That’s the question I found myself asking in the fall of 2020. From 2005 to 2015 I only ever worked in retail and since 2016 I had worked as an “essential worker” at a plasma donation center. I had long hoped for a job to come along that would pay better, offer a more consistent schedule, and hopefully not have me on my feet all the time. While 2020 was a terrible year for pretty much everyone around the world, I’m thankful for the opportunity I was presented with in September 2020 to start a job working from home as a virtual assistant (or VA).

However, I knew this job wouldn’t come without its challenges; heck, a few months ago, I didn’t even know what a VA was, let alone what I could bring to the position. In case you’re asking yourself the title question like I was, let me outline the biggest hangups I had about starting this job so you can decide for yourself if it might be what you’re looking for.

Inexperience

Through my college years, I built up plenty of knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and social media, and even though my job(s) rarely ever had me using them I attempted to keep up my familiarity over the years for the sake of my resume. Naturally, my biggest worry in starting as a VA was how far I knew technologies had progressed during my years at jobs that didn’t require many online capabilities. I thought, “Will I be able to catch up with more tech-savvy workers and learn these new programs?” Four months later, I can say that most of the systems I use for everyday VA work are very user-friendly and were fairly straightforward to learn. While I’m still learning every day, with a little persistence, commitment, and patience, I haven’t met a system or software yet that I can’t improve my knowledge of over time.

Co-Workers

After a decade and a half of jobs involving driving to a physical location, clocking in and out, and interacting with people face-to-face, I knew that effective work as a team is achieved primarily through successful collaboration and communication. Knowing that, I was initially hesitant as a VA since I didn’t have people in the same room as me to interact with or ask questions to. Not to mention, I was nervous that I might be perceived as a burdensome “noob” (newbie) to my new co-workers. Thankfully, the Internet offers a plethora of ways to stay connected with them, and every single one of them has been more than happy to offer their help or advice when I reach out for it.

Job Security

With the pandemic of COVID-19 still looming overhead even now, I was obviously concerned in September about not just accepting any job, but one that would allow me to provide for myself, my family, and my household. Of course, as the pandemic has shown us, there is no shortage of work being done online and remotely these days. Many companies have been astounded to find how much of their regular work is able to be done without being able to meet in person regularly. As a result, I found myself well-assured that VA work is something I know will benefit my resume going forward, if I should ever leave my current job.

If you’re interested in becoming a virtual assistant also, but you’re unsure of where to start like I was, you’re in luck. Head to https://virtualassistantsuniversity.com/ and see if the job sounds like a good fit for you!