Digital Nomad, the freedom that technology gives to expand work options without geographical restrictions. The freedom to choose where to live and work from anywhere in the world.
The digitalization of communication offers new job opportunities without limits of age or category. In a world where everything communicates, technology allows us to exchange knowledge and experiences, thanks to the collaborative architecture with which the Network was born.
One of the characteristics of the digital world is the possibility of realizing one of the yearnings of journalism, the immediacy of information, but; Who is behind the Network of networks? Who weaves the social media we use every day?
According to the journalist Manuel G. Pascual, Working from Paradise is also hard: the expansion of the Internet and the sophistication of technologies has led to the emergence of a new category of professional, whose lifestyle is radically different from that of the majority: digital nomad.
But we must ask the following question, is all that glitters gold? What is the “dark side” of the digital nomad? “The challenge of being a digital nomad is that it requires great self-discipline to be productive, lack of socialization with colleagues and it is possible that communication problems are generated …”, explains Alberto Casado (34) who returned to Spain 2 years ago after living in Quito, London and New York. “As software developers for an NGO, we need to develop very simple and efficient online platforms. We do not think in terms of benefits: we help human rights defenders in the best possible way. ”
Jaume Cardona (37) professional in information technology, software developer and data science. The NGO for which he works is structured in remote, which gives him the possibility to live anywhere in the world. “Being able to choose where you live is the main motivation, from enjoying natural environments, away from big cities, getting better quality of life for less money, travel with your partner without having to give up your work,” says Jaume. Previously, I have been developing software for a major bank in New York. Now he is committed to the world: “Expose myself to the exit of the comfort zone, explore new possibilities, better weather and surfing all year round”. He is currently in Central America “I have a nomadic lifestyle traveling in a van”, reveals us with a smile.
Jaume is sure that with “remote work, little by little, a compromise will be reached between what is present and what is remote. It will be the standard, even for customer service positions. There is no reason why a doctor can not perform 90% of their diagnosis and treatment work online. It just is not done because of a cultural issue. ”
As a general rule the status quo is conservative, from the positions of leadership tends to think: if I am doing well, why change. This slows down the change, but as in any evolutionary process the laggards will pay an expensive price.
The biggest drawback is facing organizations that are not prepared for the remote, it is a matter of organizational culture. If the time zones are very outdated sometimes the schedules can be a little hard. Jaume says that he always had a social vocation and it is very difficult to develop this type of work in a company.
Technology offers the freedom to work remotely and therefore live anywhere in the world. Let’s start from the basis that office work is not for everyone, and working from home or while traveling the world was not viable before the technological advances that brought with it the need for new professions.
Remote work is increasingly common, present in professions such as: bloggers, influencers, youtubers, journalists, photographers, salespeople, web developers, teachers, software designers. The common denominator is to have self-motivation and good internet connection.
The term “nomadic” according to the RAE is: “an individual, a tribe, a people: lacking a stable place to live and dedicated especially to hunting and herding” … And has evolved to be today a Professional who instead of following the stars has gone on to pursue the best Wi-Fi signal and the Internet connection, preserving the same desire for freedom with mobility.
Joan Gallego Girona (33), Senior Software Developer, worked in Ecuador for four years in the development of an application to serve the national schooling of the country. In recent years he has worked in consulting on development methodology and specialization in Information Technology applied to human rights using latest advances in technology such as Machine Learning (IA), for projects in Switzerland, Ecuador, Kenya, The Philippines, Argentina, etc. He feels a great commitment to developing open source tools. These tools require a deep understanding of the needs of the users and the construction of a community around the information and the tool.
Joan decided to return to Spain, to his hometown a year ago, both for family and for homogenizing his time zone with his meetings in Switzerland. He continues with international trips with his inseparable companion laptop. “It is a stimulating job that provides geographical freedom and schedules avoiding unnecessary travel time, improving my quality of life and better nutrition” says Joan, however, admits that it is an idealized work when it is the same or more complex than office work where discipline and self motivation is key.
Alberto, on the other hand, recognizes that working remotely represents a substantial saving in transportation and food, it is also a saving on the part of the company in infrastructure that can be invested in the workers and it is working with fewer distractions accommodating your workspace as you want, for example, work from your garden.
Alberto and Joan miss sometimes their “conventional” office work, to have the team at the same table to consult questions and clarifications, however, they do not know for sure if they could get used to working in the office again. Alberto believes that remote work is booming, but there are still many years to go until it is the main form of work. Jaume believes that face-to-face can be more effective for what activities.
“If you work remotely you always have the best of both worlds, if what you really need is an office you can hire a co-working space or change a city,” says Gabriel Piles (33), statistical mathematician and master in Big Data .
On the other hand, the habit is acquired after some time working remotely and the contras are easily mitigated as isolation and demotivation. Joan affirms that he is one of the few people he knows, that is happy when Mondays arrives because we will start working.
Remote work allows, among other things, to be competitive when it comes to capturing certain talent whose incentive is not only salary. The conception of employability is changing in the digital era, and with this has also changed our family, social dynamics and our professional aspirations. They are welcome any time!