Guest Blog: I LOVE MY JOB!

Can I just say how much I love my job? Really, I do. I’m not entirely sure how many people can really say that with confidence, but I know that I can. 

It’s typical military wife life that I just sort of stumbled into it. When you’re a military family, you’re part of an extended family that’s spread so far and wide you have fingers in pies everywhere! And that’s how I came into Virtual Assisting with Freedom Makers.

I’d been looking a little here and there for an opportunity to work 4-6 hours each week. With my crazy schedule of homeschooling, kids and a soon to be retired Marine hubby, I knew I needed some serious flexibility. And honestly, that’s kind of like finding a unicorn at the end of the rainbow in leap year-especially when you’ve been essentially out of the work force for over 15 years without any current professional certifications.

So as I’m perusing “The Oracle,” as many of us Marine spouses refer to our network on Facebook, my eyes land on a post by a fellow Freedom Maker/Military spouse sharing the Freedom Maker opportunity.  Well, I think my fingers may have flown faster than my brain when I was messaging her. I knew that if I didn’t jump on it, I might end up at the bottom of the proverbial pile and miss it. So I jumped. And here I am. Guest blogging for Freedom Makers about my job. And let me say it again-

I LOVE MY JOB!

My first interview with my client was fantastic and it was the start of a great working relationship. One that is continuing and, I hope, will lead into other opportunities for me to grow my skill set and build my client base. 

So that’s another great thing about my job. I’m learning skills and engaging in work that I didn’t know I was capable of, and I’m rediscovering my joy for learning and mastering new concepts.

One of my favorite parts of this job is that I can do it from anywhere, on my time schedule and still be successful. I think I’m pretty lucky to have my first client be one that is so willing to let me make it work for my life and family. 

A little background on me, to give you an understanding of how you may have skills and life experience that you didn’t even consider could qualify you professionally to serve others. 

I have a ridiculously varied background that kind of makes me seem like the poster child for career ADD, but it’s really just what life looks like when you move every 18-36 months and have 5 kids in under 7 years while surviving deployments and homeschooling! I was a Marine for 4 years, worked in the restaurant industry in serving and management, ran a construction company, taught Kindermusik, sold Thirty-One, tutored in our homeschool group and most recently, did some teaching at the University Model school my kids now attend. 

It was interesting during my interview with Laura that I came to realize how many skills I had developed over the years in my work, as a military wife, as a mom and as a homeschooler that I could use to work with clients. My confidence was lifted and I was excited to begin finding ways to work with clients that would utilize those skills.

We’re moving into a new phase in our family as my husband moves from active duty to retired and we figure out the next steps. My fledgling career in Virtual Assisting, along with my entry into the world of freelance writing, give me the confidence to know that I can be a part of helping my family bridge the gap in the coming years. 

What are you waiting for? Dust off your mad skills and get to work! I’m beyond grateful I did! 
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Tiffany McCawley, freelance writer and blogger, virtual assistant and homeschool educator, is both a Marine Spouse and Veteran, mama to 5, and a follower of Jesus. She blogs The Clan McCawley, chronicling life amidst the grief of losing 2 children while raising her surviving 3. She and her husband, a soon-to-be retired Chief Warrant Officer, launched The SaMercy Fund with the help of family and friends following the untimely deaths of Sam and Mercy McCawley in a UTV accident, with the intent of spreading safety awareness and helping other grieving families.  You can follow Tiffany on her blog and on the SaMercy Fund facebook page.