On Working Remote

Hello, my name is Tommy. I am a software engineer. I have always loved computers, but I got into programming much later in my life. I spent most of my adult life in the US Air Force, before retiring in late 2014. I currently work full-time as a web developer for a company, but I have also done contracting and freelance work. A majority of my time as a professional software engineer has been as a remote employee.

I like working remotely because it gives me the ability to get my work done in a relaxed setting. The time that I don't spend in a morning and evening commute is redistributed to my family. I have a special needs child that really benefits from me being able to be home when he comes home from school. I have always been more of a night person. Working from home allows me to take advantage of some of those late night hours and code when I feel most inspired. I am able to stay in the loop with the day-to-day communications of my company via various tools like e-mail, Slack and Video calls.

Working remotely does have its downsides. Sometimes working remotely can be lonely. There are times where I realize that I have not left the house in a few days. In the past, there were weeks where the only adult conversation I had was with my extremely smart and talented wife. Actually, I'm not sure that was really a drawback. When you communicate with your co-workers by text a majority of the time, asking a question can have a lot of overhead. It is not as easy as asking someone to come over to you work station and point and grunt. You have to provide a lot of context and really be precise in what you are asking. The silver lining to this is that often you solve your problem simply by the act of laying it out and thinking through it (In programming we refer to this as rubber ducking).

As with everything in life there are remote work has trade-offs. I am happy that the technology is available that allows me to do my job remotely. One day I might venture back into an office setting, but as of now, remote work works for my company, my family and me.