I Am Neither a Secretary Nor a Research Associate

Q. Can you please tell me how I can make my boss realize that I can serve the organisation much more than a secretary and that I want a career that movers towards growth and development?
The background of my question is that when I was a graduate, I always wanted to work in HR but I was offered a job with a really good package as the Research Associate to the Executive Director at the organisation that I am currently working in. At that point, I accepted the position because I needed the money to do my MBA. Later, my boss terminated his secretary and I took on her responsibilities as well. However, people then started treating me like a secretary.
My boss recommended my promotion twice but nothing happened. The chief HR observed my efficiency and motivation towards work and promised my transfer and promotion after the completion of my MBA but nothing materialized as he resigned. Now the management has changed and people still consider me a secretary which is something that I never wanted to be.
It is not that I do not respect the secretarial role, but I want to work in a position that is more relevant to my degree. I am neither a secretary nor a Research Associate. I have stopped writing my designation and feel like I have lost my identity. Please help!
A. Do not feel so bad, not everyone gets things right coming straight out of their school gates. In fact, first jobs tend to be roles we may or may not have real talent for, in an industry that dose not really interest us, or, as in your case, professions that are completely off from our line of education and interest. But one should always choose their first job wisely. After the first job, people can get promoted or change companies, but usually within the same role, and before they know it, they are on a career path that they never intended to take. However, keep in mind that it is better to change career tracks later, than never at all. Why? Because approximately 80% of our waking life is spent on the job! It would be a tremendous shame to waste your life's remaining 80% in a job that you are obviously not happy with.
Take the initiative to get yourself reassigned to a job more in line with your education and interests. If that is not possible with your current employer, then it is time to switch. No matter how tough the job market is eight now, where there is a will, there is a way. Your days are too precious to waste on the wrong job.