Pros and Cons of a Career as a Scheduling Coordinator
Scheduling coordinators work in a number of fields and are in charge of composing, maintaining and updating schedules of events, shipments, classes or meetings. Read on for some pros and cons of becoming a scheduling coordinator to see if it's the right job for you.
| Pros of Being a Scheduling Coordinator |
|---|
| Some positions require little or no postsecondary education* |
| Pay may be relatively high for having no college degree (median salary for entry-level scheduling coordinators is about $10,000 higher than national median salary for workers with only a high school diploma)** |
| Can work in numerous industries (academic, medical, industrial, events)* |
| May work anywhere - no geographical limitations on employment* |
| Cons of Being a Scheduling Coordinator |
|---|
| Slow job growth for some industries - employment of scheduling coordinators in manufacturing expected to increase 2%-4% (slower than average) from 2014 to 2024*** |
| May be stressful - pressures of exacting details, last-minute changes and decision-making, allocating numerous priorities into limited time slots*** |
| Job allows little room for error - organizational effectiveness depends on schedule accuracy*** |
| Additional experience or knowledge of certain fields (such as medical or information technology) may be required to work as a scheduling coordinator* |
Sources: *Multiple job postings (from April 2012), **U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ***O*NET.
Career Information
Job Types and Descriptions
Scheduling coordinators work in numerous fields and their duties may vary accordingly. In all cases, scheduling coordinators are in charge of devising and maintaining institutional schedules, whether they are for products, people or processes. These workers keep schedules updated in the face of any changes and often act as liaisons among those the schedule affects.
As a scheduling coordinator for a college or university, you would be in charge of organizing classes, instructors, time slots and rooms into a comprehensive course schedule each term. In a medical setting, your responsibilities might include coordinating lab testing and ensuring its completion, scheduling patients, and devising surgery schedules according to patient, surgeon, time and space availability. Scheduling coordinators in industrial environments oversee shipping and production schedules, keeping various company departments apprised of deadlines and changes. Project management scheduling coordinators in industries such as information technology (IT) comprise and maintain schedules of tasks and deadlines. Facilities or event scheduling coordinators handle reservations, oversee invoices and procure resources for special events.
Salary Info
According to Salary.com, the median annual salary for entry-level scheduling coordinators in 2016 was around $48,000. Scheduling coordinators with five years of experience or more brought in a median salary of $63,000, with the middle half earning between $55,000 and $71,000 annually in 2016.
Job Skills and Requirements
In all types of scheduling positions, the ability to work with little supervision is a must - scheduling coordinators often address discrepancies and make corresponding decisions on their own. As such, you should have solid judgment and decision-making capacities. You also may serve as a liaison, so effective communication skills are essential. Some scheduling coordinators interact with the public, as in medical environments or event planning positions; in these cases, scheduling coordinators should be adept at customer service.
Given the intricacies of creating a schedule with an eye to numerous factors such as space, conflicts and deadlines, analytic and organizational abilities will be necessary to perform this job successfully. In addition, since the accuracy of a schedule is imperative to any organization's functioning, you'll need to have an eye for detail and a meticulous capacity for accuracy.
What Employers Look For
The education requirements of scheduling coordinator jobs vary; while some positions may require a bachelor's or associate degree, many require no more than a high school diploma. Many times experience in the field will compensate for the lack of a degree. The following are a few job postings from real employers in April 2012 to give you an idea of the qualifications currently sought:
- A printing company in Minnesota is looking for a candidate to coordinate the company's manufacturing schedule, including matching projects with appropriate equipment and overseeing the input of project information into the scheduling system. The job involves active communication with various departments about schedule changes, project details and equipment functions. The position called for a bachelor's degree or comparable work experience.
- A Pittsburgh retirement community sought a candidate to create the regular schedule for staff nurses, coordinating time off and ensuring compliance with federal and local stipulations. Strong communication skills were required, and the call indicated a preference for a Certified Nursing Assistant.
- An IT company in Maryland advertised for a candidate to produce and oversee the information management systems for company programs. The scheduler would utilize various software to coordinate and report on program progress as well as create the monthly schedule. A high school diploma and experience in scheduling supervision and report production were listed as required.
How to Stand out in the Field
If you want to work as a scheduling coordinator in a particular field, it can be helpful to attain some additional expertise in that specific industry. For example, if you want to schedule in a medical setting, you may want to consider taking a medical terminology class or other classes in medical assisting at a community or vocational college. If you want to be an IT project management scheduling coordinator, you might want to become familiar with the other aspects of project management so you have more of an understanding of what you will be scheduling.
Database and spreadsheet software applications are commonly used in scheduling, so gaining experience and expertise in these kinds of programs and staying up to date on their latest versions can also give you an edge. Enhancing your communication or customer service skills can be helpful as well; many community colleges offer individual classes in these areas.
Alternative Careers to Consider
If being a scheduling coordinator doesn't sound like the right fit for you, there are other options you might want to consider. If you're looking for a wider range of work than scheduling encompasses, you could look into becoming an executive assistant. Executive assistants impart overall support for high-level executives within an organization. In addition to basic administrative tasks, their duties often include more involved work such as performing research, assembling reports or coordinating meetings. In 2011, the median annual salary for executive assistants was around $45,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
You could also consider becoming an event planner. These workers oversee all the planning components of a variety of professional and social gatherings. They coordinate the location, equipment needs, catering, decorations and other aspects of events such as weddings, conferences and business meetings. This position may call for a bachelor's degree, but according to the BLS, it also has a projected job growth of 44% from 2010 to 2020. The BLS indicates that the middle half of event planners earned approximately $35,000 to $60,000 annually in 2011.
