First of all, THANK YOU for the answers I got last time I posted about this! This question is a a bit different and relates more as to how you would transition to a digital nomad lifestyle once you secure that coveted WFH job.
I have been dreaming of finding a fully remote job and living as a digital nomad. I hate (and I mean HATE) the idea of pointlessly staying in my city, giving up countless experiences I could have had when not at work, just to come into the office and make small talk. The handful of useful conversations and experiences in the office that help with me "professional development are absolutely not worth the depressing cost of staying put.
I can do my job remotely just fine. I rarely go to site visits, never to in person meetings, and I don't care about seeing buildings I work on go up.
I love to travel, have no significant other or family in the city where I live, and don't even have a pet; I think I'd make an excellent candidate for this kind of a life. My question for you is:
Provided you have this arrangement, how do you make this work financially? Driving across the country in a camper involves the large initial cost of a camper, and doesn't necessarily bring you everywhere you want to go. And you still need an address of some sort. Do you just get a PO box? Keep an apartment but sublet it out? How would someone afford to spend every night in an airbnb for months at a time?
This is truly my dream; the idea of spending my one life in an office is beyond depressing. I want to get a better idea of whether this is something that could happen for me in a couple of years or if it's a fantasy.
Non Sequitur
Mar 3, 23 3:51 pm
Careful, your naïve romanticism is showing. Perhaps you'd love the nomad idea but I'm sure your coworkers and employers will just love that you don't care about the buildings you're tasked with. Perhaps you need to re-evaluate your definition of what depressing is.
You want to run off and explore the world while holding a job? Start your own practice and set your own rules.
Frank_Lloyd_Wrong
Mar 3, 23 4:02 pm
I'm sure they would, but it's the truth; labor is not fulfilling for me and it's not what I dream of. Starting a practice is a valid response to my question; thank you!
reallynotmyname
Mar 3, 23 6:06 pm
Unless you get some amazingly understanding business partners and also achieve instant financial success on day one, owning a firm is not a route to having lots of free time for personal travel. At least not in first 20 years or so of owning the business.
bowling_ball
Mar 3, 23 7:26 pm
I'm in my first few years of being my own boss, and I can tell you that despite being bed ridden with the worst flu of my life this week, I've still got my laptop open in bed. I'm absolutely not congratulating myself for that lack of balance, but the reality is once you're in that position, there's literally nobody else who can do a lot of that work, and trust me, the world doesn't stop Joey because you're sick, or on a plane, or on a beach with no wifi.
Non Sequitur
Mar 3, 23 9:32 pm
I never said it needed to be a successful practice.
monosierra
Mar 3, 23 4:10 pm
How about freelancing while you build your business? Working a fulltime job while traveling could be difficult - not impossible, just tough. You do have to stay in constant contact with a larger, sendetary team who could be working tough schedules - more likely than not, you'd be syncing with them, thus affecting travel plans.
Employers would be wary too - "How reliable is this guy if he's on the road all the time? Can he remote into the office network reliably? How secure is his connection? What if he loses Wifi? What's his ping rate when on the road? How do we maintain team communications with someone who is never in the office and many states, if not time zones, away?" All real questions that could have very good answers but it could put you at a disadvantage when competing with "regular" jobs against more conventional candidates. Ceteris paribus of course.
As a freelancer, you should have more flexibility.
How one gets jobs that way is a different challenge ... Maybe rendering artist? Some kind of project-based work that is relatively independent from the rest of the production team? Spec writer too. Or something out of the box and entirely away from the usual production work ... say, a programmer who writes custom code to expedite AEC workflows. That would be cool - you design proprietary scripts and sell them to firms.
I can imagine a very experienced professional "consulting" on a part-time basis as he approaches retirement, perhaps offering advice and insights into technical design problems. It sounds like you're relatively early in your career?
Frank_Lloyd_Wrong
Mar 3, 23 4:33 pm
Thank you for your response! Freelancing sounds like it gives you a lot of freedom, with the major drawbacks of no health insurance, significantly less stable income, etc. Unfortunately I am at the beginning of my career; retirement is 37 years away (yes I am already counting; I hate my prison cell as you can tell lol).
monosierra
Mar 3, 23 5:10 pm
I guess one question is how distinct is your skillset from the rest of the labor market. The reason why I gave those examples - visualizer, programmer, spec writer - is that they're distinct services that don't necessarily require you to be part of a team on a daily basis. Imagine trying to sync your Revit model with a team of twelve while you're on the road! That's why the ping rate and Wifi connection does matter, as mundane as it sounds. But if your work is fairly independent, then it could work. That is, if you have a very special set of skills.
proto
Mar 3, 23 4:17 pm
that #vanlife aint cheap
____
Mar 3, 23 10:54 pm
You are in the wrong profession.
You need a job that pays well and that is in such a high demand that it enables you to become employed anywhere you move to quickly.
Maybe something in the healthcare field not a doctor but a technician of some kind.
Like I said you are in the wrong profession for the life style you want.
archanonymous
Mar 4, 23 2:42 pm
I have found such a job, but it's because I'm extremely lucky and also have many years of high-level experience to justify the freedom I receive in my working conditions.
I don't move around often, every 2-6 months. It's great. Seeing different places, different architecture, different ways of life. Going so slowly is my way of trying to reduce the waste and excess of the so-called "digital nomad" lifestyle. I also love actually getting to know a place deeply. I spend tons of time sketching and going to cafes for coffee and cake.
gual
Mar 6, 23 11:23 pm
As others have said, you will have an easier go at it if you move to some consulting type work. I have done this sort of thing when working in a AEC-adjacent tech role. As for costs: it's pretty common to work from countries with a lower cost of living, which allows you to spend "traveller" type money without breaking the bank. Maybe a couple of times a year you do a stint in a more expensive place.
NorCalChris
Mar 13, 23 9:59 pm
A lot of comments above about how you're in the wrong profession and it's not possible, but I literally have done exactly what you're interested in. Don't let people discourage you when they haven't tried. I worked at a firm for a couple years pre-covid and then when we all had to go wfh, I proved I was reliable and could effectively do my job without in-office supervision. I also worked with a team who valued my contribution and knowledge that I had built on the project over a few years.
Then all I had to do was ask. I opened the conversation with my team and manager, and then my supervisor. I had a plan in place to pitch - number of hours per week, how I would connect remotely (phone hot spot for wifi and remoting in to an in-office PC), and working hours (I chose to work the hours of my office regardless of the time zone I was in). Then I wandered the country in my van and worked remotely, which was really no different than working in my apartment.
I had saved enough to buy my van, but you could travel in a number of ways. Sublets for however long you want to stay, Airbnb rooms (some have discounts for months/weeks), etc. Everyone has living expenses, so living nomadically is no different given your wage covers those expenses. I'd suggest trying some mock budgets for the methods you're interested in to see what you can swing.
I sublet my apartment, but you could also establish your permanent address with family, or wherever might be a good home base. You can have mail sent to a PO Box, or just the local post office of wherever you happen to be.
You'll learn the ins and outs as you go, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.
First of all, THANK YOU for the answers I got last time I posted about this! This question is a a bit different and relates more as to how you would transition to a digital nomad lifestyle once you secure that coveted WFH job.
I have been dreaming of finding a fully remote job and living as a digital nomad. I hate (and I mean HATE) the idea of pointlessly staying in my city, giving up countless experiences I could have had when not at work, just to come into the office and make small talk. The handful of useful conversations and experiences in the office that help with me "professional development are absolutely not worth the depressing cost of staying put.
I can do my job remotely just fine. I rarely go to site visits, never to in person meetings, and I don't care about seeing buildings I work on go up.
I love to travel, have no significant other or family in the city where I live, and don't even have a pet; I think I'd make an excellent candidate for this kind of a life. My question for you is:
Provided you have this arrangement, how do you make this work financially? Driving across the country in a camper involves the large initial cost of a camper, and doesn't necessarily bring you everywhere you want to go. And you still need an address of some sort. Do you just get a PO box? Keep an apartment but sublet it out? How would someone afford to spend every night in an airbnb for months at a time?
This is truly my dream; the idea of spending my one life in an office is beyond depressing. I want to get a better idea of whether this is something that could happen for me in a couple of years or if it's a fantasy.
Careful, your naïve romanticism is showing. Perhaps you'd love the nomad idea but I'm sure your coworkers and employers will just love that you don't care about the buildings you're tasked with. Perhaps you need to re-evaluate your definition of what depressing is.
You want to run off and explore the world while holding a job? Start your own practice and set your own rules.
I'm sure they would, but it's the truth; labor is not fulfilling for me and it's not what I dream of. Starting a practice is a valid response to my question; thank you!
Unless you get some amazingly understanding business partners and also achieve instant financial success on day one, owning a firm is not a route to having lots of free time for personal travel. At least not in first 20 years or so of owning the business.
I'm in my first few years of being my own boss, and I can tell you that despite being bed ridden with the worst flu of my life this week, I've still got my laptop open in bed. I'm absolutely not congratulating myself for that lack of balance, but the reality is once you're in that position, there's literally nobody else who can do a lot of that work, and trust me, the world doesn't stop Joey because you're sick, or on a plane, or on a beach with no wifi.
I never said it needed to be a successful practice.
How about freelancing while you build your business? Working a fulltime job while traveling could be difficult - not impossible, just tough. You do have to stay in constant contact with a larger, sendetary team who could be working tough schedules - more likely than not, you'd be syncing with them, thus affecting travel plans.
Employers would be wary too - "How reliable is this guy if he's on the road all the time? Can he remote into the office network reliably? How secure is his connection? What if he loses Wifi? What's his ping rate when on the road? How do we maintain team communications with someone who is never in the office and many states, if not time zones, away?" All real questions that could have very good answers but it could put you at a disadvantage when competing with "regular" jobs against more conventional candidates. Ceteris paribus of course.
As a freelancer, you should have more flexibility.
How one gets jobs that way is a different challenge ... Maybe rendering artist? Some kind of project-based work that is relatively independent from the rest of the production team? Spec writer too. Or something out of the box and entirely away from the usual production work ... say, a programmer who writes custom code to expedite AEC workflows. That would be cool - you design proprietary scripts and sell them to firms.
I can imagine a very experienced professional "consulting" on a part-time basis as he approaches retirement, perhaps offering advice and insights into technical design problems. It sounds like you're relatively early in your career?
Thank you for your response! Freelancing sounds like it gives you a lot of freedom, with the major drawbacks of no health insurance, significantly less stable income, etc. Unfortunately I am at the beginning of my career; retirement is 37 years away (yes I am already counting; I hate my prison cell as you can tell lol).
I guess one question is how distinct is your skillset from the rest of the labor market. The reason why I gave those examples - visualizer, programmer, spec writer - is that they're distinct services that don't necessarily require you to be part of a team on a daily basis. Imagine trying to sync your Revit model with a team of twelve while you're on the road! That's why the ping rate and Wifi connection does matter, as mundane as it sounds. But if your work is fairly independent, then it could work. That is, if you have a very special set of skills.
that #vanlife aint cheap
You are in the wrong profession.
You need a job that pays well and that is in such a high demand that it enables you to become employed anywhere you move to quickly.
Maybe something in the healthcare field not a doctor but a technician of some kind.
Like I said you are in the wrong profession for the life style you want.
I have found such a job, but it's because I'm extremely lucky and also have many years of high-level experience to justify the freedom I receive in my working conditions.
I don't move around often, every 2-6 months. It's great. Seeing different places, different architecture, different ways of life. Going so slowly is my way of trying to reduce the waste and excess of the so-called "digital nomad" lifestyle. I also love actually getting to know a place deeply. I spend tons of time sketching and going to cafes for coffee and cake.
As others have said, you will have an easier go at it if you move to some consulting type work. I have done this sort of thing when working in a AEC-adjacent tech role. As for costs: it's pretty common to work from countries with a lower cost of living, which allows you to spend "traveller" type money without breaking the bank. Maybe a couple of times a year you do a stint in a more expensive place.
A lot of comments above about how you're in the wrong profession and it's not possible, but I literally have done exactly what you're interested in. Don't let people discourage you when they haven't tried. I worked at a firm for a couple years pre-covid and then when we all had to go wfh, I proved I was reliable and could effectively do my job without in-office supervision. I also worked with a team who valued my contribution and knowledge that I had built on the project over a few years.
Then all I had to do was ask. I opened the conversation with my team and manager, and then my supervisor. I had a plan in place to pitch - number of hours per week, how I would connect remotely (phone hot spot for wifi and remoting in to an in-office PC), and working hours (I chose to work the hours of my office regardless of the time zone I was in). Then I wandered the country in my van and worked remotely, which was really no different than working in my apartment.
I had saved enough to buy my van, but you could travel in a number of ways. Sublets for however long you want to stay, Airbnb rooms (some have discounts for months/weeks), etc. Everyone has living expenses, so living nomadically is no different given your wage covers those expenses. I'd suggest trying some mock budgets for the methods you're interested in to see what you can swing.
I sublet my apartment, but you could also establish your permanent address with family, or wherever might be a good home base. You can have mail sent to a PO Box, or just the local post office of wherever you happen to be.
You'll learn the ins and outs as you go, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.