I knew a bit about remote work prior to visiting my brother in the fall of 2018 at his new house in Colorado. We arrived on a Thursday and of course, he had to finish out his work week. Yet, he easily made time in his schedule to pick us up on Thursday around 2 pm. And then on Friday, he prescheduled all of his meetings in the morning and the afternoon so we could go on a 2-hour hike + a lunch in the middle of his workday. I was amazed at the amount of flexibility he had. As I spoke to him more about working from home, he spoke about freedom, trust, and being extremely productive. I left wanting….no, needing that type of work environment! This was my ‘Aha!’ moment!
A few months later in January 2019, I started my search for a new – remote – position as well as venturing into networking. Because I was very specific with my position requirements and the type of company I was interested in, I worked with a career coach. This path obviously isn’t for everyone but my coach was able to educate me in networking tactics while keeping me on track. Pretty early into networking, I realized that I was behind on my remote work knowledge. I used my early networking opportunities to learn about organizations or platforms I should join to help increase my remote work knowledge. (A few examples: WorkPlaceLess, Remotive and the #remotework on LinkedIn)
Once I became more clear with what I wanted out of my next career more with the help of my coach, and I set myself up for success by learning as much as I could about remote work, I began to network more effectively. I was able to clearly communicate with complete strangers about what I wanted and they were willing to help! (Like Ashley and Leah here at Prowess Project!) This really boosted my confidence. I knew that I was moving in the right direction. It was just a matter of time until I landed my first remote position and I am never going back!
My advice for those looking to transition from onsite to a remote position is this:
- Do your homework, make sure remote work is for you.
- Become clear with what you want out of your next role and company.
- Talk about what you want with others! Family, friends, and individuals you network with.
- Network with remote workers. We love to talk about remote work and spread the remote work love!
Good luck to anyone just starting out, it is a bit step and you are going to crush it!
Tory Fitzgerald
Prowess Project Manager
