If this is not your first time reading The Wayward Road, chances are you are already familiar with remote jobs (whether you are a digital nomad or not) or are thinking of becoming applying for one (need some tips?).

For those who are not familiar with the concept of having remote jobs, it is a very eye-opening concept. For people who have never considered the idea of leaving their cubicle, commutes and lunchboxes, etc. the idea of using your skills to start freelancing or looking for remote jobs probably sounds exciting. But also very scary.

Here at The Wayward Road we have been working remotely and freelancing for several years now, and decided to create a quick list of remote jobs and resources for those who are considering their next career move.

1. Developer/Designer

These two profiles are probably the most remote-friendly positions nowadays. Companies understand that most web/software developers want to work from home. They also know that if they want to hire the best talents available they better get used to it. In this field, remote jobs are not only a perk but the easiest way for a company to have access to a greater pool of talent.

From a creative point of view, developers and designers are also very demanding positions. They need a quiet place to work from where they can think without distractions. And no, headphones are not always a good substitute to that.

For those who are interested in starting their own web development or graphic design business, Shopify, one of the leading ecommerce platforms, has written a series of books called Grow. These books contain chapters written by different authors, each an industry expert with years of experience working with clients. They share insights, templates, and advice for those who are considering setting up their own development or design shop. Read the Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3.

2. Digital Marketer

Although your actual title (the one on your LinkedIn profile or email signature) actually says something like “Chief SEO Rock Star” “Chief PPC Manager” or “Expert Inbound Guru” (for more titles go to The Digital Marketing Job Title Generator) if you spend more than half of your day looking at Facebook ads or Google Analytics or asking blogs for back links, chances are you could turn easily transition from office to remote jobs.

Whether you are a full-time employee at a company or are freelancing for clients, you’ll be doing most of the work on you own and there aren’t any conversations that can’t be tackled over slack. That’s also one of the perks of this job – you’re likely to have very little (if any) conference calls.

This particular perk allows you to work from places with just good enough internet speed. Your WiFi is OK to work on that landing page on Unbounce but not good enough for Skype.

3. Sales

Okay so this one is a bit tricky. Usually, if you’re working for an internet company (say, a SaaS company) that sells to customers located all over the world… there’s really no reason for you not to be located wherever you want.

Now, if you are working in traditional sales, which usually requires suits and ties, in person client meetings, flights, hotels, etc. Then your work is the exact oposite from remote-friendly. That’s okay though. You’re still kind of a nomad.

However if you are a regular startup sales guy/girl at a tech company, chances are your job is mostly taking client online calls, running product demos and negotiating deals over email. There are also high chances that your customers are also working remotely.

Plus no tie is required, and in the hypothetical case that your customer wants to have a video call, just make sure they can see the startup logo on your t-shirt/hoodie.

4. Customer support

Sales and customer support are usually very similar. Especially at B2B SaaS companies selling to small and medium businesses these two teams are usually blended into one. The same people who run demo calls with leads are also answering support tickets.

Do you have a good internet connection? A quiet place to work from? No weird background noises? A fast computer for demos/support loom videos? Yes? See #3 above then.

5. Content Marketing

This one is also very similar to #2. If you’re working on content marketing, chances are you mostly work writing and editing blog posts and product descriptions, managing freelance writers and emailing back and forth with other content marketers.

You’re usually not required to get on phone calls like sales people do. However, you’ll have your fair share of emails and slack messages to tackle every day, mostly from other colleagues or freelancers. This is usually very flexible position and, like many other creative jobs, are not usually tied to an hourly schedule.

Why having someone working on creative writing from a loud open office if they could be more productive working from, say, a library? Or their beds? Why forcing someone to work 9-5 if they’re more creative past 7pm?

Keep in mind: The whole concept of having remote jobs is not to become a digital nomad, but you can if you want to. Remote job means having the freedom of choosing your workplace. Not only so it helps you improve your work/life balance but also allows you to be a more productive person.

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