Becoming a secretary after a degree....shameful?

[jel0511]

That;s true. Furthermore I believe it is not a guaranteed thing, I think there is an application process first.

Depending on the program. You have to be accepted into the grad school first. Most banks usually offer a tuition reinbursement program, in which you pay and they pay you back after getting a satisfactory grade in the course. The programs where they pay the tuition directly are usually VERY competitive to get into, especially without a business undergrad degree.

 

[florida-again]

It sounds like you *do* want to take this secretary job...you've said nothing but good things about it...

Well to be fair, what I really 'do' want to do is work for disney! I'm writing my university thesis on the disney corporation (It ties in with my History because my interest is in American Economic history).....however, I've spoken to Mickey and I just don't think there's much call for me all the way in London!

 

[doxdogy]

I am currently working as a secretary. Is the pay good? In a word NO. The company pays me about 9k below the average. Why do I stay? Because I work for a company that has a government contract and my bosses are good and treat me good too. They both acknowledge that they would be lost without me. My boss that left in April, tried to talk me into going with him to his new post when he finishes school. So do a job that makes you happy.

 

[diznygirl]

I have a college degree in journalism, but found out I got better pay, hours, and benefits working as an admin asst. That was a no brainer! I really liked writing, but I also liked eating and having a place to live! I really didn't have the ambition to eat canned beans and mac n' cheese and put my personal life on hold until I got my big break.....


Anyway, that was the thought process then. And now I'm a SAHM and loving this part of my life. When the kids are grown, maybe I'll back into newpapers since now I don't have to worry about the money. Or maybe just work in one of the stores downtown and talk to all the tourists who come in to shop!

Do what makes you happy. And good luck!

 

[minniecarousel]

WOW! A recent college graduate earning around $100,000?!?!? Why would you question NOT taking it? My DSs couldn't/can't find jobs earning half that here.

Go for it!!

 

[Puffy2]

Go for the job with the highest income and the greatest satisfaction.

 

[TDC Nala]

A secretary makes that kind of cash just out of school?

I can type. I'm moving to England.

 

[Jeanny]

But I don't want to be seen as someone who 'wasted' my degree by becoming a secretary (I know it is a job that requires intelligence-but others assume it is not)

Would you guys consider this move a waste of a degree?

sounds like you already are ashamed of being a "secretary". I think you have your answer. By the way, I'm invaluable to my department, and I'm "only" an administrative assistant who is not being wasted. But I want to know how you can make $100,000????

 

[lil mermaid]

This really is a no-brainer. If you really and truly can make $100k per year as a secretary (who knew...) and they will pay for your masters degree and then promote you into management, you would be crazy not to take the opportunity. If the secretaries make $100k per year to start, those managers must be making millions! I say go for it :

 

[Jynohn]

I have a BSBA in Marketing from a good school and currently work as an administrative assistant. I'm still paying student loans for my degree and I know people sometimes question why I'm not "working to my potential" as they put it. The answer is simple though...

I'm not the kind of person who likes to think about work when I'm outside the office. I have friends who are working at very stressful jobs and they can't even go through the weekend without checking emails, voicemail, etc.
I leave my job at 5PM every night and don't think about it again until the next morning. I'm good at what I do and take pride in my work, but it simply doesn't mean much to me outside of normal office hours. I have no desire to take a laptop on vacation or worry about being called at home at 9:00 at night to discuss an important client meeting the next day.

Of course there's something to be said about career fulfillment, and this job most definitely doesn't challenge me or fulfill me in that respect, but with 2 kids and a military husband, I can't afford any more stress in my life. I like the fact that I leave the office stress behind as soon as I shut down my computer for the night.

It's not for everyone, and there are times when it bothers me that I don't get more respect since I'm "just a secretary" but all in all I'm pretty happy with my career choice...

 

[NMAmy]

I guess I'm very lucky--I'm a secretary at a college and I'm treated as an equal by my boss and the dean and by all the faculty. I supervise 3 other people and I'm involved in various committees that allow me to work with others in different departments. I love it. This is the second job in which I've worked at a college and I've always been treated as a valued equal instead of "just a secretary." I could go back to school and do something else but I really enjoy my job.

If you're offered a job paying that kind of money and for those kind of benefits right out of college, where is the shame in it? You're working toward a goal and nobody starts right at the top of a company.

 

[inaminute]

I was a secretary/administrative assistant for years and absolutely hated it. I was very good at it, and I have the performance appraisals to back me up.

For me, the work was a no-brainer. It required very little creative thinking. I was bored out of my mind within a year. I guess it just wasn't a good fit. I felt like a slave--always at the beck and call of someone.

If you can put up with filling out the same forms, typing the same letters and reports, attending the same meetings, transcribing the same notes, filing the same papers, answering the same questions over and over again, day after day, week after week, then I'd say being a secretary is for you.

The happiest day of my life was the day I decided I would no longer be a secretary! I wouldn't go back, even for $100,000 a year!

 

[imsorry]

I've been a secretary/admin for 31 years - I must say the word "shameful" is very insulting. I don't have a degree, but I have more common sense than most of the people I have worked for thru the years. My decision was a lifestyle one - I can go home at 5:30 and not take the job with me. I don't have to travel, attend endless meetings, be responsible for other people's jobs, etc. It doesn't mean my boss is smarter than me, just choose a different path. Do what makes you happy.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

I don't think it's a waste at all. I'll be done with my bachelors in a year and plan to be a stay at home wife and mom. Why get the degree? Well, one, I have always considered getting my commission (military) and two, you never know what will happen. In this day and age you have to have a degree just to get in the door. I don't think I'm wasting my time with mine. Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[MickeysMommy]

I've been a secretary/admin for 31 years - I must say the word "shameful" is very insulting.

I agree.

I have a Bachelor's in Communications and I am an Administrative Aide/Secretary. Without me, my boss couldn't function. Not tooting my own horn, he says it all the time. The fact is, I am good at my job and I like it. Would I rather be in my field? Sure, but I would have to drive 2 hours both ways and I don't want to do that. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being a Secretary.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Let's see...my first two jobs out of college were a legal assistant (contemplating going to law school) and a receptionist (to get my foot in the door of the organization I still work for but have been promoted a few times since then). So no, there is nothing wrong or "shameful" (ICKY word, by the way) about being a secretary.

 

[malibuconlee]

As far as pay goes, I made as much as an Admin. Asst. at my former job having no college degree as the LPN's in the area here.

It all depends on your job situation. Do they treat you well? Are you looked down upon by others?

DH just went back to work for our old company. His VP's assistant has been at the company for close to 30 years. He knows he and most of the group would be lost without her. He's been saving to send her and her husband on a cruise (out of his OWN pocket!!) when she retires.

 

[florida-again]

Let's see...my first two jobs out of college were a legal assistant (contemplating going to law school) and a receptionist (to get my foot in the door of the organization I still work for but have been promoted a few times since then). So no, there is nothing wrong or "shameful" (ICKY word, by the way) about being a secretary.

Just to clarify as some people are insulted...I was asking if you considered it shameful...I never said I did!

 

[manhattan]

Just found this thread through another one....one question for you....PA - does that stand for personal assistant? Just curious.