This may be one area in which big corporate business is better than startups/SMB. The Exec assistants in the large companies I've worked for have been very well

This may be one area in which big corporate business is better than startups/SMB. The Exec assistants in the large companies I've worked for have been very well respected, well treated, and often made more money than the average IT guy. The departmental assistants, not so much. But the ones who truly supported the execs did quite well.