Salaries in the San Diego Area (San Jose, El Cajon: fit in, foreclosure, renting)

[westcoastbabe]

Curious as to know what a career Executive Assistant could stand to make in the San Diego area....Would it be enough to live on or would I have to consider a second job? Let me clarify that I am single with/no kids....Would start out renting but in the market to buy.

[socketz]

This is probably one of the toughest careers to map with regards to salaries. I've know EAs that make 27k, and I've known EAs that make 80s.

Since you normally report to and support an individual that has alot of influence within the respective company (middle managers rarely have thier own assistants), I would target the individual vs. the salary. I have known EAs that make good money, yet had to support a monster and inturn hated their job. On the other hand, I've also know EAs that enjoyed their job so much that they were almost looked at like a part of the indvidual's extended family. This job is also an excellent stepping stone into other roles as well.

Again, I would target the individual first and I think the pay will follow suit.

[westcoastbabe]

wow...didnt know the range was that wide.....WOW!!!...I work for one of the major banks if that makes a difference...

[socketz]

I've lived in a few major cities (Dallas, LA, San Jose and San Diego) and it seems to vary by city, experience and of course who you support.

These roles can range from a traditional secratary type, to someone more operational.

If you are supporting a Sr. VP, the salary is normally higher, but then again so are the expectations, experience requirement and stress. Also, alot of EAs also serve as office managers in smaller offices. In these small to mid-size offices, I've even seen them perform the duties of a buyer/purchasing agent, etc. So it's a tough role to fit into a set of salary ranges based on experience.

[westcoastbabe]

I support an SVP and in addition one of his direct reports...You are right that the expectations/stress is a little higher...Calendar management is s really big part of the job...Dont mind it though...but again could I support myself in SD if offered the right position?

[moved]

It all depends on where/who you work for, amd also where/how you want to live.

[westcoastbabe]

Sometime its not about living in the best of neighborhoods....Case in point presently I own a home of the westside of the city, which is sometime frowned upon because of the crime levels....but fortunately my neighborhood is established and I feel relatively safe there....It's pockets that make a side of town bad so with that being said...it would have to be the ritiziest of neighborhoods..but would like to feel safe...Would start out renting then maybe look into buying a shortsale/or foreclosure.. Would love to tranfer with my bank..but i couldnt would love to work in the financial sector.

[socketz]

You said that you were single with no kids, so you have a tremendous number of options. I would not worry so much about the cost.

If you said you had school age kids and wanted to buy a home, then of course cost would be more of a factor. To be honest, I don't think anywhere in San Diego is all that bad. Even the areas people here call 'bad' (Spring Valley, El Cajon, Etc.) are really just middle to lower income with some opportunistic type crime and that's about it.

There is a thread here somewhere about San Diego being one of the safest large cities in the country; I'd vouch for that...

I'd find the right job, then find a place to live based on what you can afford.

[loveautumn]

Admin/exec assistant positions at high paying levels are difficult to find because, in my experience, nobody ever leaves those jobs...because high paying jobs in SD are not easy to find. As others have said, salary could vary from $27k to $80k (rare). Also alot of technical skills are required...I'm sure you know, long gone are the days of typing, filing and answering the phones. Nobody does that anymore. An EA is typically expected to wear alot of hats, and either work for one or two very high level people, or support 6-10 people. Most mid level exec's don't even have their own assistants any more.

I would definitely talk to a temp agency since alot of firms here now go thru these agencies so they can check out the person for a few months before hiring (and vice versa, you can check out of the company to see if it is a good fit). Otherwise, you might want to try a headhunter. Alot of high level jobs aren't advertised, they are filled by referral or word of mouth.

In general, alot of these positions aren't being filled because of the economy and the work is just given to the admins that they already have.

I know this doesn't sound very encouraging but realistically I would talk to some agencies before making a move out here.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by westcoastbabe

Curious as to know what a career Executive Assistant could stand to make in the San Diego area....Would it be enough to live on or would I have to consider a second job? Let me clarify that I am single with/no kids....Would start out renting but in the market to buy.

It sounds like others have given great advice on the work/salary issue.

However, even earning 80K, do people think she'll be able to afford a house/condo? I'm thinking you probably need TWO 80K salaries to be able to afford something without being house poor.