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Ask HN: How far can you take a telecommute career?
I've been doing telecommute and/or freelance for about 4 years now. When I think of the future, I feel like a career via telecommute has a ceiling. Do you think a career based on telecommuting can continue to grow like a typical in house career?
- orangethirty 14y agoGreat question. I don't think social norm would allow it to grow in the same manner as a non-remote position. Given how a lot of promotions are based on office politics.
- cmorgan8506 14y agoThat's sort of my line of reasoning, as well. Particularly when you move into any form of management or leadership position.
- pc86 14y agoCan you imagine the flip-side of the anti-remote argument if the manager was remote and the team wasn't? "What do you mean I got a bad performance review? My boss isn't even here."
- cmorgan8506 14y agoThe solution is simple. Hire a proxy with a head cam.
- caw 14y agoThere's some coworkers of mine like that. They report to someone remotely, or they're responsible for a team that is entirely remote from them. Your metrics for success have to be a lot more thought out, and there's always frequent interaction between you and your manager. It's not for everyone, but generally the people that are on these remote teams aren't new hires, but rather experienced people that have proven their ability to execute over time. They're normally on the teams investigating organizational pain points and doing strategic initiatives. I'd like to think "pretty far" but it definitely depends on the organization. For freelancing, you might have to put in a bit of face time, but nothing's stopping you from charging very high rates and doing part of the work remotely.
- tatvamasi 14y agoRemote management works in some scenarios, but needs commitment from both the team and the manager to make it work. Additionally, the goals should be clearly defined and communicated, so that there are no surprises. It is hard to make it work, but is very beneficial and can be a competitive advantage when you get it right. Hey, you can now hire top talent regardless of geographical boundaries!
- 10dpd 14y agoWe by nature are social and while teleconferencing has improved exponentially over the last couple of years, you cannot beat in-person communication. If you eventually want to lead a team, you must be there in person. If you want to socialise with your teammates, you must be there in person.
- logn 14y agoI lead a team, and I work remotely. Actually I manage two teams. But I work in a mid-size company (400 people) that's completely remote.
- fexl 14y agoYes, I've been doing it since 1998, and that includes three major separate gigs including (1) a corporate job, (2) free-lance, and (3) a founder of our own firm. So that's 15 years and counting! Best wishes to you.