I've been working remotely for 16 years now, with a brief (less than a year) foray back into in-office work.
Before shifting to remote work, I spent about seven years working three days in-office, 2 days home.
My experience of remote work is entirely positive, except when I'm working with a client or employer that doesn't really support it. If it's not supported, or only halfheartedly supported, then all sorts of issues and obstacles will magically appear. If it's fully supported by a competent, professional team, though, solutions abound.
I went from a full-time in-office career in Silicon Valley for ten years, to working from home part time for about 7 years, to fifteen years of full-time remote work. It works very well for me. I'm not sure it would have worked as well without the in-office work at the start. Discipline and the ability to manage myself effectively are important keys to making it work, and I definitely did not have those skills at the start of my career. I was also much clumsier in communicating with colleagues, and that kind of clumsiness can be fatal to a remote working relationship. So I don't know it for a fact, but I suspect that the advice others are giving--that it's good to start out in an office at first in order to learn the ropes--might be solid advice.
I live in Northwest Arkansas and usually work on the coasts. My metro area is among the 10 least expensive places to live in the United States. My current clients are in Palo Alto and Cambridge, Mass. Financially, our arrangements are good deals for both me and them.
From my perspective, remote work is an unqualified success. It costs a premium and some persuasive discussion to get me to come in to an office.
Before shifting to remote work, I spent about seven years working three days in-office, 2 days home.
My experience of remote work is entirely positive, except when I'm working with a client or employer that doesn't really support it. If it's not supported, or only halfheartedly supported, then all sorts of issues and obstacles will magically appear. If it's fully supported by a competent, professional team, though, solutions abound.
I went from a full-time in-office career in Silicon Valley for ten years, to working from home part time for about 7 years, to fifteen years of full-time remote work. It works very well for me. I'm not sure it would have worked as well without the in-office work at the start. Discipline and the ability to manage myself effectively are important keys to making it work, and I definitely did not have those skills at the start of my career. I was also much clumsier in communicating with colleagues, and that kind of clumsiness can be fatal to a remote working relationship. So I don't know it for a fact, but I suspect that the advice others are giving--that it's good to start out in an office at first in order to learn the ropes--might be solid advice.
I live in Northwest Arkansas and usually work on the coasts. My metro area is among the 10 least expensive places to live in the United States. My current clients are in Palo Alto and Cambridge, Mass. Financially, our arrangements are good deals for both me and them.
From my perspective, remote work is an unqualified success. It costs a premium and some persuasive discussion to get me to come in to an office.