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Nice writeup. I've noticed that a lot of the negatives (which the author nails, by the way) go away if you move the entire company remote. I've been working f

Nice writeup. I've noticed that a lot of the negatives (which the author nails, by the way) go away if you move the entire company remote. I've been working for the last 4 years with a 150 person software company that has no office whatsoever. Everybody is remote. As such, we get to remove the biggest land mine, which is being the "remote guy" on an otherwise onsite team, missing out on communication and finding yourself sidelined. Instead, everybody is forced through all the bullet points on the author's "communication" section, and the playing field is leveled. It also kills off the "Sub Standard Treatment" and "Stopping Work" issues, since everybody is going through the same thing. I'm also 6+ hours ahead of most of my team, and there are only a handful of times a year when somebody forgets that and pings me at 10pm. And in those cases, since my work machine is out above the garage, I only find out about it the next morning. The upsides the author touches on are just plain amazing. I'll often "commute" to work via an hour or so of mountain biking and bouldering. In the winter, I'll often simply up sticks and take the family to go live on a beach in the Caribbean because hey, they have internet there and it's actually a better time zone for the team. (That's where I am now, and will be through March). In short, remote is the way forward. And Software is just ridiculously compatible with it. I'm amazed that there are any product companies left that force their employees to drive an hour each way to sit in a felt cube. It's the future. If you're not remote, find a way to fix that.

eertami 12y ago
>It's the future. If you're not remote, find a way to fix that. Would you suggest this even for new grads looking for a first job? I just know that commuting every day is going to be incredibly depressing but I haven't seen much in the way of remote opportunities for fresh grads.
- wiremine 12y ago
  > Would you suggest this even for new grads looking for a first job? Nope. I've been a full-time remote worker for 6.5 years, and 1/2 time (2 days a week) for 4 years before that. During that time I've managed and hired remote workers. The reality is remote work is not for everyone, and I think that is even more so for new grads. There is a lot of mentoring that happens early in someone's career, and that is difficult to pick up in a remote environment. I think over time the need for having that on-site mentoring decreases, but it's critical in the first 12 to 24 months.
  - odonnellryan 12y ago
    I think developers forget sometimes - and I really don't mean this in a negative way - that they are people too, not machines. People generally need some level of human contact, in person, to grow and form strong bonds with each other. I think remote works great, but it only works if you get to see some people you work with sometimes. The money the company saves can be put into a fund to bring the team together a few times a year for team building/vacation. The details (optional? mandatory? where? who?) are per company, but I think companies should start thinking differently. Remote all the time, in person when needed. Not in person all the time, and remote during extremes (car breaks, weather, etc.)
    - normloman 12y ago
      My problem with a company vacation: The people I work with are not my friends. I despise most of them. This is true for every place I've worked. It's probably true for most people here. You don't chose your co-workers. And now you're forcing me to take my vacation with these people, who I put up with every day at work. You may be puzzled reading this. "But my company is like a family." Some companies are really like this; everyone's your friend. But if every company was like this, we wouldn't have shows like "The Office." It's also hard to expect everyone to go on a vacation. What if your kid has to go to school? What if your spouse has a job, and has to stay home. Can you ask people to leave their family behind for a week so they can bond with their co-workers? Then you might say "fine, just make the vacation optional." You won't be fired for not going, but when it's time for performance reviews, who's gonna have "not a team player" on their report? The one person who didn't attend. But you make a point. We're people. We need contact. My solution? Work at a co-working space a few times a week. Work out of a library or cafe every so often. And get everyone on your team to use video conferencing. And if your team lives in a close vicinity, it's totally reasonable to schedule some day trips.
      - odonnellryan 12y ago
        I don't think that is healthy at all. Let's say you have a favorite person that you really enjoy being with all the time, at most you'll probably manage to get 50 hrs a week in with them. Way less if you do any of the following (and more) alone: exercise, study, side projects, home renovations, reading, movies, etc.. Most people spend at least 30 hours a week with their coworkers. 3/5 ratio is insane for people you hate! How do you think that shapes your attitude, personality, etc.. and how does that impact your happiness? My company is absolutely not like a family, it is very much so work. But, if I hated everyone, or even most of them, it wouldn't work out! Company vacations (or whatever you want to call them) are silly (IMO) if you're already seeing those people 30+ hours a week. I don't think it is very silly if you're seeing them < 8 hrs a week.
- sergiotapia 12y ago
  Absolutely not. You gain vital experience working in a real office with real more experienced people. Don't forgot about that benefit when you're just starting out.
- m_t 12y ago
  If your going to commute, make the most of it. I've been working in Montréal for 2 years, walking 10 minutes to the office. It's only a hard commute when it's freezing/snowing. Now that I'm back in a big city and I have to take the subway for 45 minutes twice a day, I'm not depressed. Sure, I miss enjoying the sun once in a while, but at least now I have time to read.
- ryanSrich 12y ago
  It's going to be tough getting a remote job as a new grad. Not impossible, but tough. If I could give any advice it would be to get a decent location-dictated job first. I worked for a little less than one year at my first job before jumping ship and finding my first (and current) remote job. PM me if you have any questions.
  - avinassh 12y ago
    was the first job also remote? if yes, how difficult was it to get it? and how difficult it was to get current job?
- hanley 12y ago
  From firsthand experience, I would strongly suggest not working remotely as a new grad. I had a lot of experience before and during college, and then just happened to fall into a remote job with a company that is completely remote when I graduated this past spring. I was intrigued by the idea of having no commute and working from home/wherever, but I'm finding that I don't absorb as much information being remote as I have in my previous jobs. Work-related communication is great because my company works hard at that, but it's all the other stuff that I don't get when I'm not sitting near other developers - stuff like best practices, new technologies worth trying, active brainstorming, and development tools. Earlier this week my coworker mentioned a browser add-on he'd been using for 6 months that is incredibly useful to our job and I had never heard of it; I think if we were working in the same location then that tool would have been mentioned a lot sooner and everyone on the team would have been using it 6 months ago. The ultimate goal as a fresh grad is to learn and absorb as much information as possible, as quickly as possible, and I think that working remotely hinders that. Also as others have suggested, it's important to find a mentor(s) when you're a new grad, and that's harder to do as a remote worker.
jamra 12y ago
Wow. That was really motivating. Can you give some advice on how to search for remote work?
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
greg7gkb 12y ago
This is really interesting. Would you mind stating which company you work for? Also, are there other companies that operate 100% remotely? I'd be interested in putting a list together.
- jasonkester 12y ago
  Articulate: https://www.articulate.com/company/careers.php https://www.articulate.com/company/careers.php
ddorian43 12y ago
How much does it cost living in the Caribbean ?

eertami 12y ago

>It's the future. If you're not remote, find a way to fix that. Would you suggest this even for new grads looking for a first job? I just know that commuting every day is going to be incredibly depressing but I haven't seen much in the way of remote opportunities for fresh grads.

wiremine 12y ago
> Would you suggest this even for new grads looking for a first job? Nope. I've been a full-time remote worker for 6.5 years, and 1/2 time (2 days a week) for 4 years before that. During that time I've managed and hired remote workers. The reality is remote work is not for everyone, and I think that is even more so for new grads. There is a lot of mentoring that happens early in someone's career, and that is difficult to pick up in a remote environment. I think over time the need for having that on-site mentoring decreases, but it's critical in the first 12 to 24 months.
- odonnellryan 12y ago
  I think developers forget sometimes - and I really don't mean this in a negative way - that they are people too, not machines. People generally need some level of human contact, in person, to grow and form strong bonds with each other. I think remote works great, but it only works if you get to see some people you work with sometimes. The money the company saves can be put into a fund to bring the team together a few times a year for team building/vacation. The details (optional? mandatory? where? who?) are per company, but I think companies should start thinking differently. Remote all the time, in person when needed. Not in person all the time, and remote during extremes (car breaks, weather, etc.)
  - normloman 12y ago
    My problem with a company vacation: The people I work with are not my friends. I despise most of them. This is true for every place I've worked. It's probably true for most people here. You don't chose your co-workers. And now you're forcing me to take my vacation with these people, who I put up with every day at work. You may be puzzled reading this. "But my company is like a family." Some companies are really like this; everyone's your friend. But if every company was like this, we wouldn't have shows like "The Office." It's also hard to expect everyone to go on a vacation. What if your kid has to go to school? What if your spouse has a job, and has to stay home. Can you ask people to leave their family behind for a week so they can bond with their co-workers? Then you might say "fine, just make the vacation optional." You won't be fired for not going, but when it's time for performance reviews, who's gonna have "not a team player" on their report? The one person who didn't attend. But you make a point. We're people. We need contact. My solution? Work at a co-working space a few times a week. Work out of a library or cafe every so often. And get everyone on your team to use video conferencing. And if your team lives in a close vicinity, it's totally reasonable to schedule some day trips.
    - odonnellryan 12y ago
      I don't think that is healthy at all. Let's say you have a favorite person that you really enjoy being with all the time, at most you'll probably manage to get 50 hrs a week in with them. Way less if you do any of the following (and more) alone: exercise, study, side projects, home renovations, reading, movies, etc.. Most people spend at least 30 hours a week with their coworkers. 3/5 ratio is insane for people you hate! How do you think that shapes your attitude, personality, etc.. and how does that impact your happiness? My company is absolutely not like a family, it is very much so work. But, if I hated everyone, or even most of them, it wouldn't work out! Company vacations (or whatever you want to call them) are silly (IMO) if you're already seeing those people 30+ hours a week. I don't think it is very silly if you're seeing them < 8 hrs a week.
sergiotapia 12y ago
Absolutely not. You gain vital experience working in a real office with real more experienced people. Don't forgot about that benefit when you're just starting out.
m_t 12y ago
If your going to commute, make the most of it. I've been working in Montréal for 2 years, walking 10 minutes to the office. It's only a hard commute when it's freezing/snowing. Now that I'm back in a big city and I have to take the subway for 45 minutes twice a day, I'm not depressed. Sure, I miss enjoying the sun once in a while, but at least now I have time to read.
ryanSrich 12y ago
It's going to be tough getting a remote job as a new grad. Not impossible, but tough. If I could give any advice it would be to get a decent location-dictated job first. I worked for a little less than one year at my first job before jumping ship and finding my first (and current) remote job. PM me if you have any questions.
- avinassh 12y ago
  was the first job also remote? if yes, how difficult was it to get it? and how difficult it was to get current job?
hanley 12y ago
From firsthand experience, I would strongly suggest not working remotely as a new grad. I had a lot of experience before and during college, and then just happened to fall into a remote job with a company that is completely remote when I graduated this past spring. I was intrigued by the idea of having no commute and working from home/wherever, but I'm finding that I don't absorb as much information being remote as I have in my previous jobs. Work-related communication is great because my company works hard at that, but it's all the other stuff that I don't get when I'm not sitting near other developers - stuff like best practices, new technologies worth trying, active brainstorming, and development tools. Earlier this week my coworker mentioned a browser add-on he'd been using for 6 months that is incredibly useful to our job and I had never heard of it; I think if we were working in the same location then that tool would have been mentioned a lot sooner and everyone on the team would have been using it 6 months ago. The ultimate goal as a fresh grad is to learn and absorb as much information as possible, as quickly as possible, and I think that working remotely hinders that. Also as others have suggested, it's important to find a mentor(s) when you're a new grad, and that's harder to do as a remote worker.

jamra 12y ago

Wow. That was really motivating. Can you give some advice on how to search for remote work?

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

greg7gkb 12y ago

This is really interesting. Would you mind stating which company you work for? Also, are there other companies that operate 100% remotely? I'd be interested in putting a list together.

jasonkester 12y ago
Articulate: https://www.articulate.com/company/careers.php https://www.articulate.com/company/careers.php

ddorian43 12y ago

How much does it cost living in the Caribbean ?