Am I overconfident about my qualifications?

Hi everyone,

I’m job hunting and could use some outside perspective on whether my salary expectations are realistic for my experience.

Quick background:

•	6+ years of administrative and office support experience

•	Clinical Office Assistant experience (patient files, scheduling, documentation, some phlebotomy support)

•	Worked in higher education at two colleges in administrative roles

•	College-affiliated writing experience

•	Strong with paperwork, compliance, scheduling, email communication, and confidential information

•	Customer service and some management experience

•	Business Law degree (not a JD)

What I’m looking for:

•	Full-time office-based or remote work

•	Administrative, coordinator, operations, legal admin, or paralegal-adjacent roles

•	Stable schedule

•	Salary range: $40K–$62K

I keep seeing mixed advice online. Some people say this range is reasonable for this background, while others suggest anything above entry-level pay requires very specific certifications.

I’d appreciate honest feedback on:

•	Whether this salary range is realistic

•	Job titles I should be focusing on or avoiding

•	Whether certifications would meaningfully improve my chances or pay

Thanks in advance — I’m trying to plan smart and not waste time applying to the wrong roles.