Message #42742

[raindance]

Once I got my first admin support job, as a bottom-of-the-heap office junior, I did spend some time identifying my professional goals and the type of industry I would like to work in.  Apart from that, I have always taken advantage of every opportunity to do non-admin support projects, to broaden my experience and increase my knowledge.  The result is that I now provide some support to the CEO of my company, but mostly am in charge of four high-profile areas of work which are outside the role of most admin support professionals.  I may have an opportunity in the next twelve months to take this work to a higher level again.  I guess I am one of Andrea's "hybrids" and am fortunate enough, apart from one or two little bumps along the way, to have had bossies who are happy for me to develop new areas of work.  I thrive on change and new challenges - but that's me.

I have the greatest respect for office professionals who follow a more traditional path. I have had the privilege to work with some wonderfully accomplished PAs who were very happy in their posts and did not wish to go in another direction.  This does not mean that they did not have ambition or goals, but that their ambitions and goals were different from, but equally valid to mine.

Whatever goals a person has, I think the most important thing is to try to be the very best you can at that job, and that entails keeping up to date with training and maintaining high standards of service and systems.  

My two bitz.

Raindance