Miriam Vasquez was looking for something new. Over the years, she had worked in many jobs as an office assistant, but the demands of those traditional jobs did not allow for the demands of her current life as a wife and mother of three. Her professional life needed new direction—one that was flexible as well as rewarding.
Vasquez found what she was looking for when she completed a series of online classes through Continuing Education in January. Her goal was to become a Virtual Office Assistant and work from home on her own schedule. Now, only a few months later, she has set up Ace Virtual Solutions, her own small business here in San Diego, and is a certified Virtual Office Assistant for El Gallito Ingles Tire and Service Centers, a successful tire company in Texas.
In the class, Miriam learned about the possibilities of working with small business owners, real estate agents and entrepreneurs—people who often don’t have the support of an office team, but who could benefit from having help.
“I had my first client lined up a few days before my final class,” said Vasquez. “One of my assignments had been to make a list of people who we thought could benefit from having a virtual office assistant. I used that list to make my initial contacts, which included Rogelio Contreras, owner of the tire company.
When Vasquez contacted Mr. Contreras, he had never heard of a virtual office assistant. “Fortunately I was prepared because one of our assignments was to create a business web site to help people understand the services a virtual assistant could offer,” she explained. “So I was able to forward him the link to my site.”
After Contreras reviewed the site, he still wasn’t sure how he could use a virtual assistant. Fortunately, another assignment from class required each student to create a questionnaire that potential clients could complete to help determine how virtual assistant services could add value to their business. Armed with the right information, Miriam was able to do a quick assessment and match her professional services to El Callito’s business needs.
Vasquez isn’t new to taking classes. She graduated from the International Business College in Texas, but this was the first online course she’d taken. She learned of the class from a friend and not only was the class itself appealing—using modern technology to work as a virtual assistant from home—but the fact that the actual coursework to complete the program was offered online was what clenched the deal. “It was awesome because I could continue my daily routine and do assignments at my own time,” said Vasquez.
The class met weekly via an online discussion board from September through January. “We’d have our new assignment by 6 a.m. Monday morning,” she said, and we had until Saturday to complete and submit our work.”
Vasquez said online learning might not be for everyone. “You have to be motivated, reliable and be able to work independently,” she said.
“Much of the success of this class was due to the fact that it was offered as an online course,” said instructor Tom Smerk. “I highly believe that online courses are one of the best educational opportunities available, and are ideal for today's learners in a connected society.”
Upon completion of the coursework, students receive a Certificate of Completion for completing core curriculum, which covers small business management and home-based business training. The classes are based on the assumption that students have skills in areas such as word processing, spreadsheets, simple web page design, transcription and typing.