Don't Change Careers--Change Locations

I once met a young man who had spent years studying to be a lawyer. He had gone to one of the most prestigious and expensive law schools in the country. After he graduated, he got a job in a well-respected law firm in Washington, DC. After only two years as an attorney, he found out he didn’t like it. “Hated it,” was the way he put it. He was so miserable, he quit his job. Our conversation took place at a restaurant bar in a resort area where he was the bartender. He didn’t like the whole “law thing” and wasn’t really trained to do anything else.

The great thing about a career as an Administrative Assistant is, if you aren’t happy in one company, industry or business, you can take your very transferrable skills somewhere else. The basics—word processing, handling phones and schedules, filing, correspondence, data management, customer service—can be used in just about any setting. And, just about every organization under the sun has a need for some type of administrative help. Unlike the young man above, you don’t have to change your career to find job satisfaction. Just relocate!

In the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada,” Andrea Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, is the 24/7 assistant to Miranda Priestly, the editor of Runway magazine, played by Merrill Streep. She does the regular admin tasks, but also is called on to do extraordinary personal requests, such as shopping for her children and picking up her steak for lunch. On the other hand, she also gets to accompany her to Paris for the fashion shows. There are opportunities in the glamorous world of fashion, magazines and advertising.

Erin Brockovich, was a single mother who started out as a legal assistant. Her boss gave her the opportunity to investigate a case, and she ended up almost toppling a powerful company. She is now a celebrity and environmental advocate.

Want to work in a magical place that has a castle and the latest in technology of the future and a singing and dancing Mouse? The Walt Disney Company recently advertised for an administrative assistant for their Products division.

If you prefer something a little more down to earth, you can find administrative jobs in warehousing, human resources, construction, and accounting. If you like people contact, receptionist, front desk agent and customer service representative are jobs that require administrative and communications skills.

If you are bored, looking for a greater challenge or just a change of scenery, use your valuable administrative skills to open the door to a new opportunity. Coupled with a solid work ethic and organization skills, you may find a new career as a supervisor, managing other administrative assistants.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for Administrativejobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at administrativejobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.