My Journey and Key Takeaways from the ALX Virtual Assistant Program: Weeks 3 & 4 📍
As the days blurred together, I found myself wondering if I was truly cut out for this Virtual Assistant thing.
Hello Readers! It’s me here again, writing about my Virtual Assistant Learning Journey at ALX Africa. In my previous article, I shared the excitement of starting my VA learning Journey at ALX Africa. But little did I know, the plot was about to thicken.
In Weeks 3 and 4, I faced some challenges and learned some valuable lessons. But don’t worry, I am not leaving you in suspense — I am here to share the latest twists and turns in my journey, and what I’ve learned along the way.
Before you move on, as is customary, get yourself a glass of your favorite drink and a piece of cake or cookies, and sit tight as I take you through this two-week journey in minutes.🥂🚀
How was my Week 3?
This week, I got to learn about the different tools a VA would use. I explored the Google Workspace. As someone who uses this all the time (I started using Google Workspace in 2019), I initially thought, “Errm, I probably know everything about these tools.” But I was in for the shock of my life — Google Workspace was much more than what I knew.
I thought it was all just the basics, you know; Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Forms, Email, and Calendar. However, one of the videos we watched mentioned more than that — Google Chat, Google Sites, Google Keep (which I also use), Google Cloud Search, Chrome Policies, Google Vault, Insights, etc. I was amazed.
We got to learn about how to use the basic Google Workspace tools — Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Drive, Calendar, and Gmail. Even though it’s been almost six years since I started using these tools, I still discovered so many new things I didn’t know I could do with them.
Did you know that to start a new Doc, Sheet, Form, or Slide on your browser, you don’t necessarily have to open your Google Drive and then start a new one? You can just easily type in docs.new, sheets.new, forms.new, or slides.new directly into your browser — this blew my mind!
Did you know that with Google Keep, you can extract text from images? Although I tried this with some images and it didn’t work, I’ll keep figuring it out because it worked in the lesson video.
Also, did you know you could do voice typing on Google Docs? and it’s a free feature! These are great discoveries I learned this week. I got to learn new ways to use some specific tools in Google Workspace.
We also learned about managing our email inbox and calendar management.
You might think you know it all, but you don’t. Keep an open mind and be ready to learn always. As they always say, learning never ends.
I made a slight mistake this week. I rushed while taking the week’s quiz and did not get my targeted score. When I saw my corrections, I was even more pained because they were questions I could have answered correctly if only I had calmed down.
Moral lesson: Always take your time to calm down while taking any test.
Have you experienced anything like this before? Let me know in the comments section.
How was my week 4?
It seems as the week progresses the contents are getting more interesting. when week 4 started with this👇 I just knew, I was in for a long ride!
The character trait and value that we encourage you to unleash this week is COURAGE. Courage will carry you and enable you to DO HARD THINGS and claim your spot as a leading VA.
This week we went into hands-on practicals. I got to prepare a presentation using Google Slides, and it wasn’t just any presentation but a travel pack. Yeah! I learned about how to plan, research, and book travel. It was not only educative and interesting but also really fun as I got to research my dream country and the places I would like to visit there.
I also learned about project management and how to draft a project plan. This section was quite easy for me because I already have project management knowledge as part of my skill set.
This week was quite overwhelming for me. I had to juggle between the ALX course, my final year project, and attending lectures in school. However, thanks to the time management tips I was reminded of in the past 2 weeks, I was able to draft a structure to better manage my time. Following that structure, I managed to complete my tasks ahead of the deadline and even had extra time to rest.
Oh, and I picked up a new hobby — learning German in my free time!
I never thought I’d say this, but being a Virtual Assistant learner at ALX Africa has taught me more about myself than I ever expected.
As I reflect on my journey as a Virtual Assistant Learner at ALX Africa, I am reminded that growth and learning are continuous processes. My advice to you is to remain open to new knowledge and experiences, even if you feel like you already know it all. There’s always something new to discover, and relearning old concepts can help solidify your understanding.
When taking online tests or exams, take your time (if it’s not timed, of course!) and answer calmly. Don’t rush through questions; instead, focus on understanding and applying what you’ve learned. By embracing a growth mindset and being willing to learn and relearn, you’ll unlock new opportunities and achieve greater success in your journey.
And that’s it for this, guys! It’s been 4 weeks gone and 4 weeks to go! Stay with me until the end, and let’s unveil, learn, and grow together! Thank you for joining me on this journey so far. We will be taking a quick break here as we anticipate the exciting opportunities and learning experiences that the next 2 weeks will bring.
I am looking forward to sharing more updates and insights with you as I progress through the program. Stay tuned!📍
P.S.: If your cake and drink are almost empty, don’t forget to top them up as we wait.😉
Love or enjoy this short piece? kindly drop a clap of encouragement and follow me for more educative pieces. cheers!🥂❤️
PS: I am open to any Virtual Assistant role. View my Resume Here.
If you have any opportunity for me, kindly feel free to email me at: okonudeborah6@gmail.com, Danke!😊
