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I have been an executive assistant since 2004. I graduated college with a communications degree and I got a decent job at a large tech company in the Pacific Northwest. I was eager to take it as I got tired of money just going out and not coming in.
Anyway, I have had jobs in large tech company since then. Frankly, I hate it. I just don't like being an administrative assistant. Its a thankless job and you get zero respect. You get pigeon holed and there is never room for advancement (dead end job).
I have been applying for jobs (after living overseas with a 4 year hiatus) that were out of my resume experience (but still kind of in line with it) because I REALLY want to do something different. Meanwhile, I get interest from a HUGE tech company here in Southern California not only doing EXACTLY what I was doing 15 years ago but literally in the same division of the company that I have always worked for. Wow. Deja vu!
Living in France, I see that people (not me) can get hired doing something else when they want to change. It seems easier there but here in the USA, it seems people pigeon hole you and will hire you if you have been doing the exact same thing. I was actually semi impressed that the scope of this job that is interested in me is so completely exact to what I was almost doing down to the letter. I know, I shouldn't have applied for the job in the first place but I am just applying to everything at this point. Why is is SO HARD to get out of your field here? How do you get "unstuck"? How do you get people to see you differently and hire you out of your field? Also, I think being an administrative assistant, its difficult to get out of that role because people don't see you being able to do anything else.
I've seen a few people move out of admin jobs (most at a Fortune 200 company) but usually they were executive administrative assistants working for someone high up in the company or in the legal department.
I know the feeling - the pigeon-holing is bad in my field (engineering), too. You do one type of engineering, and everyone expects you to do that same role forever - even if the path you're trying to switch to falls under the same degree
Not sure what to say for admin assistant; what field(s) are you trying to switch to? Anything even remotely related? I think you need to figure that out first.
The worst part is when you don't have the work history you have to take anything so I don't know how they expect you to stay in a role you never even wanted in the first place.
, I see that people (not me) can get hired doing something else when they want to change. It seems easier there but here in the USA, it seems people pigeon hole you and will hire you if you have been doing the exact same thing.
That does not reflect reality in the USA.
If someone attempts a career change, employers do not count experience in the old field and treat career changers as if they have zero experience.
The USA job market is not good for career changers.
Employers want experience. Period. If you don't have experience, they can find someone who will. No one is willing to train people anymore; I even see job ads where a company wants someone to already have experience with that company's own proprietary/exclusive software (I've been told those are companies that are looking to hire internally). Really the only place to get training, on the job, from the ground up, is the military.
The other problem is that you also don't have the education to do something else, so that is something else to consider. The problem there, of course, is that you can get another degree (either continue to grad school, or try again with a different undergrad degree), but you'll still be stuck at the "no experience " problem, and you probably get less mileage at your age than when you're 22 and in the same situation... nor do you probably want to be back to entry-level jobs at your age, if you can get someone to even hire you. (And then it's possible you're stuck paying off more student loans, and still in the same job anyway.)
This is big problem, many people stuck in industries, career paths or jobs they never wanted to be in - and basically the only job they can get is an exact match for their current job in an identical competitior
Even retraining, or doing further degrees and education employers will completely discount and focus directly on their current or last permanent role.
It's like being stuck in a career prison, except its almost a taboo to even mention this. There is no escape.
However, i have seen individuals placed in management positions in a disciplines they have little or no experience in, there seems to be certain individuals who get moved around placed in best positions with ease, so it proves it ls possible. It's like the rules don't apply for them.
If a company wants to hire someone for a certain position, they want someone with experienced in doing that job. If they want to hire someone with no experience, they expect to pay starting wages for that job.
You as a more mature worker with experience in another field want wages compensating for your age and experience.
Not going to happen. If you want to change fields, expect to get wages for young first time job holders in that new field. That is all you are worth to the company.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have seen several admins where I work go into other roles within the organization. One went to law school and became a lawyer, but the others became:
Contract Coordinator in Project Management
Lease Administrator in Real Estate
Entry level buyer in Purchasing
This is big problem, many people stuck in industries, career paths or jobs they never wanted to be in - and basically the only job they can get is an exact match for their current job in an identical competitior
Even retraining, or doing further degrees and education employers will completely discount and focus directly on their current or last permanent role.
It's like being stuck in a career prison, except its almost a taboo to even mention this. There is no escape.
However, i have seen individuals placed in management positions in a disciplines they have little or no experience in, there seems to be certain individuals who get moved around placed in best positions with ease, so it proves it ls possible. It's like the rules don't apply for them.
Exactly. I'm a licensed community manager with 15 years of experience in community associations. I've been a manager for the past three years and a resort reservation manager prior to to managing associations. I'm currently out of work due to being terminated in a position I took to better myself, for benefits and higher pay; 89 days later, I was terminated with no warning and after always being thanked for following up with my owners and board. On my 9th week of "career unemployment". I've had a part time job in retail that is keeping me grounded with small income but not enough to continue to support myself for much longer. Attempts to land a position outside my background have been met with, "why aren't you looking to be a manager?"
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