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I think the difficulty depends on a lot of factors. I lucked into my first remote job. I got to work remotely 80% of the time. I hadn't really considered remot
by cliffy 7y ago
I think the difficulty depends on a lot of factors.
I lucked into my first remote job. I got to work remotely 80% of the time. I hadn't really considered remote work a real possibility until that point. It worked out pretty well, and every position I've held since then has been 100% remote. Almost eight years now.
I think once you have some remote experience then it's much easier to find other remote positions since you've proven you can do it. It also helps a lot to know people who do remote work and especially managers who have remote/distributed teams. Networking, for better or worse, is extremely important.
Also I think it's important to consider that while it may be easier to find work locally, you're actually quite limited in the breadth of work available. There are super interesting things I absolutely would not have had the opportunity to work on if I hadn't been actively looking for remote opportunities.
I would say keep applying for remote opportunities that interest you. If you show genuine interest and ability to perform then I think you'll find you'll eventually land a position.
Don't be afraid to email decision makers directly. If you're respectful and lay out your value proposition they'll definitely pay attention. At worst they'll ignore you.
- cliffy 7y agoI forgot to add: I think it's premature to worry about pay, my experience has been that every remote position I've considered has offered at least a median salary for my experience and title, considering my locale. Based on my research my current compensation is well-above similarly titled and experienced engineers in my locale. I live in a major metropolitan area. This is, of course, a sample size of 1. The point is that there are companies out there that will pay remote workers well.
- was_boring 7y agoI've been working 100% remote for 6 years now, and have seen about half the people who do end up going remote just don't like it or are not self-motivated enough to put in a full day's work without being in an office.
- cliffy 7y agoIt’s certainly not for everyone. Easy to be distracted and it can get very lonely. I feel like I’ve done my best work remotely though. The ideal would be remote work most of the time with the option to go into an office whenever I like, but the reality is that’s rarely an option. The ability to structure my own day is extremely valuable to me. I also feel I get judged less for appearances and more on what I actually deliver.