How did I end up being a Virtual Assistant? (Introducing Myself to Steemit!)

How did I end up being a Virtual Assistant? (My adventure)

I am always flattered when my friends or other people I know compliment me when they find out that I am a virtual assistant. But after the flattery is always the question of how I ended up becoming a virtual assistant.

I think the easiest way to answer that question is to tell my own story.

A Good Student

Freshman year in college is when willingness to learn, extreme curiosity, and keen observation come together making you the best version of yourself - I have been there.

As a freshman, I also joined a Special Program for Employment of Students during the summer. This small exposure planted the seed of the idea of working as someone's assistant and provided me an opportunity to be involved in a few administrative functions.

And then, suddenly, I realized I that liked the concept of earning and learning from a job more than learning from school—and I’m not blaming anybody else!

A College Dropout

Most people say there’s nothing more exciting about a story than the part where a character has screwed up—especially after being portrayed as perfect in the beginning. I am one of those, I agree. But, how, exactly, does dropping out from school land you a job as a virtual assistant? Or, for that matter, any other job?

Well, learning from our mistakes, that’s it. When people fail at one thing, they find something else to do and make sure they don’t fail at it. In my case, finding a job was what saved me.

To assuage my conscience, I walked out of my room carrying five copies of my two-page resume (which contained my basic information plus my single work experience, and a fake parent’s letter of consent allowing me to work at a young age) and made sure that no matter what, I had a job the following day.

Call Center Agent

It could have been pure luck. But in the end, I was able to get a job as a call center agent, and that’s when a whole new level of learning started.

Suddenly having a career that included learning different business’ processes and offering these services over the phone, I can say there has been nothing more memorable than working in this industry.

The exposure to the different prospects at all levels of business and activities that exponentially improved my level of English communication are two parts of that experience which have become assets that are fundamental in performing my job today.

Becoming a Home Based Telemarketer

Every child needs education, that’s what most parents say. After more than a year of working in call centers, I decided to go back to school. But my experience in the call center was fantastic, and I was hoping to keep doing it even while at school.

Because of my fascination about talking to strangers and offering them services over the phone, I took a part-time job and became a home-based telemarketer while attending my subjects in college.

Researcher

Companies from different countries are always looking for and hiring high-quality, but low-cost researchers and they usually find the right candidates here in the Philippines. These projects are often on a one-time basis, and when assigned a reasonable deadline, a researcher makes the work fit their available time.

Occasionally I am being invited by small business owners or working professionals to complete this type of one-off project for them and those small tasks that I have been assigned to have evolved into bigger projects. I have done so many of these projects they have become one of my areas of specialization and expertise.

So, do you need to have an experience like mine so you can be a virtual assistant? Certainly not! You can learn how to speak English, write some emails, and do research without having to drop out of school.

As long as this type of job excites your interest, you can focus on the right lessons and skills like the ones I have described and practice them. They’re what you will need to become a successful virtual assistant.