"I've fallen and I can't get up!". That's how I became an admin. It was never my true intention to remain an assistant, but I find that I'm very good at it, and there are many aspect of my job I really enjoy (I'm power mad!). As to why some assistants don't try for higher positions, it's usually because they like what they do. In other cases, it's because there are no other positions for them to aspire to, particularly in a larger company, and let's face it, that's where the money is. Smaller companies offer more autonomy, but they also offer lower salaries. There are no office managers in large corporations so they move up in support roles. Although I don't supervise anyone, people know me and respect me and know that I'm the one they need to get what they want, particularly if it means seeing or getting something from my boss, the head honcho.
On top of that, my boss makes up for what the company can't give me. There are many perks in my job, so I admit it's one of the reasons I continue to do what I do. Besides, I see what he goes through and the pressure he's under and I don't know that I want the kind of responsibility he has. Unless I were running my own business, with my name on the letterhead, it's not worth it.
As for being a dinosaur, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, up to a point. I think the problem arises when you find people who don't want to change with the times, like learn new technology or programs. Those people who want to continue to do things the same way they've always been done, even when it's harder or more time consuming, give dinosaurs a bad name. But then there are the people who want to push new technology that hasn't been tried yet. That's when you have to put the brakes on and slow 'em down a little. Both sides have valid arguments, but neither seems to know how to get past them without giving up something. They need to learn to compromise.
I went to school nights and weekends for 5 loooooong years and got my BS and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I often think I wasted time and loads of money (I'll be paying my student loan for the next 88 years), but I also know that without that piece of paper, I wouldn't be making the kind of money I'm making now. Because of the increased responsibility admins have today, the degree means something, even if you don't think you're really using all that you learned. However, if you decide to get a degree by going back to school as an adult, make sure you're doing it for yourself, not for anyone else. That's your time you're giving up, not someone else's.
Lioness, Queen of the Jungle
