Working in a virtual world

I've been working with clients from all over North America for over eight years, and I still marvel at the technology behind how we communicate. And now, with social media dominating so much of the way we interact, one does wonder where this is all headed.

At times like this, I like to look back and remember the technological changes I've seen in my lifetime. In high school, I was taught how to type on a manual typewriter (perish the thought!). I can still feel the vibrations in my fingers from having to press down hard. At my first job, I worked on a manual cash register, yes, the kind that had the big window at the top with the dollar sign and large, white oblong numbers. When I worked as a parts person in a motorcycle store, we kept all of our inventory on index cards.

It wasn't until I got my first office job that I came in contact with a computer. And that first job was a tough one. I was a claims reviewer for an insurance company, and we had daily quotas we had to make, plus we often worked overtime. Once trained, I kinda worked like a monkey, following the steps to file a claim like connecting dots. It wasn't long before I lost interest, even though I worked there for over a year!

From there, I went back into the parts field, working for several car dealerships. At one company, I became the inventory manager. Working on computers sure helped, especially since that dealership was the largest one in Vancouver at the time.

In the mid 90s, my husband bought our first home computer. I didn't think anything of it. He used it for personal stuff and playing games. He often reminded me that I could use it too. I remember saying, "What do I need to use a computer for?" Of course I did start using it, but for just a few odd things like writing up the minutes of a community dance troupe's meetings.

Then, in the late 90s, after a stint working in communications for the local government, I decided to start looking for work I could do at home. My first virtual home-based job was providing transcription services for a ghostwriting company in the States. Not bad for someone living on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. And I found it through searching on the Internet and being bold enough to ask (it was not a job that was advertised). I was thrilled that I had gone international. :)

Eventually I expanded my services and found more clients via the Net. Over the years, I've worked with people in Ohio, South Carolina, New York, California, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, to name a few - oh, and I even had a client from Australia (I know, big deal, it's no longer a novelty).

Nowadays, we don't think twice about how easy it is to connect with people online, both personally and professionally, but I still think about the days before the Internet explosion, the days before voice mail, oh heck, yes, I'll date myself even further - even back to the days of the rotary-dial telephone!