Are you an EA or Admin looking to transition out of this career?

When I popped a post up in the early hours of a Saturday morning a few weeks ago about normalising EAs and Admins perhaps wanting to transition away from this career to something else, I did not expect the reaction I got to that post.

I have been divulged with messages and do apologise I haven’t got to them all yet. I am not very good at the direct messages on LinkedIn, as I have to wade through 100s of sales messages to get to them! I am working all through Christmas and New Year, so everybody will get a response.

In the meantime, and as time is ticking, I wanted to offer some resources and help to those who are looking to do this.

You are never too old or too young to want to change direction. It doesn't make you a bad person for doing so.

This year, particularly in the UK, it has been a rough and tough year for people, in terms of financials, mental health and general stress levels. I think it has also given people a chance to really think about what they want out of life work wise.

Making a plan:

The first question to ask yourself, is what is your driver for wanting to leave this career? Nobody can answer this but you.

Is this because of company culture, a toxic boss or awful colleagues? Or have you simply ‘hit a lid’ as us Brits would say and are ready for a new challenge?

I would strongly recommend visiting the Amazing If Toolkit, which is free and there are lots of resources to help you work out what you might want to do next.

https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

I would also strongly recommend you watch the Ted Talk given by Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper (the founders of Amazing As If), who set the scene as to why following a single focus career plan isn't for everyone.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_ellis_and_helen_tupper_the_best_career_path_isn_t_always_a_straight_line?subtitle=en

For a good number of professions in the UK, you may well need to gain some sort of certification or diploma, so this all needs to be mapped out in your journey to transitioning.

Discussions you might want to tap into – Former EAs who have transitioned:

I had an excellent discussion recently with Amy Marsden, who is a former EA and now in legal operations. You can catch this candid conversation here - https://youtu.be/x-xT2eQNwk8

Thinking of leaving the profession? What Next? Panel Discussion 2023

Towards the end of 2023, I hosted a panel of former EAs and we discussed their career journey's and how they transitioned from their EA roles. There was lots of great advice shared by the panel.

You can catch the replay here - https://youtu.be/4pfJ0iiQ_yY

Becoming a Virtual Assistant?

If you are an EA or Admin who is looking to transition not completely out of this space, but wants to become self-employed and chart your own working life, I would strongly recommend visiting – VACT – The Virtual Assistant Training Academy - https://vatrainingacademy.co.uk/

Get help from a mentor already working in the area you wish to go into:

Once you have identified what you might want to do next, it might be wise to seek out a mentor already in that profession.

I would suggest that you just get super bold about this and craft a post for LinkedIn and openly ask for a mentor in xyz. If you tag me into your post I will share it too. Or you can identify people on LinkedIn and reach out to them privately.

When I wanted to become a top EA in the city and knew I needed some finesse, I directly approached one of the most senior EAs in British Banking at the time and she said yes. You don't ask, you don't get!

If you are a former EA reading this post and would like to come on and share your experiences of moving to the next stage of your career, we would be delighted to hear them!

What can EPAA do to support members?

Firstly, we have a new series kicking off in the New Year, whereby we have a number of Institutes and Associations coming on (all virtual) to talk about and provide advice on how you might transition to that particular profession.

This series serves two purposes actually. One for EAs who wish to continue in this career space, but want to specialise in an area of business and for those who want to transition out.

We are also rebranding in Q1 of 2025, for a number of reasons, not least that the percentage of people entering the profession in the future and undertaking this as a 'career for life' is going to be minimal.

I have stated clearly I want us to support people for the time they are with us, then at least provide some support for when you might wish to move on. So the way in which we will operate as an association will be slightly different.

Make no mistake, this is not about a stepping stone onto better things, it is the next step in your working life and I want you to be happy. After all, we spend more time at work than we do with our loved ones, so this has to work for you.

Lastly, I want to share some articles which may help you on this journey, which provide some sound advice:

Forbes - How to change careers according to 50 people who made a pivot

ICS Learn - How to change careers - a complete guide

HBR - How I made a big career change

Changing careers is on you to make happen and you can. I have spent over 20 years representing this industry and know the vast skill set which many Executive Assistants have under your belts. The world is your oyster.

For some of you, your self assessment and plan is going to lead to something else entirely, which may not even be related to the office space! Don't be afraid and just go for it.

And yes the British economy is still going to be a little tricky in Q1 and Q2 for 2025, but that shouldn't hold you back from at least putting plans into progress. You only get one shot at this life, so be brave and be bold!