Evaluator Times Two

One of the hardest things about my independent contractor job is the lack of day-to-day interaction with other people that do the same thing.  Several months ago I joined an online forum devoted to the field.  It's nice to be able to 'discuss' things with other people, and I've learned valuable information from the posters, but typing on a keyboard isn't the same as talking with someone in person.  Shortly after I joined the forum I found out that there's another member who lives not too far from my house.  In the past few months we've exchanged private messages several times, and finally we set a time to meet for coffee.

Yesterday afternoon I entered a local Starbucks for our meeting.  As I waited at the counter to pick up my coffee, I realized I had no idea what the woman looked like.  Fortunately, I saw someone who looked just as lost as me.  I said her name, she said mine, and just like that we were connected.

The woman is about my age, and has been doing the job on a full time basis for almost eight years.  She's a real professional.  Compared to me, she's taken things to a whole new level. However, I was surprised to learn that I've done a couple of jobs that she's never tried.   At the end of our chat I realized I'd had a lot of fun and got some good tips that I can use going forward.  Now when I see her screen name on the forum I'll be able to put a face to it.