Happy Monday, friends. Jacqueline Wolven over at Freelance Switch does a compelling interview with Jennifer Gallagher, a real-life, breathing virtual assistant. Prior to reading the article, I had never heard of such a thing. After a little digging around on Contemporary VA and related websites, I discovered an interesting little community of web savvy individuals that, at face value, are living the dream; getting out of bed to a 9 to 5 at their desk in the other room. A clubhouse for people getting paid to be great at the stuff they already enjoy. Already my head was spinning. A job I can live off of while petting my cat and folding my socks? It’s too good to be true.

Not so fast.

Melissa Brewer, author of Little White Ebook of Virtual Assistant Jobs, has a few warnings to those jumping in VA work head first:

As with anything in the world, there are drawbacks to becoming a virtual assistant – such as financial uncertainty, forced self-sufficiency (you have to take care of all of your money management, you have to work on project after project if you want to have enough money, and you have to provide for your own health care.) These three factors can add up to create a feeling of terrifying risk for many people that stops them dead in their tracks, especially if they have a family to support.

Ah yes. The good ‘ole “financial uncertainty.” There is the familiar phrase that haunts everyone thinking about moving into the world of freelance. But if you can overcome the initial fear, there is a world of opportunity for the aggressive web entrepreneur. Numerous companies advertise their virtual assistants for nearly any task, from data entry to full on web development, to nearly every type of business in every type of industry. And most of these assistant websites are hiring! But like any job you apply for, it isn’t free money. And anyone who has played the freelance game knows, there is ALWAYS someone who will do it cheaper and quicker.

But for those who know their way around the internet rather well, the job sounds pretty awesome. Check out Contemporary VA and the Virtual Assistant Forums for more information on what could be your next career move.