Hello VAs and other aspiring VAs!
I am thrilled to have discovered this resource and excited that there are so many active participants willing to help each other out.
My situation: I'm single, living in Chicago, IL. I'm currently working as a Department Administrator for a Fortune 500 company. I have worked for over 8 years as an Executive ASsistant for several companies: large and small. Before that, I worked on and off assisting my parents with the family biz (of the mom n' pop nature) since I was about 8 years old. (Note: not because I was forced to, but because I was always wanting to help them out in one way or another filing and such. I always want to clarify that so someone doesn't try taking my 'rents to task for not adhering to child labor regulations.)
Anyhow, I am ready to bid my cubical farewell for an alternative to suit both my talents and my personality: creative and independent. After a considerable amount of research I decided that VA work is the best possible match for me and I'm so excited to plan my escape to VA entrepreneurship.
The term 'overwhelmed' appears a lot in this forum section and this resonates with me, too. Not so much in a negative way, but in a way that reminds me to slow down and take all things into consideration before severing the bi-weekly paycheck cord, so I can hit the ground running with confidence. The more I read, the more things I want to look into before opening up shop. In fact, there are so many options and so much potential that I wish I had considered this sooner!
I'm thinking that securing some subcontract work, in addition to my FT job, would be the way to go to get a feel for virtual projects, build relationships and gain some extra financial momentum. But, I know this will be a delicate balance.
For those of you who tried this or are perhaps doing this, I'm open to any advice you can lend. Every day I read the forum posts I learn something new. You are all so helpful.
I have great admiration for all of you out there who have taken the virtual plunge!
-jen