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I don't imagine there is any fear of that position going away. I have been admin. assistant in several companies and believe me, did ALL the work. Besides, who would run the place when the CEO, COO and CFO out playing golf or in Aruba, hmmm?
I completely agree! I worked as an Admin Asst to a Lt. Col for the Air Force and then for a Colonel. I ran their office. The Commander of the base would come to me for answers to his questions, others that had been in the field for 15 + yrs were coming to me for answers. My job was not going away! I left the military to pursue other things, plus my boss was a ****, the Lt. Col.
The Colonel that I worked for let me do my job, the other boss was constantly watching me. While working for the Colonel, I was recognized 5 times for special projects and awards.
Whenever either was out of town on vacation, I was the go to person, which was great, as I was just an measely little Airman (e4). I prided myself in my work!
NOpe, the Admin Asst won't be going anywhere for a while!!
A CEO of a Fortune 500 company told me 10 years ago that the administrative assisant positions would soon be a "thing of the past". He said that with the development of new computer technologies, the internet, etc., that there would be no need for executives or management to employ an assistant. I disagreed with him then, and I still disagree. At my workplace which employs over 1,200 people, the admin is very necessary and is better skilled than many of the supervisors and team leads.
Do you think a career as an administrative assistant is a "dead end"? As far as pay scale, the admins at my work place start at $30k and go up to over $50k. Doesn't sound too bad to me. What are your thoughts?
Administrative assistants will NEVER be a thing of the past because administrative assistants coordinate everything behind the scenes and make sure that everything runs smoothly. I don't know of a successful company or a highly successful executive who doesn't have someone competent in the background running the show. Whoever you heard this from is a knucklehead who obviously is either inexperienced or doesn't want to give credit where credit is due.
I have been an admin for over 12 years in the investment banking industry and legal industry and have worked with admin men. Men are few, but they are there along side women. I don't consider myself a gopher, servant or slave. If I was, than I am paid very well for my services. Don't know where you work, but as stated in my previous post. Some of us get paid more than $60,000 not including bonus and have a luxury assignment. Fixing coffee and faxing memos are not part of my assignment. There is indoor dining services that caters all meals and coffee. All I do is set it up. Faxing sending/receiving is handled by office services. There are those who might be stuck, but most of us choose to work in this field. My salary is higher than most people with "real jobs". If you're tired of being an admin--quit!
Whoa there. I used to be an administrative assistant in the 80's and early 90's, but never got to the point where you're at because I pursued my education further after my husband graduated from pharmacy school.
I don't know what kind of company you're employed with, but getting to the $60,000 + mark, plus bonuses, plus luxury assignment is not the norm. Like the other poster, I also went on to get a Bachelor's degree in accounting, then went on to pursue a degree in nursing (which I did not complete), went on to become an entrepreneur and work for myself.
If you have dining services and caterers who set up for functions, then I venture to say that you're not working for "Ma and Pa" start-up companies, which is where most of the jobs are today. Faxing/receiving, etc. is usually done by admin. assistants. My bosses (who were partners) at a Big Three accounting firm would sometimes send a fax if necessary, if everyone was out to lunch, etc. Who are you? Do you work for Donald Trump where you have your own admin. assistants? I mean, good for you, but get real too. I'm glad for you that you've hit the admin assistant jackpot, but it's not all that for all the other highly educated "admin assistants" out there. They are some of the hardest working, under-appreciated workers. I'm sorry that you don't appreciate the plight of those who are not in your boat. Your experience is the exception, not the norm, in my personal opinion.
Whoa there. I used to be an administrative assistant in the 80's and early 90's, but never got to the point where you're at because I pursued my education further after my husband graduated from pharmacy school.
I don't know what kind of company you're employed with, but getting to the $60,000 + mark, plus bonuses, plus luxury assignment is not the norm. Like the other poster, I also went on to get a Bachelor's degree in accounting, then went on to pursue a degree in nursing (which I did not complete), went on to become an entrepreneur and work for myself.
If you have dining services and caterers who set up for functions, then I venture to say that you're not working for "Ma and Pa" start-up companies, which is where most of the jobs are today. Faxing/receiving, etc. is usually done by admin. assistants. My bosses (who were partners) at a Big Three accounting firm would sometimes send a fax if necessary, if everyone was out to lunch, etc. Who are you? Do you work for Donald Trump where you have your own admin. assistants? I mean, good for you, but get real too. I'm glad for you that you've hit the admin assistant jackpot, but it's not all that for all the other highly educated "admin assistants" out there. They are some of the hardest working, under-appreciated workers. I'm sorry that you don't appreciate the plight of those who are not in your boat. Your experience is the exception, not the norm, in my personal opinion.
My response was to RuralSeekeer who was clearly unhappy, and I told her if one is unhappy, than they should quit. I can't give you the names of where I work, but my job descriptions are the norm among those who I know who work in large corporations in NYC and NC. I guess, I am blessed to work where I am appreciated. Why do you think one does not have a college degree who pursue admin work? The choice is made because we love the hours and pay. Great $$$ and the ability to lead a normal life is our dream. Titles are unimportant. I turned down promotional opportunities because I prefer to live a life free from stress.
I must say that colleges would cease to exist without administrative assistants. I actually worked as an assistant to the administrative assistant (there were two of us beneath her) because there was so much for her to do in a day that the more menial work- faxing, copying, stuffing letters, hanging posters, running errands around campus, etc- was delegated down.
All the departments at my school have at least one administrative assistant (sometimes 2 or 3 in big departments) who work under the director of the program. Normally the director is also teaching 2 or 3 courses so the vast majority of those duties are passed down.
As long as there are colleges and universities, there will be tons of administrative assistants.
I don't know if they will ever be a thing of the past, but I sure wish that I had one of my own. I run the locksmith, physical security department of a healthcare organization, I am a member of the hospitals foundation, I am also a project manager for the hospital. I need an administrative assistant of my own or would that be a personal assistant because I am not an administrator. Either way I would love to have one or the other. Maybe that way I could have more time to spend on CDF.
I don't know if they will ever be a thing of the past, but I sure wish that I had one of my own. I run the locksmith, physical security department of a healthcare organization, I am a member of the hospitals foundation, I am also a project manager for the hospital. I need an administrative assistant of my own or would that be a personal assistant because I am not an administrator. Either way I would love to have one or the other. Maybe that way I could have more time to spend on CDF.
I have been an admin. asst. for 10 years and I'm perfectly happy. I'm actually more an Office Manager now but that's not my title. I don't care if I have to fax, answer phones, etc. I have a college degree but I have chosen my career based on the fact that I work to live, not live to work. I have no desire to be at work until 7 or 8 at night or in at 6 or 7 in the morning. I have a child and hubby works at night. I'm out the door at 4:50 everyday to beat traffic. I've only been with my present company for a few months but at my previous job, the guys I worked for took care of me b/c I took care of them. I am doing the same here. You have to make an effort. If you act like you are not doing anything worthwhile, you'll be treated that way. I know my job is important and keep going. I don't have the headaches these other people do and don't want them. I make pretty good money too. Guess it just depends on how you handle what you are given.
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I worked as an Admin Asst to a Lt. Col for the Air Force and then for a Colonel. I ran their office. The Commander of the base would come to me for answers to his questions, others that had been in the field for 15 + yrs were coming to me for answers. My job was not going away! I left the military to pursue other things, plus my boss was a ****, the Lt. Col. 
