On Remote Work

Remote work of any sort is a tradeoff--you can't beat the commute, but we are all evolutionarily conditioned to in some way value Real Interaction. In general, remote is usually for folks with a bit of experience--most of our first few positions were not remote, and we're usually glad they weren't. "Remote friendly" in particular is something we would strongly advise against as you're basically starting your career with a handicap, unless you're in a situation where you can maybe go in at least once a week.

You can definitely boast about having successfully completed a 6 month fully remote tech program, so that is a strong plus if you go for these positions. They basically all use similar tools to what we use at Lambda School (Slack, Zoom, etc.).

Remote Employer Types

Roughly, there are three types of remote employers:

• Remote only: these companies literally have no office, and are often fully globally distributed. Because of this, they often have semi-frequent meetups where they all travel to (sometimes glamorous) locations--a good example is GitLab, which makes a big deal about taking all its employees to places like Tahiti and such. Depending on your preferences and lifestyle, this may or may not be a perk, but it is likely an important part of the culture at such places.

• Remote first: there is one or more offices, but the majority of employees are remote and all important things are done in a way compatible with that (you don't miss "water cooler" chat). Lambda School is a good example - we have an office, but all instructors are remote (of course so are all of the students), and Slack is really the "water cooler."

• Remote friendly: this is most common, you may also see "remote for the right person" in the job listing. Usually it means it's an older and/or larger company "experimenting" with remote, and that you will be at a disadvantage relative to others due to the "water cooler" effect. It can still be a reasonable gig, but is pretty obviously the least appealing of the three. Pressure to come in to the home office is likely to be more substantial.

It's important to figure out what sort of remote employer they are--if it's not obvious from the listing, ask during screening (not directly of course, just ask questions about the above issues like "What are the travel expectations?" and "How do remote employees participate in the company culture?"). Done properly this both gives you information and shows interest in their culture.

Remote Work Tricks and Tips

• Be sure to get out and socialize during lunch or after work.

• Check out local co-working spaces. These rent communal space and offices for fairly reasonable rates, and you get to hang around with other people.

• Get away from the computer from time to time. Use a pomodoro timer. Without normal work distractions, it's easy to focus on the screen for hours.

• Be self-motivating. If you can't bring yourself to work unless you're surrounded by coworkers, then remote work isn't for you.