I Don’t Want to be an Administrative Assistant Anymore

When I was nearing the end of high school and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, I made a decision: I would not become a secretary like my mom. My mom has worked over 30 years as a secretary, and it is not her passion. It’s a way to pay the bills, and nothing more.

I decided I didn’t want to follow in her footsteps because I wanted to pursue a career doing something I loved. I wanted a job that was meaningful and tapped into what I really cared about. That’s why in college I studied psychology, and I graduated ready to start a career in helping people.

Life’s funny, because I currently work as a secretary. An “administrative assistant,” to be correct.

My career path hasn’t turned out quite like I imagined it to in the three years I’ve been out of college. I started out working as a case manager’s assistant at a domestic violence shelter where I got my first taste of administrative work. Then I subbed as a secretary for my local school district until I was hired on as the librarian’s assistant at a high school. Not a fan of babysitting high schoolers, I changed jobs again to what is now my current position of administrative assistant in a facilities department at a university.

Despite my teenage aspirations to not settle like I thought my mom did, admin work was sort of a natural fit for me. I’m highly organized and super detail oriented. I feel most comfortable filling supportive roles, and enjoy helping other people do their…