How has working remotely impacted your career plans?
It has not impacted my career goals. I’m still on track to move up the Cigna ladder.
It kind of changed my trajectory. I previously worked in the music industry, and while I loved it, it was a 24/7 commitment. Once I started a family, I found I valued flexibility over all else. And I think from this point on, I always will.
Being able to live my life with my entrepreneurial and international spirit… I still see potential everywhere in everything, and I feel the sky is the limit. Self-confidence that I can always start new projects.
It’s allowed my career to go in a lot of really wonderful, unpredictable directions. So absolutely it has.
For me, I was in the ‘cruise phase’ of my career. I am never going to be the CEO, so I stopped thinking that was a possibility. When I became comfortable with where I was in my career, I gained a lot of peace of mind in my job. That allows me to do whatever I want without the need to be thinking about my next promotion. It isn’t coming… so I might as well enjoy where I am.
I make enough money to enjoy the life I want. I don’t need more.
Since I LOVE it SOOO much, I’m actually working with a life coach and starting my own business in the next 6 months or so. I want to be in charge of my schedule and time forever. Flexibility in my schedule has been a huge benefit to my family and life overall. I enjoy my job, but I feel pulled to help others fulfill their dreams and am excited about this. If I didn’t have the remote experience, I feel like I may not have developed this idea and would have been to scared to run with it…
It hasn’t. I have been able to progress further than I had thought possible in my career. I joined the company to write technical training. I then led that team (I was the only person who was remote). Since then I have had various global leadership roles. Since most of the people I work with are in different countries, it doesn’t matter where I am. I volunteer for things. I run many working groups, which brings me into contact with a wider professional network. I mentor lots of people, and have mentors.
If anything, working remotely has made me more aware of the vast opportunities that people can have regardless of their geographic location. I had always assumed that I’d need to live near certain tech hubs—cities that were known for their tech communities where I’d have more career opportunities. Now I know that I can live in smaller cities, closer to family and closer to the life I want for my kids, and still have a meaningful career. I have big dreams for my life both personally and professionally, and I’m grateful that one doesn’t have to supersede the other.
I don’t know that working remotely impacted my career plans other than I found that I love working remotely. I love working for Goodway, and it’s a bonus that I am able to work from my home office doing something I enjoy that works for my family.
My career plans involved lawyering, so I would say so! Inadvertently, though, as they put me on a whole new path.
For what I’ve built, I think it’s important to be accessible for part of the year—for speaking opportunities, meetings, time with team members. But this does not need to be for the full year. These are also scattered around the globe, so my current career and remote work are jiving nicely!
I honestly wouldn’t consider working for a company where working remotely would be an issue. Beyond my personal preferences, I see how it helps staff. I know my staff benefits from the ability to work remotely and are generally more productive. They don’t have to waste time and energy on commutes, and they feel empowered and trusted to balance their work-life needs. I think that not allowing remote work says something about a company’s culture.
My career has advanced, so I’d say remote work has had a positive impact or at least not been an obstacle.
For me, since the culture is supportive but not yet accepting of leaders working 100 percent remotely, I think my choice of remote work has diminished my career path options to be an executive one day. I know there are exceptions to that, but more often than not, executive leaders are expected to be face to face. But that is OK with me, since at this point in my life, flexibility and productivity are more important! I can do more when I work remotely and I can maintain a better work-life balance, so taking a fresh look at realistic career path options is OK with me!
It has not limited my career options at my current company.
When I started working remotely full time I made a career change, so it acutely impacted my career plans (for the better).
Our career plan was never to be millionaires, or be the head of a global company. Our career plan was to be financially stable, have the freedom to travel, and have a good work-life balance. And based on that criteria I would say our careers are on an almost exponential growth trajectory.
Yes. Being in the tech/startup world I always thought I’d either have my own startup, raise money, and exit via acquisition, or, have these 3 types of experiences in the span of my career:
- Startup
- Big 4
- VC
Now, it’s become so clear to me that my goal in life is to do things I enjoy.
It makes it hard to choose a higher salary or a more prestigious role if it means losing flexibility.
Working remotely gave me the chance to be flexible with my working schedule, improved my health, and gave me the ability to travel.
Working remotely is all I have ever known, and so the very fact that I worked online has shaped every aspect of my life. When I left to travel in 2008, I had no idea that travel writing and blogging would become the bulk of my career. But because I had freelance work in online marketing, I set out on the road and was able to build both aspects of my business. Everything has fed into each other aspect in my life to shape a lifestyle where I have a wide range of work, and more opportunities—personal and professional—than I could have ever imagined when I first started working remotely.
It’s helped quite a bit in the sense that it’s prompted me to become more efficient at networking and listening. Meeting new people through work engagements allows me to stay fresh on the industry I write in.
It makes me pickier about potential opportunities. It’s not just about avoiding a big corporate office, but also having the flexibility to do other things. For instance, I wrote a book that came out last spring. If I’d been working 9-to-5 in a big office, I don’t know if I would have had the energy to do that.
Only for the better.
