"You have a briefcase, for crying out loud"

It's a role I never wanted.  I didn't think I was well-suited for it.  I barely passed typing in high school.

However, in 1982 when I was suddenly catapulted into the world of being a single parent, it's what I had to do. 

I became a secretary.

That role I never wanted helped me take care of my children all the way through their high school and college graduations.

Fortunately, for more than 20 years, I had supervisors that were great, understanding and appreciative of the fact that I liked being a mother much more than I liked being in the workplace and understood the value I placed on being at baseball games, school plays and ensuring that my children could know that I was there for them.

I liked it when the position changed from "secretary" to "administrative professional".  Same exact job - just sounded better.  Technology took over the workplace and we got those wonderful Microsoft Office Products that helped us with our responsibilities.  I began to feel like I was pretty good in my job.

And today I look back on those years fondly.

Even though I always wanted to do something different. I applied for other positions, talked about what I wanted to do.  Once as I shared my dreams of moving on to a position with what I believed to have more clout, my daughter Renee told me that she was not surprised to hear me say that.  She is the person who gets the credit for the name of this post - I did have a briefcase. 

And I was encouraged to do something else...

"Write".  Those were the words of my very first boss, Ben Goldsmith, who was the director of Here's Life Jacksonville where I worked from 1982-1988.

"Finish college", my family and friends told me.

"Do something for others", said Vic Lust, my Vistakon manager.  He echoed the words of TJ Wagner, Debbie McIntyre, Pam Quarles and Bob LaBelle.  They saw how much I loved working on the United Way campaigns.

So in 2003, I left the world of administrative professionals.  I had graduated from UNF in 2002 and  I found a job in the non-profit sector.  And guess what - I used many of the skills that I had learned when I was in all those former positions - which I continue to find very beneficial in my current roles  as an event coordinator or a writer or a caregiver.

Today is Administrative Professionals Day.  I no longer consider myself an ADMIN, but I greatly value those who are - from Tamra Smith who became my friend through the International Association of Administrative Professionals to the great staff at the Episcopal Diocese of Florida who make my job as the Convention Coordinator much easier to my childhood friend, Kathy Darrow Constant who recently retired after many years as an Administrative person.

So with gratitude for what I learned and appreciation for the supervisors who encouraged me, I salute those who remain in that position.  Happy Administrative Professionals Day!