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Coach
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Are you pivoting because you want to be an administrative professional? This is a career, not just a job that people do when they don’t know what else to do. It requires strategic thinking at all hours of the day and sometimes nights and weekends. It is working hard every day to fuel someone else’s success. It is consistently upskilling and constant learning and development.
I don’t mean to sound harsh, but being an EA is something that many here have worked their butts off to get to and not something to pivot to. It’s learned and earned.
Well said!!
Coach
Worklife balance can vary depending on the type of place you're at. I'm currently working over 50 hours a week and under high stress. I've also had an EA job where I was literally working 7 days a week. That's not to say that there aren't positions with less hours and stress, just know that it's not a guarantee. It can also be hard to pivot straight into an EA position if you don't have the years of experience to back it up. Most people go from admin assistant for at least 5 years before moving on to EA. I see it a lot of times when people go straight to EA that they are being set up for failure and often hate what they are doing because they're tossed into something they're not ready for. I don't want to discourage you from making a pivot if that's what you want, I would just go into it with your eyes open.
EA roles are not less stress lol!! I started my Mondays at 4:30 AM and worked 55+ hours a week. Your life runs parallel to the executives you support and in tech that could easily be 3 executives. You also are a program manager, part time HR/finance responsibilities. You can easily change multi segment international trips 3+ times and deal with people who think you have less stress!!! Hope you don’t mind off hour and weekend texts saying my flight was canceled and which gate do I need to go to. Good luck!
I would not recommend pivoting to an EA role. I have 16 years experience as an EA supporting EVP to C level leaders. The positives are the job is pretty easy and my hours end up being flexible, however, there are no real opportunities for career or income growth. It’s a pretty dead end job. It’s also a competitive market and there are limited positions available. I also don’t want to discourage you but wanted to share what I have experienced as a career EA.
I’d just say go in with your eyes open. EA work can absolutely be meaningful and rewarding, but it is not automatically less stressful or fewer hours. A lot depends on the executive, the company culture, and how well the role is scoped.
I support 2 VPs in 2 different departments and am also responsible for 11 others, in addition to things like invoices, minutes, scheduling, and a steady stream of follow-up/admin work. It’s a very important role, but it can also be intense because you’re often managing priorities, protecting other people’s time, and keeping a lot of moving pieces from falling through the cracks.
So yes, it’s a different kind of stress than marketing, but not necessarily less. If you’re considering the pivot, I’d look closely at the actual executive support model, after-hours expectations, and how many people you’d really be supporting.
Her are my 2 cents….as a career admin…if you are supporting at a departmental level (if those positions even exist anymore) then it is doable. The higher up the corporate food chain you support the more stress, in call expectations and work hours you will be putting in.