Monday, February 28, 2011

Introduction

Good Day!  I am an out-of-work Administrative Assistant.  I hope to share my experiences with you, my readers, and maybe help others in my position with insight into the world of administration.  My jobs have always been admin assistant positions.  An admin assistant by any other name has been called a secretary, a girl Friday (so politically incorrect today), an associate, an aide, a partner and sometimes just “support staff”.  Admin Assistants can be called upon to do anything from accounting to carrying boxes, presenting reports to getting clients a drink of water. 
With the advent of the economic downturn, the agency I worked for closed its doors and I was laid off my job.  While looking for a new job I encountered a situation entirely new to me; employers wanted a college degree for admin positions while paying less wages.  I believe the current high unemployment gives employers such a large pool of applicants that they feel free to ask for as many qualifications as possible and yet pay as little as the market can bear.  By saying they “feel free”, I may be giving employers too much of a positive spin.  Maybe I should say, employers are exploiting their current advantage and trying to get more for less.
I know there are many admins out of work and in the same situation.  One of the first things I did in my attempt to garner a full time, well paying position is go back to school.  In my next blog I will cover my search for the right school and the right program.