the pros & cons of working remotely
*Disclaimer: I wrote this a while ago, and A LOT has changed since writing this. Because of what's going on in the world... a lot of people are now working from home. My experience working remotely may or may not be helpful to these people. Stay tuned for a different post about how COVID-19 has shaken up my WFH lifestyle.*
Since the end of September (2019), I’ve been working part-time, remotely. I currently do all things social media and marketing. And it’s fun, I like what I do - and working remotely has allowed me to develop so many different skills that I may not have been able to develop as quickly in a “regular” work environment. But, it’s also not what I thought it would be, and it’s probably not what you feel like it would be either. Working remotely seems like rainbows and butterflies to some, but is it really all that great?
Many people have come to me proclaiming that I am so lucky that I get to work from home and they wish they could do it too because it seems like it would be the best thing in the world. And maybe it is the ideal situation for some people, but I think a lot of them are clueless to what it’s actually like, and just want to be able to sleep in, work in their pajamas, and have total freedom with their schedule. Yes, all of those things are pros/bonuses to working remotely, but it isn’t all rainbows and butterflies.
I’ve compiled a list of pros, cons, and skills that I’ve learned as a result of working from home so that you can perhaps have a larger understanding of what really goes on. I’d like to preface though, that not every remote job is going to be the same, and a full-time remote position could be completely different. My experience is not the only experience. I’d also like to preface that I did not go searching for my remote positions, they kind of just fell into my lap - which I’m thankful for. But, if you’re interested in working remotely, there are ways to find that kind of work.
Let’s start with the positives of working from home. As many would assume, the biggest pros for me are being able to set my own schedule. While I still get up fairly early, I sleep in later than the typical 9 to 5 professional - which is nice. I also have the freedom to be able to not work on certain days if I don’t want to (or if I don’t have any work to do, which is, unfortunately, the case sometimes). This is perfect for traveling… not that I’m able to do a lot of that on my budget, but it would be a pro if I did. Another one of the biggest pros is being able to work from anywhere. I can work in my bed, at my desk, in my kitchen, from a coffee shop, or on a plane. And this means I can also wear whatever I want to work. I imagine I’m saving a pretty decent chunk of money because of this because I’m not spending gas money on a commute every day and I didn’t need to invest in work-appropriate clothing either.
Working from home has also managed to teach me a lot of SUPER valuable skills. Skills that can and should be developed in a regular 9 to 5 or school environment. But I feel like because of working remotely, I was able to pick up on these skills much quicker and more in-depth than the average person. But we’ll talk about all those important skills later.
It was really nice for me at first to be able to work alone without having the pressure of having to socialize with the people who work around me. So while I’m always able to work in quiet, comfortable, low-pressure locations - I’ve realized this has become one of the biggest cons for me as well… Having barely any socialization every day has resulted in loneliness for me. I would usually consider myself an introvert, but I don’t know anymore. Every time I go out in public or meet new people now, I talk way too much (or way more than I ever used to). So the loneliness and lack of social interaction is perhaps the biggest con when working remotely.
Also, because you work from home, there’s really no excuse for a “sick day.” At least for my type of work. Unless I’m dying, there’s really no reason I shouldn’t be able to complete my tasks online. But again, this is where the schedule flexibility really comes in handy… as long as you’ve done everything that needs to be done, it’s okay to take a day off.
If you’re someone that needs a lot of guidance or reassurance from a boss or a coworker, working remotely is probably not the best option for you. Obviously, no one is there working next to you, so no one is there to look over your shoulder and make sure you’re doing the right thing and staying on task - that’s up to you. Don’t know what you’re doing? Have a question? There’s nothing wrong with reaching out and asking a question, but who knows when you’ll get a response, you have to learn to be able to find answers in other ways. I’ve become an expert researcher because of this.
Depending on the type of remote job you have, tasks can seem to be repetitive (in social media, I’ve developed a daily routine), and repetition can be boring to some. I even get tired of doing the same things sometimes. Having enough hours can also be hard to come by (depending on your type of work/company/etc.). Sometimes I struggle to hit just 10 hours for one job. This is why I think this type of thing works better on the side of something else for me.
Another large con of working from home is the fact that you have to be able to motivate yourself. You have to be able to get yourself out of bed in the morning and start your work without being told to start or even what to do sometimes. It’s your responsibility to get your hours in so you can get paid. Sometimes it can be hard not to get distracted when you’re working at home and there are other things you want to do. Your phone can be distracting, maybe you get sidetracked doing something else, or you spend way too much time eating lunch. I’ve been guilty of all of these things before, but I had to learn to be disciplined so I was actually working and not jacking around doing nothing all day - which believe me, can be a really hard task when you’re working in your bedroom all day.
The skills I’ve developed while working from home, have made everything entirely worth it because I believe they may make me a more ideal candidate for other jobs in the future:
I’ve had to learn to be a self-starter. It can be hard to get myself out of bed in the morning when I know I don’t have anywhere to be or deadlines to meet. Learning to motivate myself took quite some time, but it’s the type of skill that transfers to all aspects of my life - not just professional situations.
I’ve learned to be flexible and adaptable. Perhaps this is just the industry of social media, but things are constantly changing, and I’ve had to learn to deal with it and be able to learn new things quickly.
Being technologically savvy is definitely something that comes in handy when working on your computer from home (though not required). Computers don’t always like to cooperate, and when you’re working from home, there’s probably nobody working in IT at your disposal to help you whenever you need it. I’ve had to learn how to fix certain computer issues with only the help of the internet. Also - sometimes learning a new software without someone sitting down next to you, can prove to be quite difficult… Adobe anyone?
While I’m not really communicating with many people face-to-face, I still need to have good communication skills, just in other forms. You need to be comfortable with not only email correspondence but also video chats and phone calls too.
Learning to be okay working alone with barely any socialization (other than those video meetings and emails) has been really difficult for me. This surprised me a TON considering I'm more introverted. I’m not sure working along is a "skill" I’ve really nailed or even like that much… Teamwork is important, but I think that having to work alone has really taught me to do things on my own, so there are pros and cons to each side here.
Working from home is so great for some people, but it’s not my favorite thing to do. I’m grateful that I get the luxury to work from home, on my own time, in an industry that I love, but as I’ve talked about - there are cons too. Things are probably different for every industry and job in particular, but I imagine that a lot of things are the same everywhere when it comes to working from home.
I hope I was able to shed some light on how things work for the people who always think I have it so good. Maybe they still think I have it so good. Maybe everyone currently working from home now understands it's a little more complicated than what hits the surface. Though I will say, this has been a completely different work from home experience, for me and for everyone lately (with all the anxiety and uncertainty looming overhead). Stay tuned for a post about how COVID has shaken up the work from home lifestyle for me (and assumably for others as well).
If a work from home job is the kind of job you want, then good for you, but it’s just not the ideal situation for me to continue forever. This might be the type of lifestyle that is amazing for moms or students, or even me if I was able to consider doing it full-time. But personally, the cons are starting to outweigh the pros. I need a job that allows me to socialize (in person), collaborate, and can support me better financially. However, I do enjoy what I do currently so much, that it’s something I think I’ll always want to keep doing on the side. So, whatever you do, just make sure you like what you're doing.