My life is not the same as with other 28-year-old people. My mother has been married three times and I am the only daughter of four children. Also, I am the last of her children. My father is wealthy and has four grown-up sons from a previous marriage.

I was very bright at school and had many prizes for passing subjects with a distinction. I did not have to work very hard at school. After graduation, I stayed at home as my mother liked having me around and, besides, there was no need to work.

Personal Life

My first boyfriend was lovely and showered me with the attention to which I was so used. I fell pregnant so we decided to get married. I soon found the married life was very different to my single life as he became very possessive always wanting to know where I was; in other words, he wanted to control me. I soon began to resent this and the married crumbled.
I moved back home to the welcoming arms of my mother. My daughter and I now had a carefree lifestyle that I once enjoyed. My aunt, who was a career advisor, would often encourage me to have a career and be independent. I just listened but really had no intention of doing anything about it. In order to quieten her, I had a number of temporary jobs but resented them demanding too much of me and having no ‘chat’ time so I would just walk out.

How I become a PA

My father’s business collapsed and we had to tighten the purse strings. With my allowance cut back drastically, I had to generate income for myself and my daughter. Through contacts, I found a job as a Secretary. My boss empathised and encouraged me to develop and gain the necessary skills. 
My aunt stepped in again and reviewed the skills required in my job and suggested courses I should take in order to achieve these. I had to drastically change a lot. First was my attitude to my job which was pointed out would be greatly rewarded by my salary. 
I was lacking so many skills such as telephone etiquette, planning my workload, writing and prioritising emails on behalf of the company, organising meetings and so on. Also, my IT skill was nil but, I was good at texting. I found the ideal course that covered these weaknesses. This course was intensive and I was fully qualified within two months.

My boss is now giving me more responsibilities such as dealing with confidential matters. I just had my appraisal which was most complimentary, just as it was at school. So watch this space!

See more about training to be a PA at www.pa-course.co.uk