TRANSCRIPTION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING

Transcribing is a lonely job and it is up to you to come up with a way to change that.  Career Step is a good place to start and the forums that they offer.  If you have not become involved in this gem of a resource, please do.  The connections from this will one day save your sanity.  The forum is great for job connections, help with exam techniques etc.  but more so it is a life line to many mompreneurs and work at home moms.  I can not stress how important it is to develop bonds now as a student. It may feel weird butting into an existing group and adding your two cents worth or talking about your family.  I never really thought anyone would care about my concerns and interests, but my group of online friends from Career Step forum are a wonderful support system and something that all MTs need.  This group of friends are your colleagues and the only ones that can really understand the day-to-day frustrations, laughter and agony that we experience.  They are the ones that can tell you to put ice on your wrist when it is hurting or to adjust your chair because it is cutting into your leg circulation.  They are the ones that will laugh at you when you fall asleep with you feet soaking in water (right Sharon) or you google balogna cast and it turns out to be below knee cast (okay that was all me). 

We have our instant messaging set up and we do get a lot of crazy IM statuses with secret hidden messages for each other.  It always makes you smile.  We will put in a goal and then do a count down as to how we are proceeding.  Networking with a group of MTs make the days go faster and make you feel not so alone.

Personally, I have a wonderful group of friends that are a lot of times more like sisters than colleagues.  We all care about each other and take pride in their successes, try to pick them up if they fall and encourage when it just seems impossible to go on. I once posted a Sorry Linda.... for another friend outside our circle...and I got 4 or 5 what is wrong with Linda? from our clubhouse residents.

When you are in Career Step, you would be doing yourself more of a service to network than a lot of other things that you will learn from the course.  Networking will become your life line on a cold day sitting all alone in your office feeling sorry for yourself because others are out in the living room playing Wii and laughing.  A smile is no further away then my IM and I can carry on with my work.

You will find that the connection between the company you work for and yourself is very limited and very cold.  It makes you feel like a number and very isolated.  Without a network, I don't think I would be able to do this job.  I think Mark and the kids are very happy that I have my online network, so they don't have to listen to all my bellyaching or the joy when I get a great report to work on.  I just click on a name of someone who is on and I share with them. My super cool MT friend, Nicole, (from one town over that I never met) and I have youtube study breaks together.  It makes the time go faster and actually makes us work better. They understand, they commiserate, they correct your spelling mistakes and commas.  (I have to google commiserate--sigh I don't need Kim on my back)  What would I do without them??