So, you want to know how to become an EA.
Maybe you've watched The Devil Wears Prada one too many times, or perhaps you've seen those TikTok "day in the life" videos where someone drinks a matcha latte and organizes a calendar for five minutes before heading to a rooftop lunch. Honestly? That’s not the job. Not even close.
Being an Executive Assistant, especially at the high-stakes level of a C-suite executive or a Silicon Valley founder, is more like being a chess grandmaster, a therapist, and a private investigator all rolled into one. It’s about anticipating a crisis before it even happens. It’s knowing that your boss hates the sound of crinkling paper and ensuring their favorite pen—the specific $2.00 Pilot G2 0.7mm in blue—is always within reach.
If you're looking for a 9-to-5 where you just answer phones, you're looking for a receptionist role. But if you want to be the "right hand," the person who actually keeps the engine of a multi-million dollar company running, then you're in the right place.
The Reality Check: What is an EA, Really?
Before we get into the "how," we have to talk about the "what."
An Executive Assistant (EA) isn't just an Administrative Assistant (AA). While an AA might handle tasks for a whole department, an EA is tethered to an individual. You are their surrogate brain. This means managing complex travel itineraries that span four time zones in three days. It means ghostwriting emails that sound exactly like them. Sometimes, it means telling a very powerful person "no" because they’re overbooked and haven't eaten a meal in six hours.
The World Administrators Alliance and various industry benchmarks show that the role has shifted dramatically over the last decade. It’s no longer just "clerical." It’s strategic.
Step 1: Education vs. Experience (The Great Debate)
Do you need a degree to become an EA?
Well, it depends. If you’re aiming for a role at a firm like Goldman Sachs or McKinsey, they’ll probably want to see a Bachelor’s degree. It doesn't necessarily matter what the degree is in—English, Communications, and Business are common—but it proves you can stick with something for four years and write a coherent sentence.
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However, in the tech world or the creative industries, experience often eats degrees for breakfast. I’ve seen EAs with zero college credits making $150k a year because they spent five years as a high-end server in a Michelin-star restaurant or worked as a flight attendant. Why? Because those jobs teach you radical hospitality and high-pressure problem solving.
If you don't have a degree, don't sweat it. Start looking at certifications like the CAP (Certified Administrative Professional) through the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). It shows you’re serious. It shows you’ve actually studied the mechanics of business.
Step 2: Mastering the Tech Stack
You can’t just "know" Outlook. You have to be a wizard at it.
The Calendar is Your Bible
You need to understand the nuances of Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook inside and out. We're talking about color-coding, setting buffer times, and managing "tentative" holds like a pro. If your executive has two back-to-back meetings on opposite sides of Manhattan, and you haven't accounted for the 25 minutes of traffic in the rain? You failed.
The Productivity Suite
- Slack/Teams: Knowing how to manage channels and set up automations is huge.
- Expensify/Concur: You will likely spend a good chunk of your life doing expense reports. Get fast at them.
- AI Tools: Honestly, if you aren't using ChatGPT or Claude to help draft emails or summarize long reports, you're falling behind. Real EAs use AI to work faster, not to replace their own thinking.
Step 3: Developing the "Invisible" Skills
This is where most people wash out. You can learn software. You can't easily learn how to have a "poker face" when your boss is having a meltdown.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
You have to read the room. If your boss comes out of a board meeting looking pale, it’s probably not the time to ask them to sign off on a $50 office supply order. You need to be the calm in the center of their storm.
Discretion
This is non-negotiable. You will see things. You will see divorce papers, health diagnoses, and pre-IPO financial data. If you are the type of person who likes to gossip at the water cooler, you will not last a week. Most high-level EA roles require signing a heavy-duty NDA.
Strategic Anticipation
Think three steps ahead. If they have a flight, check the weather. If it’s snowing, proactively book a backup car service or look for later flights before they even know there’s a delay. That is how you become indispensable.
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Step 4: How to Get Your Foot in the Door
If you have zero experience, you aren't going to land a job assisting the CEO of a Fortune 500 company tomorrow. You have to climb.
The Stepping Stone Method
Start as an Administrative Assistant or an Office Manager. These roles give you a front-row seat to how a business functions. Volunteer for projects that involve the leadership team. Offer to help the current EA with a big event or a complex travel booking.
The Boutique Agency Route
There are specialized recruiting firms like The Calendar Group or Mylestone that focus specifically on placing EAs. They are gatekeepers. If you can get on their radar, they can place you in roles that aren't even advertised on LinkedIn.
Niche Down
Becoming an EA in the legal field is very different from being an EA in the music industry. Pick a sector you actually like. If you hate numbers, don't work for a CFO. If you love fast-paced chaos, look at startups.
The Resume That Actually Gets Read
Stop listing "answering phones" as a bullet point. Everyone knows you can answer a phone.
Instead, use metrics.
- "Managed a $50,000 monthly travel budget with 0% overage."
- "Coordinated a 200-person international conference across three time zones."
- "Streamlined executive's email workflow, reducing response time by 40%."
Employers want to see that you save them time and money. That is your primary product. Time.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Pay
Let's talk money. It varies wildly.
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A junior EA in a mid-sized city might start at $55,000. But in hubs like San Francisco, New York, or London, "Career EAs"—people who have done this for 10+ years—can easily clear $150,000 to $200,000 plus bonuses. Some even get equity.
But there’s a trade-off. At that level, you are often "on-call." If the boss’s private jet is grounded in Timbuktu at 3:00 AM on a Sunday, your phone is going to ring. You have to decide if that lifestyle fits your goals.
Why Networking is the Secret Sauce
The best EA jobs are rarely on Indeed. They are passed around in "whisper networks."
Join groups like the Executive Leadership Support Forum or local EA meetups. When a high-level executive is looking for a new assistant, the first thing they do is ask their peers, "Hey, is your assistant happy? Do they know anyone?"
Your reputation is your only real currency.
Actionable Steps to Start Today
You don't need a permission slip to start building the skills.
- Audit your own life. Treat your own schedule like you're a CEO. Use a digital calendar for everything. Set up automated filters for your email. If you can’t manage your own life, you can’t manage someone else’s.
- Learn a "Hard" Skill. Take an advanced Excel course or get certified in a project management tool like Asana or Notion.
- Clean up your social media. Seriously. If I’m a CEO hiring someone to handle my private life, and I see your public profile is full of questionable content, I’m moving on.
- Reach out for an informational interview. Find an EA on LinkedIn whose career you admire. Send a short (3-sentence) note asking if they have 15 minutes for a virtual coffee. Ask them what their biggest challenge is. Listen more than you talk.
Becoming an EA is a grind, but for the right person, it’s a front-row seat to how the world is built. You see the deals happen, you see the strategy form, and you become the person the most powerful people in the world can't live without. That’s a lot of power in its own right.
Start by mastering the tools, then the temperament, and finally, the network. The roles are out there, and they are looking for people who can handle the heat.