. If you can attend it will be very informative.

I have subscribed to participate in P.A Douglas to the 44th Annual administrative professional course and I have not received any information, the hotel doesn’t even know them and I think I fell for a big time SCAM. ANybody heard of them?

I would suggest Fred Pryor over Skillpath. I have Pryor’s Training Rewards Membership and have been to 8 seminars in the last year. 6 were outstanding, 1 was boring (due to content and boring instructor but it was still valuable) and there was 1 that I didn’t care for much; thought the instructor was bad and didn’t know his stuff too well. All in all they are pretty great despite the negative reviews I’ve read on them.

thanks, the comments have helped me not to sign up for their seminars. i had booked a day off work and am so thankful to you all for saving me from wasting a day.

The instructor that I had was a professional speaker and was very entertaining, however I was not paying to be entertained. She did not instruct us so she was more of a motivational speaker and entertainer. She mostly told personal stories, talked about all her accomplishments and tried to get laughs from the class. No one learned a thing about the subject of the seminar.
There was also way too much pressure to purchase the books and other things they were selling.
I would not advise going to a Skillpath Seminar.

Waste of time. Agree with other comments. 2 day seminar, 7 hours each day, = 14 hours of my life I wasted.

It is a big rip off, basically just a real life infomercial. You will get more out of an online course through a local community college. And once they get your info good luck getting rid of their mailings. My predecessor at work was getting their mailings and I contacted them to have them stop. Now they send them to my attention. This is after I told them there is no way I would go to their seminars. Is there anything that can be done legally to get them to stop? They always say they need the label to enter the info to have you removed then they change the label slightly so you still get their mailings. They also say the mailings are printed months in advance and will take a while for them to stop. But the reality is they NEVER stop!

I took a SkillPath seminar this week and thought it was really good. The instructor was top notch! Judging from what I’ve read here, I guess I lucked out. I’ve noticed an increase in marketing emails too, so I looked on the SkillPath site and they list a number to call to have your information excluded from sale or rental to third parties.

“SkillPath may provide certain firms and our affiliates with its postal mailing and/or e-mail address list on a rental basis. In addition, we may share information about your order with some of these firms or affiliates so that they can more easily identify offers that may interest you. If you wish to be excluded from receiving third party mailings, please call Customer Service at 1-800-873-7545.” (from http://www.skillpath.com/index.cfm/main/legalprivacy)

Interesting reading all of these and the answer is do not go…

Thank you for the information. I was debating on signing up a few employees to attend.

I have to agree that relying on researching an instructor before going speaks volumes about the company.

Especially funny when the seminar is about wasting time and being more productive…I guess spending hours on that is one of the things that I will not be doing. Thanks! Skillpath!

I have recently taken a SkillPath course and I feel it was a waist of time. The caliber of teacher they use is often untrained and ill advised. Years ago I took one of their courses and it was just OK, now I would completely skip them all together. In the course I took on Sale Tax the instructor had no idea what was going on in the State the course was taking place. Sales tax is a local thing, right? I departed early because it was so painful to watch. I have since written to the company over 6 times to get a refund and don’t get a reply. I also purchased a CD of budget templates and it does not work. Again, I have called several times and they have not made good. I more than DON’T recommend this company!

OMG. I just finished a two day advanced excel class in Dallas and it was horrible. The instructor and his corny off the wall jokes. At each break we kept losing people. A few never return the second day then on the second day the class kept getting smaller and smaller after each break. First of all, how can you teach Microsoft via a projector? I feel this each person needs a PC/laptop to follow along. The room had four people to a table with one computer then the guy flew through the material so fast that eventually no one at any of the tables was even trying to use the computer. What a waste of money!

It is really unfortunate that they push book and software sales at these seminars. I took one recently and the first quarter of the seminar was actually good content. The remaining 75% was the instructor using some kind of software to demonstrate the ideas but it was clearly a sales pitch. I was very disappointed and will never take another one of these. I felt duped.

Being an administrative professional for almost 30 years, I’ve pretty much seen and heard it all. I attend these seminars to renew my sense of significance for my job and myself, plus get a kick in the rear for my motivation. Another boost for my career has been joining the International Association of Administrative Professionals (www.iaap-hq.org). IAAP is an association for office professionals. IAAP’s mission is to enhance the success of career-minded administrative professionals by providing opportunities for growth through education, community building and leadership development. With approximately 500 chapters worldwide, you can find a chapter close to you and see how IAAP can help you become a premier administrative professional.

As a former Skillpath instructor, I’d have to agree with the majority opinion that they’re not worth the money. Even good instructors are worn down by the requirements and expectations of the company–particularly the book-pushing, as if you don’t sell books, you effectively lose money teaching them. So the students lose and the instructors lose, often changing time zones three times in a week, being put up in crappy hotels (I had one which was missing steps on the external staircase and had to lug both my own stuff and the bag full o’ books to push) after getting in places, if they’re lucky, by midnight.

the skill path training i attended was low in content and reminded me of the the old AMWAY pyramid selling tactic from the 90’s
Bugga me dead following morning at 7:00am email letting me know there was a 50% sale on their resources gee that will bring the price down to $200.00 and now i read they will spam my work email i didn’t even give them that email address GRRR what a waste of time effort and energy

I, too, took a SkillPath seminar. While some of the information was good, I was immediately offended by one of the instructors who told everyone in the room they should never hire a company to help with their social media as it’s a waste of money. This is one of the services my company provides. So, after I spent $600 for three of us to attend this seminar, she makes this announcement. I later realized she was unable to prove a point and couldn’t give valuable insight or any key takeaways. Her counterpart in the next room was better, but still not worth the fee.

The worse sting, however, was the fact that this so-called professional company sold our information to other companies. Now, we get solicitations in the mail from multiple companies, in triplicate! Every bit of it goes in the trash or recycle stack. We don’t have time to deal with this level of junk mail, yet it continues to pour in.

SkillPath will not get a penny more from my company. There HAS to be better options out there.

We have the same problem. I can’t be removed from mailing lists either. I just get the run around every time I try.

My colleagues and I attended a SkillPath seminar and it was TERRIBLE! And a huge waste of money

Definitely a waste of time and money and after 5 years I still cannot be removed from their mailing list. All correspondence now simply goes into the bin.

I attended a leadership seminar and was not impressed. At first, the instructor was entertaining. However, by the second day, his humor became rather offensive/insulting. As mentioned in other responses, the information was “basic” / high-level. The instructor appeared to be following a “script” of what to teach and specific responses/answers in response to questions or proposed situations. When questioned, he sometimes replied with a “humorous insult” that caused most attendees to laugh at the expense of someone’s feelings. The class incorporated role-playing and note-taking, which led to “nothing.” I guess we did it for sake of him saying we did it.

Our seminar instructor stressed the “80/20 rule” — leaders/management speak 20 percent of the time and allow others 80 percent of the time to talk. He dominated the seminar and spoke 95 percent of the time. When others spoke, he found opportunities to be funny at their expense.

Additionally, the beginning of the first day and the middle of the second day was halted for the marketing pitch…big turnoff! Almost like timeshare scams except the attendees paid instead of receiving a gift for attending the sales pitch.

I went to a SkillPath Seminar. It was appalling. It was a big lecture hall and most of us walked out after the first half, despite having paid.

We now receive advertising mail from SkillPath Seminars at our place of work. They are addressed to generic titles and we have phoned SkillPath to ask to be removed from their mailing list. They say they will only remove us if we scan and email the mailing label to them. Ummm … That means they will use my email address to send me more spam.

We said we’d return the mail to sender but SkillPath told us they don’t receive the returned mail – it goes in the bin at the post office because they won’t pay for returned mail.

Does anyone know how to get off SkillPath’s mailing list?

Totally agree with your assesment of the seminar as only a tool for them to sell other items.

Have to agree with the ‘avoid Skillpath’ comments. Not only was the information provided VERY low knowledge level, they appeared to have sold my e-mail while linking it to a purchaser position (tons and tons of spam as a result).

I attended a Skillpath seminar, and I will never take another one again. I’ve never taken a seminar that was such a waste of my time. Again, like someone previously said, I did learn a couple things. But that was not at all what I was looking for. The instructor repeated herself frequently, and took about a half hour trying to sell books and CDs. Look elsewhere for a class. This is a waste of time and money.

I took the class “Discovering the Secrets of Access” in March 2011.
I wanted to let you know of my disappointment with the instructor and the class.
Instructor:
The instructor was arrogant, frequently got off subject to tell us about his sons, his soccer affiliation (he’s a referee) and treated me as if I was a child in school. At one point, he singled me out for ridicule because I was typing on the computer while he was talking.
I’d like to point out that I paid for this class and don’t appreciate being treated that way.

Class:
I was amazed to discover that I had to share a computer with 2 other students. I questioned this and was told Skillpath was cutting costs and if I didn’t like it I could leave. I should have been told this before I took the class. This made it very difficult to learn. Also, the class was too basic, and not advanced enough.

Because of the above items, I told my employer that this was not worth the money. I also told my co-workers about it and I definitely do NOT recommend taking any more Skillpath courses.

I do not intend to ever take another course with Skillpath again.

I teach at one of these national training companies, and let me candidly say it completely depends on the trainer you get. I know at my classes, it’s rare to not get the comment “This is without a doubt one of the best conferences I have ever gone to. The information in the first hour alone paid for the course.” With that said – I teach a computer skill, and I do a really good job at it. If you want to be cautious look into who’s teaching the course for that day in that city first, google them, and make sure they’re someone you can be confident in. Otherwise, you might just get stuck with some yokel who tricked his way into teaching it. They can be amazing, but it depends who’s teaching.

yes, I attended “How to be a Better Communicator” seminar in San Diego last year. While there were a few good points about how to have a productive conversation with superiors and coworkers on the whole, it was a horrible waste of time. At least 1/2 of the seminar was dedicated towards trying to sell you materials or future seminars.

Almost more annoying than that is the dozens of random and useless solicitations I have received since. They range from advertisements for sign companies to offers to attend “VIP” seminars. I politely asked them to remove my name and they told me it would take 6 months.

Don’t waste your time or money with these guys.

Complete and utter waste of time. I sent one of our company’s admins and she was completely offended by how awful the admin seminar was. Nothing but hardcore selling of their books, and tips about how to buy a dress for $20 at the dry cleaners by asking about unclaimed clothing. What that has to do with being a professional administrative assistant, I have no idea.

Yes, I have attended one seminar by Skillspath. I would definately recommend them. The speakers were oraganized, knowledge and personable. I plan to attend another one in June

Haven’t taken a skillpath training but it sounds helpful. The Business degree is helpful to get your foot in the door, but everyone knows that there’s more to learn on a practical level before entering the workforce. It would demonstrate your desire to learn as well as help you with learning how to succeed. Good luck!

All of these replies refer to a “public” seminar. Public seminars are taught so they are geared towards the general “public” and are meant to be for a wide range of audiences. If you want a more specific custom/tailored or deeper training class, SkillPath offers instructor led training where they go to your place of employment on-site. This can be very specific to your organization or industry. SkillPath also offers content for sale as well as Train the Trainer Certifications on their topics. Their website is updated to show a wide range of offerings. http://www.skillpath.com

This comment is correcting the grammar of M. Jones…Try saying “I have gone to a….” “I have went is grammatically incorrect and using incorrect grammar would/could keep you from getting promoted.

oh yes, you will NEVER get off their mailing list – and you’ll be put on the mailing list AGAIN every time you attend a seminar

I’ve attended 2 Skillpath seminars. I think they’re a waste of time and money, as well as being primarily a vehicle to sell books and DVD’s. I attended and Admin Assistants seminar where the facilitators spent the first 30-45 minutes hawking books and patting one another on the back.

The other was a 1-day Excel seminar. If you could learn Excel in 1 day, you wouldn’t need a seminar.

Unfortunately I think they’re mostly utilized by HR departments to show they’ve done SOMETHING to help develop skills. If they can check off the box by the goal on your performance review, then it’s all back on you. You told them you needed training, they sent you to a seminar – if you failed to learn a complex lesson in 7 hours, it’s your bad.

Unfortunately the “quick-fix” mentality of many businesses leads them to utilize these.

I just took the 1 day customer service seminar in seattle and was not impressed at all, it was more like an intro to customer service that they should be advertising to high school graduates… I would really dig for reviews before going.

I am a presenter for one of the training companies mentioned in this post . . . and here’s some info you might find helpful: You CAN know the trainer before you show up to the event . . . . . I’ve known people who called Skillpath, Fred Pryor or AMA to find out ahead of time who the trainer was for a certain event. Then they can at least compare that to the trainers they’ve seen before, and make a decision about attending.

I agree. I’ve attended 2 Skillpath Seminars. I was not impressed with the 1st one but gave them another try with the second as that was a “hands on” seminar. What a mistake. The CD promised for attending was never provided and because of no internet connection part of the agenda was not even discussed. The only good thing is that their refund policy guarantees 100% satisfaction. I got my money back but wasted 2 days out of the office. The books offered are only obtainable through them. There are better and cheaper books in all the major bookstores.

I have taken a few Skillpath seminars on more computer/IT networking subjects. They are an excellent, quite professional organization, in my opinion. I have always been quite satisfied. Understand that with most of these one-day, low-cost seminar companies, much of the program depends on the presenter and how well she can deliver the content. There will also be lots of books and CD’s for sale in the back of the room. That is just part of the experience. Every time I attend, I end up buying a book or program that I need.

What you get from it is also up to you. If you have so many years of recent, formalized education in your field, you might gain almost as much from networking with others at the seminar than from the actual material, if the person delivering it is skilled enough to facilitate that sort of learning.

I’ve been to three of their seminars (I signed up for the year long package). They are VERY light weight. Think of them as the oversimplified cliff notes of life. The project management class for example informed us that we needed to have an acceptance plan, but didn’t tell us what an acceptance plan was. The Dealing with Difficult people class suggested that when we are in a stressful situation we should take a break and calm down. These are not tips that are worth paying for. If you are completely new to a subject they are apparently helpful, otherwise spend your day reading a book business book.

I took an Excel class with SkillPath and liked it, left with some good information, but over half the class was sales pitch. If there had been more teaching and less selling it would have been great!

I am on my 5th keyboard I have worn out all the delete keys on their emails.

I have some cream for you

I attended a seminar presented by Skillpath and it was a fine waste of a Friday.

I went to a Skillpath seminar for Administrative Assistants and really enjoyed it. The speakers were excellent. However, the first hour is pretty much one long sales pitch for all their books, and after you attend, your e-mail will be inundated on almost a daily basis with info on all their seminars. I enjoyed the one I went to, but I’m using my delete key a lot!

I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve gone to. Any new spin on this career is beneficial to me, and they have a lot of excellent ideas I now use. I have bought some of the books which I found really helpful. The only thing I don’t care for is the whole “get into groups of three and discuss…” etc. I really want to focus on the subject and topic, and getting painfully shy people (I’ll admit I’m nowhere near shy) but getting those that are together can be hard for other people and I would rather hear the lecture and presentation.

Skillpath is probably one of the worst seminars I have ever attended. If you are looking for a good seminar, the American Management Association has excellent choices, and the classes are always very good. They are more expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for.

There are good and not-so-good seminars offered by all the providers … a lot depends on the instructor … but you don’t know until you get there.

Donna gives a lot of good info for selecting your provider. Also decide what is your goal. Hands-on training is great but sometimes you just need to get your feet wet and be exposed to the power of the software and take a reference book home with you. I got started with PhotoShop just that way. I go to a new session every two-three years to see what has changed or what I have forgotten and to get new ideas.

These seminars have refresher and get-acquainted value that is available quickly when a whole semester of shorter classes aren’t convenient. The prices are pretty reasonable, too, especially if held locally.

Sometimes the undertone will be repetitive … but that just means that message applies to other subjects as well.

Don’t write them all off in general … but do be prepared for the selling throughout the day. The instructors are required to make a minimum effort … some go overboard.

Training must encompass several areas to be effective for the learner. The training must engage the audience and the training must focus on the learner. It should have clear training objectives and those objectives should be covered in training.

In the case of technology classes such as Microsoft Office among other software programs, hands-on training is critical to learning and retaining the information.

When looking for a training provider look for those that offer hands-on training. Ask if the training will include a computer for each person? Also, inquire if the trainining can be delivered at your facility complete with the laptops and workbooks for each person in attendance. Ask if group rates are available.

Another good source for training is to take an instructor-led, hands-on Webinar workshop. This is a great cost-effective and convenient way to obtain hands-on training. It can be conducted from the convenience of your own desk where you can log in to a live online training session with a live instructor. However, not all training is created equal so see if you can “test drive” the training before making an investment.

When you are looking on for a training provider also ask if they offer any free sessions that you could attend and evaluate the quality of the training. For example, do they have any upcoming free hands-on, instructor-led Webinars coming up that you could attend.

Training is an investment in time and money and you certainly want to leave a training session with knowledge that you can immediately apply and know that your time and money has been worth it.

Do your homework when searching for a training provider.

Thank you everyone for your reply’s and information. Now I can make my decision to what I am going to do.
Rick

Yes, I went full time work and school. I did the online program at Colorado Technical University and it took 3 years to complete. I choose them because of the crediting; I checked them out with the U.S. Department of Education. Yes, it was a lot of work but well worth it for making my advance in my career it seems you must have a least a bachelors degree now. Thank you for your reply.
Rick

I went to a 2-day Beginner and Intermediate Excel class (I didn’t need the beginner but thought I better start from the beginning so I wouldn’t get lost) and I really enjoyed the class & learned a lot. Our teacher was great. I didn’t cave in and buy anything except the Excel Bible, which I use all the time. I am taking a Microsoft Project class on Monday/Tuesday & just found out 3-4 people will be sharing a computer, which doesn’t really work for me, but I am going to give the first day a try and see how it goes. Overall, I would recommend them but I agree that they really do try to push books & extra stuff on you!

I have been to a couple of Skill Path Seminars and I am currently looking for another one to go to. I believe you can learn a lot from them. My supervisor goes to them all the time and we both come back with a lot of great information. Just remember, it is a class and you will only get out of it what you put into it.

I have taken several Skillpath seminars and definitely find them helpful. They are always more beneficial when you have a good speaker. I have only had one boresome speaker out of 8 seminars, so I would definitely give it a shot.

I have taken some SkillPath seminars and they were very good quality. But my favorite for seminars is National Seminars (www.natsem.com). They have a huge range of topics. If you take a seminar from them, be sure to ask about the STAR 12 program. For one price,you can take unlimited seminars for a year. If you sign up at your first seminar you get a substantial discount.

I’ve gone to Fred Pryor CareerTrack seminars and Franklin Covey. Both companies offer very good seminars. I’ve come out of each seminar with very useful tools for the workplace and in my private life. I definitely recommend trying out a seminar even if you only come out with one new tool to make your work and life easier. Franklin Covey is a bit expensive. Fred Pryor is much more affordable. If your company will reimburse you that’s even better. Invest in yourself – you’re worth it!

I’ve been to a number of them and believe as some have already stated, that with 17 years experience and having RECENTLY received your degree these seminars will provide little for you. Also as previously suggested, join SHRM instead. I’m not in HR so I don’t belong, but everything I’ve heard has been wonderful. In these financial times, what you’ll get out of a SkillPath seminar is not worth it just to have ‘a day out of the office.’ Use the money on something better. Good luck on your goal to become a HR Coordinator.

I have taken 3 of their seminars over the past 7 years. I find their seminars pretty decent and well organized. They give general information and perspective to the topic and it is not overly imposing with role playing etc. When I leave a seminar from them, I feel I knew somethings already, learned a few more things but I always leave feeling more motivated towards the topic than if I had not gone at all. But do go with another, seminars are better in numbers or they become boring.

I would PASS on the Skillpath Seminar. For someone with your experience it will be a refresher only. I’ve attended a few and each time received nothing benefical (except for a day out of the office).

If you have 17 years of experience this would not be of benefit to you. I would suggest registering for classes at your local college instead. However, semniar courses are great if you are looking to review or to get away, just be prepared for the plug of books and DVD’s but I have found the books etc are great and have been a benefit to me and the agency I work under. I recently attended a two day from National Seminar and it was a good refresher course. I have also been to some that I have asked for my money back and they did give me a refund.

I have been to a few Skillpath Seminars. I agree with Sami in a sense that it is snippets of information and a push to plug book sales. I did not find them to be cost effective. Did I learn something, yes. I think everyone will learn something. But was that “something” worth a whole day from work responsibilities, the cost, and the day sitting in a seminar…definitely not. You say you have 17 years experience. My guess is you’re not going to learn much you don’t already know. I would advise registering for a class at a local college. Would probably cost the same (or close) and you would learn a whole lot more. Good Luck!

I don’t recommend them at all. At our company, we’re not even allowed to attend this type of one-day seminar (from vendors like Skillpath, Fred Pryor, Careertrack, etc.). Our Human Resources and Training Department has evaluated them and found that they have very little value.

I did attend one of these seminars once, prior to working for my current employer, but asked for a refund of my seminar fee, because I didn’t learn a single thing. They didn’t even cover half of the items that were outlined in their brochure – it was very frustrating. The information they present is very general. I wish I had been able to ask for a refund of my time, as well as my money!

I have attended a few. I have taken away a few things, but they have been very general and have been something that I have had to research more indepth on my own. I have also found more information just doing Internet searches. I also did not like that they pause several times throughout the presentation to try and get you to order their books and products.

I have attended several of their seminars in the course of nine years and have always found them very informative, except for one time. However, I would recommend that you also look up National Seminars. I’ve attended many of their seminars and my experience with them has been great. In addition, if you sign-up for their online newsletter, you will never have to pay full price for their seminars since they send you discounts often (I’ve attended most of their seminars at 35% off, and on several occasions, at half the price). Now, if what you’re looking for are seminars focused specifically on HR, then I would highly recommend that you become a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (for less than $200/yr) instead. I’ve been a SHRM member for a few years now, and the benefits are so much better compared to a two-day HR seminar. Some of the benefits are: free webcasts on the 6 HR disciplines, monthly HR Magazine, weekly online newsletter, HR support, etc. Becoming a member of your local SHRM Chapter is also very helpful.

I enjoyed the SkillPath seminars and learned a lot of useful information.

I took a Skillpath seminar and thought it was good, but one I would recommend is from Management Association called “HR in a Nutshell” – it was fabulous. It was three days and filled with useful information.

For the same reasons as listed above, I would skip the Skillpath seminar and instead spend the money on a seminar or conference offered by a professional organization such as National Human Resources Association – ask around and find out which one is respected/belonged to by the HR staff in your company. Practicing professionals will make the presentations instead of pro trainers.

I, and others here, have about a 50/50 record with them. Some of their sessions are very good and well worth the money, some are a waste of time and money. You never really know which way it will go until you are there.

I have taken a Skillpath seminar as well as signed a variety of employees up for different classes with Skillpath. I found my experience very infomative. Having said that, realize it’s all how you utilize what you learn. There are some that came back with a bad experience and others, like myself, who came back excited and ready to improve. Bring business cards to hand out, it’s a nice forum to meet others with the same business interests and share ideas. I believe seminars are refreshing even if you take one thing away from it, you now have a new approach on handling it.

I have been to several Skillpath seminars and they are interesting, fun and exhilerating. Sure, they have lots of information and publications on hand to sell to you but they take the time to read and work with these books so I respect their recommendations. I think they tend to cover a lot of information in a short time frame, but they always encourage you to use different materials if you need further information on a subject. They are great for interim training or just refreshing yourself by relating to what’s going on in our profession. We all need to share, learn and network with others that are doing what we are doing 40 hours a week. I recommend them. The best 3-day course that I highly recommend is PA Douglas Annual Professional Assistants Seminar. It’s in about 6 different locations every year and I think it’s more for the seasoned administrative professional, but check out their web site for more information.

I have attended several of their admin seminars. Repeat info, book selling, they also recommended websites that were no longer available for reference. Nice enough people but I was not impressed. Do not give up!!! Keep looking for the good seminars your college or community college offer.

I went to one Skillpath seminar when I was new to the Admin profession. I was so excited that I was going to be able to learn how to perform in this new position but came away with almost nothing…unless you could the $75 credit card bill after I got suckered into buy so many books! Every little tip given could be tied to one of the many books they had for sale. It’s light on info and hard on “sell”. I haven’t been to one since.

I think Skillpath seminars are light weight. You should look into other companies for a more detailed and define agenda. Since you have a degree, you might consider advancing to a position other Admin. Asst. You apparently have the experience as a Admin. and should use that experience to further advance yourself. Good Luck!

Our company uses SkillPath seminars for just about all of the seminars that they send employees to. I have been to several over the years (none recently though) and I have enjoyed them for the most part. As with any seminar, all of the information given might not pertain to your situation, but if you can even get three or four good, useful tips, then it was worth it. Their format is good and I don’t usually get bored at them. Heads-up though: At the beginning of most, they try to talk you into purchasing books and other materials that they have on hand and that pertain to the seminar topics. Be prepared for that (either by being ready to say no or by having the funds to do so if you do decide to buy). They aren’t overly pushy about it and some of the material is worth it. (They have a 30 or 60 day return policy, so once I ended up buying a set of books there, took them home, looked over them, and returned them within the time limit. I didn’t have any problem getting my money refunded.) Talk to your manager ahead of time and he/she may agree to reimburse you for any products you do buy/keep. Overall, I’ve always been pleased with the SkillPath seminars I’ve attended. I usually come away with several good tips and it’s a nice day away from the office and being around other people who deal with the same types of situations you are day in and day out.

I have went to a couple of Skillpath seminars as some companies will only pay for the seminars, but if your company will reimburse the costs, I would recommend taking a course at your local college, it would be much more beneficial for you to earn the credits. I also believe it looks much better on your portfolio in the case your company does a corporate restructure.

I have been to about six SkillPath seminars and they were excellent! The speakers knew their material and were very informative. The last one had us in stiches. It was about the various types of people we have to work with: bullies, snypers, cryers, etc. Yes, I believe in having fun during serious workshops. What most people forget is that the material given at a seminar needs to be used, implemented, worked with to become useful. Yes, they do try to sell books and CDs but it didn’t diminish the actual seminar. Also, SkillPath will reimburse you your money if you are not satisfied. So, give it a try.

I also agree with Sami and Anon about the SkillPath Seminars; the speaker was inspiring and motivational, but every chance she had to plug a book – whether it was hers or the company she did it.

Yes I have attended a SkillPath seminar for Admin Assts along with 13 others from the company I work with. It was a one day seminar and everyone of us found the day to be beneficial. Go for it.

I agree with Sami. They are a good source of information; however, they will only go over so much and the rest you will have to do your reading and or research on your own.

I agree with Sami. I too have taken the SkillPath seminar, what a waste of time and money.

I’ve taken a SkillPath seminar and consider it a waste of time and money. The seminar consisted of tiny snippets of information from a variety of books that they had available for sale. It felt like nothing but an all day marketing session – buy this book, go to this other seminar or meeting, etc. You can get much more (and much better) information for free on the Internet and spend the money on some good Admin Professional books.

I haven’t taken the seminar, but I am currently looking into get a BS in Business Administration. Would you say the degree has helped you in your job, and did you go to school full-time? If not, how long did it take you to complete it? Thanks! I hope others have insight on the seminar.