Becoming a Virtual Assistant

As opposed to starting a help desk?

Cheers. - Frank

Unless you're offering high level analysis services, you have your work cut out for you.

Seriously.

You have tons of competition from places like The Philippines and India where VAs cost as little as $25 to $75 per day.

And these are COLLEGE-EDUCATED people, mind you.

Focus on higher level work that requires analytical skills and specialized training when offering VA work.

For a course of study, your local community college may offer a short, inexpensive set of classes to get you started.

For a course of action, you can get a good idea of what people want (and offer) by studying PA gigs at Fiverr.com. You could even start there, and see if it's something you enjoy.

With a little experience, you're able to market yourself better.

Keep in mind that a personal assistant (PA) can be someone who runs errands, babysits the kids, does the laundry, calls contractors to get the roof repaired, and anything else the busy person (your boss) needs you to do.

A virtual assistant (VA) is usually someone who handles jobs that used to be done in an office, like answering email, posting general comments at social media (to increase a business's visibility), returning calls, updating listings, and so on.

Some VAs don't do all the work themselves. They quietly hire their own assistants at Fiverr or Mechanical Turk or something, and pocket the difference.

Both PA and VA skills can be learned offline, like at a community college or adult ed center, or online through courses. You can also "learn as you earn" by starting at Fiverr or Odesk, or something like that. (Craigslist isn't always a good place to find those jobs. See Personal Assistant Wanted - Employment Scams - Scam Detector )

You'll also find forums dedicated to both of those careers, such as Virtual Assistant Forums, and sources of work like Personal Assistant Jobs | Indeed.com and Virtual Assistant Jobs | Indeed.com

Good luck with your new career!