The Newly Rich

We had a decent experience with our first GetFriday virtual assistant, so this isn’t intended as a criticism against them. But I couldn’t be happier with our new domestic replacement. I’ll refer to him from here on as “George.”

College Jobs

Right now he’s in college, and will soon be starting an MPA. He’s smart, funny, responsible, and one a heck of a golfer. You’d think he would command a healthy salary.

But George still lives in the town where we grew up, which houses a state college and a major university. This means George faces the same challenge as his 50,000 classmates: extreme competition for part-time jobs that have flexible hours. This should sound familiar to anybody that had a job while in a college. The supply of jobs that fit these requirements is under-whelming compared to the demand. Consequently, pay is not exactly “competitive.”

I’ve had my share of gigs that fit this bill: cell-phone sales guy, restaurant server, call-center operator. I even once volunteered for an exercise study that lasted several weeks and included a biopsy on my quadricep. Ah, those were the days.

The Perfect Fit

My brother first alerted me to the fact that George hadn’t yet completed his studies and was still competing for those flexible part-time jobs. And that’s when it hit me: I could not think of a more ideal assistant! In addition to the characteristics I mentioned above, he already knows me, knows people and places that I know, and is very internet- and computer-savvy. I can give him confidential information with zero worries. So far he’s handled every task perfectly.

I imagine most readers of 4HWW will have the same reaction I did: “Cool! An assistant way over in India!” But after the novelty wears off, you realize that the whole idea is to minimize the time and money you spend working with your assistant while getting maximum benefit. And right now, I can’t imagine it being more streamlined.

Eventually it’ll be on George’s todo list to find and hire a replacement for when he graduates…

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