Virtual Assistant and Why We Work for Ourselves

I was asked one time to collect my experiences in the work place and create a book about why Virtual Assistants work, well, remotely. My goal would be to educate folks with a little humor to help drive points home hoping folks will learn from my mistakes.

I think I'd like to start off this series by rewinding to my first job out of college and my boss' boss to help paint a picture of why I thought working for myself can't be all that bad. First some background: I was working for a US Navy Contractor in Virginia and I supported a Surface Combatant. This was in 1989 and yes, this was before women were allowed on ships, before the Internet, and before anything was virtual. Back then, Business Support included putting on my pumps, another dose of lipstick and running to "The Navy" to deliver a report or letter. Yes, you are getting the irony here, I was required to support the technical equipment of a ship I wasn't allowed to board to even see what the equipment looked like.

So my Boss' Boss, we'll call him "Napolean" for obvious reasons, was tired of my boss being gone to the bars for lunch because he would come back to the office drunk. Everytime my boss would go out for lunch, I knew "Nappie" would come after me. This went on for about 3 years. The first year I didn't say a thing. The second year I cried (I was only 22 afterall) and the third year I yelled. One time, "Nappie" had gone too far and after answering his questions more professionally than I thought was in me, I knew that was it.

The next day a port hole/mirror on his wall found itself just slightly higher up on the wall so he couldn't reach it to look into it. I saw him the next day in his office, in the dark staring at that mirror wondering what had happened. Revenge can be a good thing.