Career Services in Coda! [Katie Rivard]

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Career Services in Coda! [Katie Rivard]

Career Services in Coda! [Katie Rivard]

Preparing for Your First Day

Lesson: Working Remotely as a Designer

5 minute read

Remote working refers to work that’s completed for a client or employer from a distance—often from anywhere in the world! As technology has improved in the past few years, it’s become significantly easier and more reliable to collaborate on projects remotely, using a mixture of instant messaging, video calls, and digital project and task management platforms.

It often benefits both workers (who get to travel and live where they like) and companies (who save money on office spaces and other overheads). An increasing number of remote work opportunities are now becoming available to designers, including junior designers, as employers come to appreciate these benefits.

As a first-time designer, it can be difficult to decide whether to go for a remote setting or a traditional office. Much like freelancing, there are pros and cons associated with remote work.

Pros

As a designer working remotely, you can:

Often determine your own hours, so long as the work gets done and you communicate well with your co-workers

Avoid the time-suck and stress of commuting into an office each day

Dress however you like (so long as you wear clothes for video calls!)

Experience the “digital nomad” lifestyle—working while you travel

Have more freedom to take care of daily tasks, such as medical appointments, gym sessions, or being available for your family

Find extra job opportunities without having to move from your current location

Cons

However, there can also be challenges, including:

Feeling isolated by the lack of conventional office interactions

Blurred lines between work and life, meaning you end up online all hour of the day

Difficulty focusing on work, especially if you work from home

Communication barriers between you and co-workers due to timezone differences

Misunderstandings caused by the lack of tone of voice and body language in instant messaging and emails

Figuring out when to each lunch and dinner, and ensuring that you do

Feeling unable to switch off from work during vacation time or when you’re away from your keyboard

Fewer remote job opportunities in junior design roles

Should I work remotely?

If you are looking for your first job in the design industry, we recommend searching for a job in a conventional office setting. Although remote work is enticing, your design work is likely to develop much more quickly if you can work with colleagues and clients face-to-face in the first years of your career.

Developing design collaboration skills in-person first will eventually enable you to become a stronger, more resilient designer in a remote setting. Working in a conventional office setting as a designer can also help you develop better design communication skills, and learn more readily from the experience and knowledge of those around you.

That’s not to say that you couldn’t also thrive in a remote environment, and the right choice for you still depends on your individual needs. And after all, as a Designlab student, you've been working remotely for the past few months. Through that experience alone, you’ll have gained a lot of the skills you need to work remotely as a designer.

Finally, remember that choosing to work in a conventional setting doesn’t mean your next job can’t be remote. Similarly, you can switch back from a remote role to an in-person one.

Further resources

⁠

17 Digital Nomad Hacks for Work On the Road⁠

(Designlab Blog)

⁠

10 Tips for Staying Happy and Productive as a Digital Nomad⁠

(Designlab Blog)

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