Fuck office work and the 9–5
Introduction
What’s up. I’m a software engineer, and I do a bunch of other things too. Today I’m a writer, and I’m writing this thing to share a little of my life with you. Actually I really want to pitch a product to you too, but later.
For now let me tell you about work life balance. I used to do the 9–5 office job thing, but that sucked and I hated it. I’m a wanderlust, but it took me several years of working in an office to realize that. Anyway now I get to travel everywhere, and work remote. I love it. If you want to know how I moved out of the office and into the real world, read on.
I first became discontent with my life
Ok so early in my career I had this long ass commute, like 3 hours to and from the office. I worked long days, 8–10 hours, plus the commute.
Still though I had a pretty good life, some would say. I lived in the suburbs, safe and sound. I think that’s where I went wrong. Suburbs are where you go to slowly die from the 40 hour work week and taxes, and hide from brown people in gated communities. Actually, suburbs are where brown people go to hide from other brown people too. Yea that’s a thing. America can get you twisted like that.
So yea I was bored most of the time, except for when I was traveling. I took note of that fact, and used every bit of vacation time to travel across the US. I’ve seen most of the 50 states. At one point I even drove from the Chicago to California, stopping and visiting friends and family on the way. Slept in my car, rock climbed, and listened to audiobooks. God bless you audible.
The concept of remote work
I remember this one day at the office, the homies and I went to work outside at a coffee shop. I don’t know how it happened. Someone’s idea, not mine actually. But I took to it. I liked it. I started working outside the office every week. Coffee shops, book stores, bars, wherever I could go. I hated the office, but I didn’t know it at the time. I just thought I hated my job. Working outside the office help me diagnose the cause of my discontent.
Anyway I kept doing it, until one day I got the bright idea to convince my team to let me work remote like 2 days per week. You see Monday-Wednesday were busy days full of meetings, which I learned to escape by telling people I only had 30 mins before my next meeting — there was no next meeting hahaha. Thursday-Friday was quiet in the office, everyone was head down working on their laptops. So I asked my team lead and manager if I could work from home those days since we didn’t have meetings, and I was already working at coffee shops most days anyway. They gave me the green light. And that’s how I first learned the concept of remote work.
I discovered the world outside the US
Fast forward some years, and I was leaving one job to start another job. A friend invited me on a trip to China, so I resigned a month early from the current job so that I could goto China. I didn’t know anything about China at the time, but I figured why not, at least I’d get to travel.
That trip changed me. I hadn’t really been out of the country like that on my own. I got bit by the wanderlust bug. Its exhilarating being in an unknown place and trying to figure out basic shit. First day I landed in Chengdu. I remember thinking thoughts like: How do I get a cab. Where is my apartment. I can’t read these damn signs. Where do I eat. Oh here’s a friendly looking place, with lots of pictures of Mao Zedong on the wall. What do I eat. I can’t read these menus. I can’t talk to the waiters. Where is my translator app. This translator app sucks. What are the people at the table next to me eating. Why is there a barbie doll wearing a meat dress. Oh that meat goes into the boiling pot of oil. Oh these are veggies and meat on the menu. But I can’t read them…Random point and click. Eureka! I can eat. And that’s how I discovered hot pot and animal parts.
The whole trip was like that. I got stories for days man. I came back from China to start the new job and…what new job? I barely remember the first few months at that job. All I could think about was my trip to China. I was actually quite desperate to go back. Travel changed me. I couldn’t live that 9–5 office life anymore. Not when I knew there was so much adventure out that to be had. I had to get back out there. So I did what any reasonable wanderlust would do in my situation. I used up the entire years vacation time to book a 3 country tour through China, Korea and Japan.
Transition into remote work
When I travel for vacation, I always want to stay longer. Whats worse is the feeling once I’m back. I’m usually like “fuck, back to this shit again.” The feeling never really goes away, but staying busy with work distracts me from it. Anyway I had good vacation time at the new job, like 30 days at least. But vacations just weren’t long enough for me. I wanted travel to be the main story of my life, not just the punctuated parts. What I really needed was freedom of location. And to get that, I needed to work remote full time. I started looking for remote jobs online, and I reached out to a couple staffing firms I already had relationships with. Not long after that I got an offer for a remote work position, and not long after that I sold my car and caught the next flight to Japan. I’ve been traveling ever since.
Closing Remarks
I hope this article encourages others to take the first step towards an alternative lifestyle like digital nomad, or whatever you fancy. It took me two months from the day I started looking until my first day working remote in Osaka Japan. That was a few years ago. One of the best decisions I ever made.
If you’d like to do something like this yourself, let me give you two pieces of advice.
First, let me warn you that this lifestyle isn’t a slice of American Pie.
I’m not knocking you if you want that life, I’m just saying this ain’t that life. It can be really challenging traveling being a nomad. But if you’ve got that wanderlust in you, and you’ve got no quit in you, then this life might be for you.
Second, some considerations when traveling to foreign countries are infrastructure and visa requirements. Infrastructure is important because if you’re working remote, you need reliable electricity and decent internet speeds. Visa requirements depend on your passport: some countries will give you a 3 month tourist visa on arrival, some countries you must apply and wait for a visa, and other countries are simply a no-go for your passport.
When I’m choosing my next destination, I use an app called whereto to help me filter countries based on infrastructure & visa requirements, as well as my monthly budget, and ideal climate. Check it out here. Also includes information about covid-19 border restrictions.
Today the global pandemic has forced many of us to adopt to remote work full-time. Many business are trending towards changing how and where work gets done. I for one, hope this trend continues, because I want live in a world in which remote work can take you anywhere. Cheers!
I’m Major
builder of apps
educator
writer of this article.
