Dare to Dream: Journey as a Virtual Assistant

                                                                              

Journey as a Virtual Assistant

What is a Virtual Assistant?

Definition and Meaning: 

The Oxford English Dictionary states, "A Virtual Assistant is a self-employed person who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative support to clients remotely from a home office. Common tasks include scheduling appointments, managing emails and social media, data entry, and handling customer support."

Plans and Preparations

After working at a stable on-site job, it's easy to say that I would like to pursue a career as a freelancer. However, one must check if they have the transferable skills needed for this type of office work. Being tech-savvy is an advantage; knowledge about using the technical tools is the priority.
 
Then other requirements are needed: 

• a desktop or laptop (I only have a laptop)

• backup devices  (none yet)

• noise cancellation headset  (thanks to my sister)

• high internet speed (it depends)

• and the list goes on. 

You have to invest in these for yourself.

What is my Expertise or Niche?

Being a former Technical Specialist, my English writing and speaking skills are my best assets.  I first applied to be a tutor at an online English Tutoring School based in Japan. Unfortunately, I didn't pass the assessment exam; it was more difficult than I thought. Then I had a scheduled interview for a local English tutoring school. I was fortunate to have been interviewed by that company, but was rejected due to the age limit. 

The next target is to be a writer; I love to write, so I may have a chance in this type of work. When I was younger, I enjoyed writing long letters to my friends in high school. But with AI, they say, writers can be easily replaced because AI can write better. Well, not that it can replace human writers, but I couldn't rely on writing for a living. Writing can be a side hustle or an added skill to freelancing work. This is when I started writing blogs on this website - Blogger.com. 

Then I attended a four-day orientation on how to be a Call Center Agent or Customer Service Representative sponsored by our municipality. I enjoyed this training because the Professor is an expert in teaching this type of work, and I graduated with my batch mates. However, this job requires at least one year of on-site work experience before I can work remotely.

Call Center Graduation

Online Learning Platforms 

Online learning has become popular this year, with many offering affordable training bundles for aspiring freelancers and newbies. 

I availed a 5-in-one bundle course from a local online learning school. The courses can be accessed after confirming the purchase. And then I watched the videos at my own pace. 
There are portfolio assignments, but it wasn't a requirement to pass because I can download my 5 E-certificates after watching all the videos, and then the best of luck on your journey. 

I also discovered an international free online learning platform where I could watch videos and take a comprehension examination afterward. I finished 5 online courses. The thing was, I could only have a learner verification, which is good. The recorded video lessons were informative and educational, but needed more application of my learning. 

Surge Marketplace 🌊

Free Webinars and Online Courses 💻

This was when I started attending free online webinars of Surge Freelancing Marketplace last August 2023 to learn the basics of freelancing.

I have also availed myself of the two mini-quality video-on-demand courses

1. Administrative and Office Management Course, and 
2. Basic Sales and Marketing Techniques.

The mini-quality courses require the learners to pass the necessary portfolios to get a certificate of completion. Though I may be slow to catch up, eventually I will become a "certified" Virtual Assistant.

Coach Kathy Lim-Cabradilla was the main trainer of the two online courses. 

I am grateful because I completed both mini-quality courses that will be helpful as a Virtual Assistant.

Admin. and Office Mgmt. Mini-course

Basic Sales and Marketing. Mini-course

"Free Course of Choice"

During the free online training, there was a raffle of Top Fans, and luckily, I was picked by Coach Grace Locsin as one of the winners of the "free course of choice." 
I chose the Freelancing Virtual Assistance Course, which is a newbie-friendly course.
The big difference with Surge is that I have applied the lessons after watching the videos.

Freelancing Mini-course

The CEO and owner, Miss Grace Locsin, is the main trainer in these videos, while Coach Melle is the coach for the live sessions. Miss Grace Locsin has this enthusiasm and energy that will make you believe that  "I can achieve my goal to be a Virtual Assistant."