What kind of degree does an executive assistant have?
They usually don’t need a degree. You need to have many years of experience in an office. Most employers want 5 to 10 years of experience. You also have to be really good at typing, time management, proof reading, making travel arrangements and maintain all meetings and conferences on a calendar. The most important skill that you will need is Microsoft Office! Some colleges have an Executive Assistant Associates of Applied Science Degree. Visit an adviser and ask them. Some even have Certificates for Executive Assistants that usually take about a year. Good Luck!
Any degree is fine –the main reason it is often a requirement is because so many people can’t write clearly and grammatically, or read a lot of information and retain the most important points. The higher the EA position, the less computer, etc. skills are necessary and the more it becomes having a sense of what your boss needs to do his job and making sure he gets it. Professionalism is then a major requirement, because this involves working with others in upper management . Social skills are also important at the Board room level. Most of these areas are learned by experience so a EA degree might get you in the door and then you have to get the life skills. Good luck. These jobs pay very well, have great perks, and you can get a job fairly easily after a move or reentering the workforce for whatever reason.
Specialized assistants typically have a diploma in that field (i.e. a legal assistant ) however the majority of unspecialized assistants usually just have work experience or perhaps a few computer courses. That is why when you see job postings for legal assistants they typically offer a higher rate of pay versus a general exec assistant because they need the background and knowledge to perform the job.
