A CLK Independent Contractor’s Story

I think I always knew deep down I was going to be a transcriptionist. Every time I saw one of those commercials (“Train and earn your degree in 9 months! Medical billing and coding, accounting, etc.”) when I saw transcription, I always kind of gave it a double-take. Probably a lot of those things were scams, but it’s happened a lot in my life, that something gives me a kind of internal “Ping!” and then turns out to be relevant later on.

I spent my late teens and about all of my 20s housebound. I was diagnosed agoraphobic after high school and put on disability. I was my niece’s nanny, until I became so drained by the job that I attempted suicide. After that, I just sort of existed. I hated myself, my endless days of doing nothing. When I saw my 30s approaching, something snapped in me. I applied to and was accepted by an online school that has since become disgraced, I think, but I got a medical transcription degree out of it (though they refused to give me my diploma until I paid off my debt to them, which I have not done). I somehow put together a resume, sent it to a million places, and began to lose hope. I will be autistic until I die, but I didn’t want to be disabled forever.

CarolLee Kidd, the CLK of CLK Transcription, responded to me, seemingly uninterested in my resume, and simply asked me why I wanted to do transcription. I don’t remember what I said, but I expect it was that I couldn’t do much else, that I needed to work from home and had some training in the kind of work her company does. I found medical transcription daunting and stressful, and here was a chance to try general. She took me on, which I will be eternally grateful for, and gave me a chance, and I hope, really hope, that she’s found me nearly as valuable as I find her. I made a million mistakes, and started out really slowly, but found such a welcoming environment at CLK. I feel about my colleagues there just as a neurotypical might bond with people in an office.

Transcription means so much to me. I think most people don’t realize how hard and intellectually-challenging it is. My grammar and spelling was always excellent, but I had to become an expert Googler, a short-term expert in whatever the topic of each file is. And I think people don’t realize how important it is. Our work helps create entertainment articles that people read to escape their stresses, books that educate people on everything from fly-fishing to astrophysics. I’ve typed about celebrity scandals, Common Core, medical drug trials, the Kuiper Belt, politics, and the sniping that goes on between “Real Housewives.” I get to help produce, in my little way, a TV show in which people explore their ancestry. Some of it means nothing to me. All of it put together means everything.

I’m a very busy person. I work full-time, attend college (a real one now) part-time, help run a household, and help care for my young nephew. The most stressful days I have are better than any day in my past when I had nothing to do and nothing was expected of me. When people ask me what I do for work, yes, I have to explain what a transcriptionist is EVERY SINGLE TIME, but it beats saying I’m disabled. I’m now empowered. And it was largely my much-loved job that made me who I now am.

Amber G. IC for CLK 4 years and counting!

Why do we do what we do?! Part 1

I always say, “We love what we do!” And it is true, and for a variety of reasons. Whether flexibility with being an independent contractor, the camaraderie of a team, or other reason that makes the job a right fit overall – it is always the work we do for others that keeps us here.

 

Here are just a few testimonials from some great CLK Teammates!

 

I have worked as a transcriptionist for CLK Transcription for almost three years now. When I began, I was a stay at home mom looking for something to do while my kids were in school. What began as just a job quickly turned into a passion. Learning is passion of mine, and transcribing for CLK Transcription fulfills that passion every single day. The flexibility of working for CLK has allowed me to go to school full-time, graduating with honors, have the time to plan a wedding and get married, and take care of my family and home.

Through my time with CLK, I’ve also grown as a person. CarolLee’s dedication to her family, her company, her team, her clients, and her community is amazing and something to be admired. I’ve learned so much from her over the years and those lessons have helped shape me as a woman and a professional.

I’ve also learned from my team. We may never have met face to face, but our virtual group connects us. We help each other, laugh and cry together, and have formed a bond like no other working environment I’ve experienced.

  • Miller

 

Doing transcription at home is ideal for me. You can’t beat the flexibility. After owning my own business for almost ten years, to sit by myself and do what I want when I want is perfect. I don’t think I could work for someone who would be breathing down my neck. I absolutely love my job at CLK and feel very fortunate to be a team member. It’s great that we’re such a cohesive team, too. We encourage each other and are there to help one another if needed. Rather than sit in front of the TV, I love that I’m able to work at night and on the weekends if I want to as well. Not only am I continually learning new things with the jobs at CLK, but the variety of work is interesting and sometimes very entertaining.

  • Sharon C.

 

http://www.clktranscription.com