What exactly are remote jobs? Why would I want to work solely online? Are these jobs even legit?  

These are some of my favorite questions! No, really. I feel so passionate about remote work, and all of these words below are why. 

What exactly is a remote job?

A remote job is one that requires all of your work to be completed within a virtual space. Client calls, internal meetings, daily assignments—they’re entirely executed via your computer and/or phone. 

As a result, you have the flexibility to work from home or anywhere in the world that has a strong enough internet connection to get the work done. 

The term “digital nomad” was born out of this innovative concept. Anyone can be a remote employee, but digital nomads are specifically distinguished by their choice to be location independent. This means that instead of staying in one place while working their remote jobs, they travel the world.  

What are the benefits of remote jobs?

Aside from being able to work anywhere, you are also able to create your own schedule and choose your own hours. In fact, 40% of people feel that the greatest benefit of remote work is the flexible schedule (buffer)

Let’s be real, when working a 9-5, you’re not always at 100%. Between co-worker distractions, meetings that could have been emails, and just general burn out, most office workers are chugging along at about 30-70% throughout the day. 

According to Flexjobs, 75% of people who work remotely do so because there are fewer distractions. 74% of respondents said that they chose remote jobs to get away from colleague interruptions, even indirectly as they contribute to the overall office noise (which annoys 60% of survey respondents).

Now, envision being able to select your own work hours and dodge unwelcome distractions. Chances are, you could accomplish your eight-hour day in about half the time. 

When you work onsite, you also have to factor in daily commute times. For example, most people spend approximately two hours per day commuting*, on average. Plus, the toll of distance, traffic, and parking aggravation can’t be understated. 

However, if you had a shorter work day and no commute, you’d have more time to prioritize your mental and physical health, spend time with your loved ones, and work on your passion projects AKA enhance your quality of life. 

Half-time telecommuters have 11 days off a year by not traveling to work *State of Telecommuting. If you’re working a full remote job, you just got yourself an extra 22 days off a year!

Let’s see the differences!

	Onsite Job	Remote Job
Commute	2 hrs	0 hrs
Meetings	3 hrs	1-2 hrs/weekly
Co-worker distraction	3 hrs	0 hrs
Productive workflow	2 hrs	6 hrs (you choose)
Productivity	50%	100%
Weekly working hours	15/50 hrs	20/20 hrs
Mental Health	Low	High
Quality of Life	Low	High

As you can see with working an onsite office job, these 50 hours give off aggravation, anxiety, feeling of low self worth and doubt that leads to added high stress levels. How can you ever have a feeling of accomplishment and success when you’re “working” so many hours but getting so little done? How will you ever beagle to dedicate any time to anything else to help your wellbeing?

Imagine what you could accomplish with the same amount of hours in a remote job? Imagine having extra time to put towards your personal and business development as well as healthy habits and well being?

You’ll save a TON of money.

When you become location independent, a lot of your monthly expenses disappear. Your rent drops from an average of $1,674 per month to as low as $275.00. Charges for cable, internet, electricity, heat, etc. are gone. Imagine the relief of letting those bills disappear.

Now what about car payments, car insurance, gas, and monthly parking passes? Transportation is second in line after housing when it comes to people’s biggest expenses. Quicken reports $812.00 is spent on transportation a month. Imagine having that chunk of change back in your account? That’s almost $10,000 per year. 

Other expenses include gym memberships (don’t worry, you can still find gyms around the world), cell phone plans, and retail shopping (sorry Target, it’s not you, it’s me). People spend as low as $35 to $135 per month on their cell phone plans, while SIM cards can cost as low as $10 for unlimited data per month. 

30% of remote employees say they save upwards of $5,000 annually without on-site work expenses and work travel. *CoSo Cloud

Will I make any money?

YES. Typically, remote workers tend to make more money than they would if they worked in an office. Why? Because they’re spending 4 hours per day at 100%, instead of 8 hours per day at 30%-70%—and still making the same amount of money. 

Additionally, if you’re a freelancer, you won’t have a company above you taking a cut of your pay. For example, when I was working at an advertising agency, I made $26 per hour, and my clients we’re getting billed at $146 per hour. Read that again. For every hour I worked, $120 of those dollars were going to the agency, not my bank account. In addition, my $26 per hour was getting taxed and having health insurance withdrawn from it. In order to afford rent, utilities, and nights out with my girlfriends, I had to work an TWO additional jobs just to make ends meet. These days, I work directly with my clients, charge exactly what I’m worth, and all of the money goes directly in my pocket. 

Had I made $146 per hour at that agency, I would have grossed $303,680 hours per year versus the $54,080 I actually made. That’s a $249,600 difference. And we wonder why people have a problem understanding their worth?! Don’t get me wrong, when you’re on your own as a freelancer, you’re also playing the role of a project manager, accountant, and everything else, but in the end, it’s well worth it. You can always outsource elements of the assignments you don’t like and still make exponentially more money in the long run.

According to the State of Telecommuting, remote workers have an average annual income that’s $4,000 higher than other workers. 

Here are the top 10 salaries in 2020 for remote jobs via Flexjobs:

1.     Healthcare Consultant: median salary $79,065
2.     Strategy Manager: median salary $133,067
3.     Finance Manager: median salary $120,644
4.     Design Manager: median salary $120,549
5.     Risk Manager: median salary $101,468
6.     Scrum Master: median salary $100,000
7.     Accounting Manager: median salary $85,794
8.     Research Scientist: median salary $85,611
9.     Nursing Manager: median salary $85,389
10.  Financial Analyst: median salary $71,334

Will I still be able to grow in my career?

YES. When you have a remote job, you’re not slowly climbing up a corporate ladder. You’re climbing the ladder to becoming your own CEO. Forget waiting for your boss to retire or having to prove yourself to some random executive. All of the politics that come inside the office no longer exist. 

It’s up to you to decide how much your career grows, just like It was up to you to get an A on that test in high school. Luckily, there’s an endless number of online courses available that will help you up your ante, and with all that extra time you’ll have, there’s no excuse not to take them. Above all, there’s a HUGE network of digital nomads out there ready and willing to share their knowledge and expertise. 

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again—remote jobs aren’t for everyone. But if what you read above sounds up your alley, get out there and give it a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.