Is Remote Work The Right Career For You?

Close your eyes. Picture your ideal workday. Where are you? What are you doing? Do you see yourself sitting in a finely tailored suit behind a desk in a corporate office in a big city? Do you see yourself in an airport lounge drafting a few emails before your next flight to another city? Are you at home in your pjs with your favorite music blaring and your cat beside you? 

Surprisingly, all of the above images could be achieved through or include remote work. While many believe that remote work is often done by stay-at-home parents or freelancers, the truth is that the umbrella of remote work is expanding.

According to Inc., 63% of companies employ remote workers, with the definition of remote work being a fluid continuum that includes everything from “employees working outside the office several days a week from multiple locations, freelancers who permanently work from a variety of locations, the co-working-space crowd, and digital nomads.”

What Remote Work Has to Offer

Why might remote work be the right choice for you?

1. It saves you time. According to an eye-opening study, opting to work remotely for just 50% of the time can save you up to 172 hours of commute time a year if you are living in New York City and up to 99 or 100 hours in places like Minneapolis and Tampa. That’s a lot of time not spent in traffic -- which helps both your pocketbook and the environment. 
   
   
2. It earns you money. The same study shows that remote workers in some positions (like medical directors) can earn salaries of over $300k. That’s more than just some spare change! Even less intensive jobs such as tutors and customer service representatives can make yearly salaries of over $20k. 
   
   
3. It enhances your productivity. Countless surveys show that remote workers are more productive than in-office workers, and it doesn’t prohibit or diminish employee engagement. In fact, the Harvard Business Review found that remote workers were more engaged than those with traditional office jobs. 
   
   
4. It offers you freedom. Having the ability to choose how, where, and when you work is a luxury that remote work almost exclusively provides.  
   
   
5. It offers you peace. Remote workers have less to be stressed over; with little to no commute, control of your work environment, flexible hours, and a better personal/professional balance, employees who work remotely tend to be happier.
   
   
6. It offers more opportunities for young and older workers alike. 68% of millennial job seekers show a greater interest in employers who offer a remote work option. Similarly, PEW Research Center reports that more older Americans are working now than at “any time since the turn of the century” and remote work allows for more flexible, functional employment for those of retirement age. 
   
   
7. It’s the future of business. According to remoters.com, by 2025, remote work will “equal, if not surpass, fixed office locations.” Why not get ahead of the curve and start your remote career path today?
   
   
8. It truly can be a career. Wifitribe compiled a list of the best remote jobs for workers in 2019, noting that each of these has full career options. Some of these top positions include career paths as a developer, designer, marketer, writer/editor, accountant, and more. Even teaching has become a profitable remote position, with the advent of online schools and ELL opportunities for international students.   

Whether or not you decide remote work is the right career for you, SelectOne can help you with your job search. Check out our job board for our easily searchable catalog of available positions hiring now!

Jump To: Everything You Need to Know About Hiring Remote Employees