Message #4674

[msrobbie]

I believe there are a number of reasons why there seems to be a shortage of dedicated, professional administrative personnel.



First of all, job hopping seems to have been the trend of the 90's.  The minute things got a little tough, bring out the resume and move on to another position.  Also (and this is not particularly a fault, just a symptom), we are a mobile society and tend to move again and again instead of staying in the same community.  This also prevents many of us from staying in the same position for any length of time.



Second, with the advent and widespread use of "spell check" programs, people tend to rely too heavily on the accuracy of their documents after having run the spell check.  We all know that there are many things that spell check programs do not catch, but yet you often hear, "Well, I ran spell check on it before I printed it out," when mistakes are found in documents.  There is also a decline in every day math skills, which I also contribute to the common availability of computers.  No one seems to be able to add up a column of figures or compute a percentage without pen and paper or a calculator any more.



Third, and this is not necessarily categorized as a fault, a good percentage of people are raised to question everything and everyone, never to take anything at face value.  I truly believe this is the case with every occupation, not just administrative professionals.



Fourth, we are all in such a big hurry because there is so much to do.  Two or three hundred cable channels to choose from.  Interstate highways that take us everywhere.  Air transportation that can take us anywhere in a few hours.  Computers that enable us to talk on Instant Messenger with our friend in Cairo, Egypt, at the blink of an eye.  Families with each member having separate lives that require logistics unimaginable in the past (get Susie to soccer, get Bobby to hockey, pick up Chinese food for dinner, run to my book club meeting, wave at hubby as you pass in the hall).  And, being in such a hurry, most of us don't take the time we need to take to do the best we can do.



To sum up, everything changes from decade to decade.  Some of it is wonderful and exciting.  And some of it makes us a little nostalgic for "the way it used to be".  You know, the old "I had to walk five miles through the snow to school" thing.  Every generation believes that the next younger generation has it too easy or too soft and challenges the status (or lack of) work ethic.



I'm sure that if we had the benefit of the input of people who were secretaries and clerks in the 1940's, those of us who started working in the 60's and 70's would be told that we were soft and lazy because of the electric typewriter, mag cards, and "white out".  The only thing that is certain in life is that nothing ever stays the same.  Paradoxical, isn't it?



This is a great topic.  Thanks for posting it.



Robbie