Career: Administrative Assistants and Secretaries
Administrative assistants and secretaries are talented, versatile people. If you have any doubt, stop by the school office and watch the secretary at work. You'll see him or her juggle a dozen tasks -- signing in a late student, answering the phone, sorting the mail -- all without batting an eye.
Administrative assistants and secretaries provide various office support services.
Did You Know?
- Some secretaries choose to specialize in a field such as medicine or law.
Are You Ready To...?
- Use computers constantly
- Use fax machines, photocopiers, and other office equipment
- Schedule appointments and meetings
- File documents
- Take dictation
- Draft and type letters
- Proofread your writing and your boss’s
- Deal with the public
- Make travel arrangements
- Answer phones
It Helps to Be...
At ease with computers and the English language. Good interpersonal skills are also key. You'll also need to work independently, stay organized, and take initiative. Office technology keeps changing, so be ready for continued on-the-job learning.
Make High School Count
- Make the most of English classes and sharpen your command of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Build computer skills -- practice on a wide variety of word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
- Practice your keyboarding skills (and train yourself to type accurately, even when you're sending personal e-mails).
- Take psychology to learn about human nature.
- Sign up for accounting.
- Take an organized approach to your schoolwork -- keep an assignment book, take careful notes, and stick to a study schedule.
Did You Know?
- Once you've gained experience, you can earn a certificate from a group such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals, which will help you advance in your career.
Outlook
The job outlook in this field varies widely.
Government economists expect the number of jobs for general secretaries (those who don't specialize in law or medicine or work as executive secretaries) to stay about the same through 2016. Technology plays a big role in this development. Computers have made office workers more efficient. What's more, managers use software to create letters and other documents on their own. Therefore, fewer office workers are needed.
Job growth should be average for legal secretaries, but faster than average for executive secretaries and administrative assistants, as well as for medical secretaries. For the best job prospects, it helps to have good communication skills and know a wide range of software programs.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the following average salaries for 2008:
- Executive secretaries and administrative assistants: $42,340
- General secretaries: $29,990
- Legal secretaries: $41,640
- Medical secretaries: $30,800
