What is a secretary to the vice president and how to become one

1. I enjoy the diversity of my responsibilities. I'm never bored because nearly everything the CEO is responsible for is something I, too, have some hand in, either directly or indirectly. This makes for a very exciting and rewarding career. 2. I'm able to learn a lot of valuable and transferable skills through the countless tasks I'm given, which include researching, project-planning and implementation; time management, problem-solving, and more. 3. I'm able to do a lot of the “behind-the-scenes” legwork on projects without the stress being ultimately responsible for my boss's final, executive decision. 4. I can utilize and reinforce my skills of organization, project management, and follow-through on a daily basis. I know that most things (important things) would fall apart without me assisting/managing them which is highly satisfying. 5. I have only one person in the company I need to worry about pleasing, who is the highest ranking executive, so I'm able to avoid the various frustrations of office politics and red tape that I might experience in another position. 6. My salary reflects all of the above. The CEO knows my value and has a direct hand in determining my pay rate without being limited to anyone else's opinions or budgets. I'm always the next highest-paid employee, after the executives.

1. If I truly disliked my CEO or was incompatible with him as a person or his work style, I know I would get burnt out very easily and would be forced to resign. This job completely revolves around him and requires my being 100% invested in his (and only his) success and wellbeing every day. 2. This job is often high-stress due to the constant need to juggle multiple, pressing deadlines and having to coordinate with people (internally and with 3rd party companies/contractors) who aren't always as organized, timely, or hardworking as I. 3. The common, widespread misconception of this career being entry-level is annoying, including assumptions that EAs are secretaries. These ”secretarial" tasks (ie answering phones and filing paperwork) are such a minimal part of my overall job description and are often delegated to lower-ranking office staff whenever possible so I can focus on higher-level tasks. While a higher education to become an EA is not always necessary or expected, few secretaries have the acquired, (and sometimes innate) full repertoire of skills required to be a successful EA. Sometimes, even other EAs don't have what it takes to be good EAs to CEOs! Most people underestimate me because of this and rarely see my role for what it is: To be an extension of the CEO himself. 4. It can be a very isolating position. This “hand to the king” role is sometimes akin to being “the teacher's pet” in the corporate setting. Coworkers are cautious of you because they know where your loyalties lie and developing friendships with your subordinates is unprofessional. Some may try to suck up to you with the hopes that it might advance their own careers. 5. Other executives who rank higher than you in the company don't always have direct domain over you so they may try to assign additional tasks to you that you may not have time/energy for. On one hand, you want to be a team player and not put your CEO in the delicate situation of having to overrule the requests of other execs; yet on the other hand, it's diverting time and energy away from your primary role. This is best averted when the other executives have their own assistants to help them, but this isn't always the case. 6. Clashing opinions/viewpoints with the CEO's executive decisions can be draining. For example, when you put so much effort into a project only for it to take another direction or be scrapped altogether. Or when your advice is sought but not heeded. Or even when your input is not asked for at