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Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.

Median pay
$47,540

a year

Doing it now
1,889,800

across the country

By 2035
Down 6%

163,900 openings a year

Usually needs
High school diploma or equivalent

to get in

What the work involves

  • Answer telephones and give information to callers, take messages, or transfer calls to appropriate individuals.
  • Greet visitors or callers and handle their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs.
  • Locate and attach appropriate files to incoming correspondence requiring replies.
  • Open, read, route, and distribute incoming mail or other materials and answer routine letters.
  • Complete forms in accordance with company procedures.
  • Make copies of correspondence or other printed material.
  • Review work done by others to check for correct spelling and grammar, ensure that company format policies are followed, and recommend revisions.

What to study

The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.

Who it suits

O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.

  • Organised and precise

  • Leading and persuading

  • Helping and teaching

Answer 24 questions and see whether this is a fit for you

Careers like this one

Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $47,540 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.