Service. Learning. Variety.

By Joe Rodriguez

When I first began my career, I never thought I’d end up being an administrative professional. I grew up, like many kids, dreaming about being a police officer, a teacher, or even a doctor. I was all over the place about what I wanted to be. I wanted to do it all. Of course, upon reflection, I realize that when I would volunteer to help my teachers in secondary school staple documents together or file paperwork, I was preparing for the kind of work I would ultimately find myself doing as a career. It started when I joined the Marine Corps as a Human Resources Assistant, leading me to the Central Intelligence Agency where I worked in various administrative support roles, and now the US Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer/Office Management Specialist. I can’t say whether I would ever leave the profession since I have yet to figure out what my real calling is, but there are at least three appeals I find to administrative jobs.

The Opportunity to Serve

My earliest memory of service is when I would visit my grandmother. I would follow her around the house and help her complete various tasks. Getting a glass of water. Picking up trash. Checking the mailbox. My grandmother’s hands trembled, so she would often need help to prevent her from making a mess or causing herself harm. If she did, I would be quick to clean it up or run and get help. While this image of helping my grandmother might seem trivial, it could explain the origins of my desire to serve. That’s not to suggest that my line of work is seen as helping my grandmother, but I recognize now that serving others is what drives me. The smile on my grandmother’s face when I would eventually come to know what she needed before she could even ask for it was always special. I appreciate when I can have an immediate and direct impact on someone.

The Opportunity to Learn

While many job postings for an administrative assistant require some level of education, it’s only the beginning. The real learning occurs on the job. As an administrative professional, I often have the chance to meet and learn from many interesting people throughout my day. In one minute, I could be talking to IT about a computer issue. If I’m smart, I’ll take notes or at least try to remember how the issue gets resolved, so that I can help another colleague when the issue comes up again and look like a genius. In the next minute, I could be talking to HR about some policy. I’m shown the regulation, and now I know where to find the information the next time there’s a policy question. It’s possible that some employer’s might implore that only IT fix computer or technical problems or only HR address HR-related policy questions. However, the truth is that these examples simply speak to how an administrative professional can excel by having an informational advantage if they are willing to view every interaction with someone as an opportunity to learn something new.

The Opportunity for Variety

Most administrative assistant positions have the same basic responsibilities. They include scheduling, event planning, and making travel arrangements to name a few. However, there’s usually some variation depending on the needs of the office. In one example, I had the chance to create a brochure for an internal job posting. I had some basic knowledge in graphic design and was able to imitate another brochure to give people a visual sense of what the office and job was like. This brochure was handed out to potential applicants who attended an information session hosted by the office. Creating the brochure allowed me to step away from some of my more routine tasks and use my creativity in determining the overall layout, font, colors, and images to use for the brochure. This variety made me feel more engaged and happier. Creativity is also a fundamental element of satisfaction and fulfillment.