Executive Assistant Job Description & Career Path
Your Role as an Executive Assistant
The executive assistant career path can be both personally and professionally rewarding. The executive assistant job description typically involves supporting one or more senior-level company leaders by managing day-to-day, high-level administrative responsibilities. These can include scheduling meetings, organizing travel, preparing reports and communications and handling sensitive or confidential information. Executive assistants must be highly organized, detail-oriented, and effective communicators to help ensure the executives they support stay productive and focused.
Executive assistants work in a wide range of environments, from large corporate offices and nonprofit organizations to fast-paced small businesses. Regardless of the setting, their role is essential to maintaining smooth executive operations and supporting broader business goals.
The position also serves as a valuable steppingstone for professionals interested in advancing into senior administrative roles. With experience, executive assistants may move into positions such as office manager, operations coordinator or even chief of staff. An EA is not just a support role, but a trusted partnership that offers increasing responsibility and visibility within an organization over time.
What You Need to Succeed
The nature of the executive assistant role is higher profile than many other administrative assistant positions. Because executive assistants work closely with top-level leadership and are often entrusted with sensitive information and key business operations, most employers prefer to hire candidates who have earned a business administration degree or similar educational credentials. A business degree helps build the foundational knowledge and skills to become an executive assistant, including a strong understanding of organizational dynamics, operations and professional communication.
To succeed in this role, executive assistants must demonstrate a range of soft skills, such as discretion, multitasking, time management and the ability to support executive-level decision-making. They also need to exhibit strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively liaise between executives, teams, and external contacts.
Fluency in business software is also highly valuable. Executive assistants are often expected to navigate tools like Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Zoom and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. These tools support core responsibilities like calendar management, meeting coordination, travel planning and presentation preparation.
While much of the role-specific training happens on the job, having a solid foundation in business software skills and principles gives aspiring executive assistants a distinct advantage when entering the field.
Executive Assistant Responsibilities
Executive assistant duties can vary widely depending on the employer, industry or even the specific executive being supported. However, most executive assistant job descriptions include a mix of high-level administrative support and strategic coordination that help executives manage their time, communication and workflow effectively.
While the exact responsibilities may shift based on department or leadership needs, common executive assistant duties typically include:
- Training staff
- Managing executives’ calls and emails
- Scheduling meetings and maintaining executives’ calendars
- Arranging business travel and preparing for meetings
- Interacting with clients and internal stakeholders
- Preparing and editing memos and communications
- Creating and managing travel and expense reports
- Maintaining and organizing databases and records
- Supervising one or more administrative assistants
In addition to handling clerical and scheduling tasks, executive assistants are often trusted to anticipate needs, streamline processes and act as a liaison between leadership and other departments. Their work plays a vital role in ensuring smooth daily operations and supporting long-term business goals. As such, these professionals must be organized, proactive and able to manage a wide range of priorities with professionalism and discretion.
Why Become an Executive Assistant?
Executive assistant careers are appealing for many reasons, especially for individuals interested in business and long-term administrative career paths. Most executive assistants work in office environments with minimal physical demands, while taking on high-profile responsibilities that directly support organizational leadership. Managing executive schedules, coordinating critical meetings and ensuring seamless day-to-day operations can make this role an ideal platform to showcase organizational skills, professionalism and business acumen.
One of the key benefits of this career path is the opportunity for advancement. Strong performers often gain access to high-level company insights, executive decision-making processes and valuable internal networking opportunities. This exposure makes the role particularly dynamic and well-suited to business-minded professionals who aspire to grow within an organization.
Executive assistant salary ranges, including bonuses and benefits, vary by organization, but they typically exceed those of general administrative assistants due to the role’s scope and complexity. While the median annual wage for all administrative assistants was $46,010 as of 2023, the median executive assistant salary stood significantly higher at $73,680. This pay differential reflects the elevated expectations and strategic support responsibilities that executive assistants take on. For those pursuing meaningful administrative career paths with room for growth and influence, the executive assistant role offers strong potential.
Training at Generations College
If you are considering the executive assistant career path, Generations College offers a practical and supportive way to get started. Our two-year business administration degree program is offered both on-campus in Chicago and through a flexible, accredited online format, designed to deliver real-world skills that align with today’s workplace expectations. With hybrid learning options and resources tailored to support working students, this program offers accessible career prep for business students seeking advancement in administrative roles.
Throughout this program, you will build foundational knowledge and technical competencies that are essential for high-level administrative support positions. You’ll develop practical skills such as:
- Improving written and digital communication
- Using key business software, including tools for scheduling, spreadsheets and remote collaboration
- Applying core business concepts in finance, marketing, HR and operations
This well-rounded approach ensures that you are prepared for the responsibilities executive assistants face in every business environment, from managing calendars and correspondence to contributing to team strategy and operations.
To learn how the business administration degree from Generations College can provide meaningful career prep for business students and help you succeed as an executive assistant, contact us today. When you’re ready to take the first step toward your future, apply online.
Apply Today and Start Your Executive Assistant Career
How much is tuition? Can I get financial aid? What are my career prospects? When does it start? If you’re asking these questions, you’re already on the right path and we’re here to help you take the next step. Contact us today to speak with a member of our admissions team.