71–80 of 147 posts
But we’re established here. Family and friends are close. Jobs we like. Own our home.
We might buy a second home in the mountains and split time. But we were considering that before Covid and holding off now because inventory is low and prices went insane.
Definitely not. Remote work was the key to letting me not move for a job. I’ve managed remote teams around the world. I know this violates the popular narrative, but remote hires generally either stayed exactly where they were or moved to bigger, expensive cities. We paid them more than they made locally so they often used the new income to move up. I’ve only known a few people who used remote work to move to the mou…
> moved to bigger, expensive cities Why did they do that? Did they share to you a main reason? Is it access to groceries, as you mentioned? or better schools for their kids? medical care? I find it hard to justify the increased rent and general cost of living.
Three things stopping me from moving that haven't been mentioned yet were:
(1) I had to run out my lease (had signed a 1-year a few months before getting the job) (2) Friends and professional network (all in the city) (3) Fear of losing the remote job / not being able to get another one and having to move back into the city for a job
1 & 2 are fixable with time, but 3 always felt like too big of a risk. Granted, this was pre-pandemic so finding remote opportunities that paid well was harder. Not sure if I'd feel the same way if I had a similar choice in front of me today.
Another interesting development along with the rise of remote work is the rollout of starlink and the plummetting cost of solar.
I think in a few years you'll be able to work from just about anywhere on planet earth.
Once the kids are off to college, I can imagine we might move around some or split our time, but for now remote allowed us to be consciously happy about our choice of residence.
I moved to the Netherlands from the states recently using DAFT. Sold the car/furniture, shipped the personal items. My wife and I haven't missed our car at all because the city (Amsterdam) has good transit and we live in a very walkable part of town. I work later in the day to overlap a few hours with my team which means I don't have to worry about waking up at 7-8am to make standup. I'm still learning what it's like…
I moved to the Netherlands from the states recently using DAFT. Sold the car/furniture, shipped the personal items. My wife and I haven't missed our car at all because the city (Amsterdam) has good transit and we live in a very walkable part of town. I work later in the day to overlap a few hours with my team which means I don't have to worry about waking up at 7-8am to make standup. I'm still learning what it's like…
My partner and I are based nominally half in London and half in Amsterdam. He's Dutch so we've had a house right in the centre of Amsterdam for years.
At the start of last year, we rented a wonderful office there. Even though I'm only there half the time, it feels like a wonderful getaway, perfectly set up for tech-oriented careers.
What makes it so special:
* It's on a canal, facing an island with beautiful 17th century warehouses.
* The office is three minutes walk from home, and accessible only by foot.
* It's also huge, 90m2, with a main room (with our two desks, a lunch table, a couch/relaxed sitting area, and a gym/yoga area) a meeting room, a kitchen and a toilet.
* I keep my bikes and kayak there. Most mornings at 6:30am, I do an hour long bike ride, through parks, with just four traffic lights.
* Plus it's only ten minutes' walk from Amsterdam Central Station.
All the advantages of being in the middle of a real city. But it feels like the countryside.
Definitely not. Remote work was the key to letting me not move for a job. I’ve managed remote teams around the world. I know this violates the popular narrative, but remote hires generally either stayed exactly where they were or moved to bigger, expensive cities. We paid them more than they made locally so they often used the new income to move up. I’ve only known a few people who used remote work to move to the mou…
> moved to bigger, expensive cities Why did they do that? Did they share to you a main reason? Is it access to groceries, as you mentioned? or better schools for their kids? medical care? I find it hard to justify the increased rent and general cost of living.
They get to evaluate and inherit the infrastructure density too.
Density of humans means density of networks of humans. This decreases the cost of having many things available. You want to be around other people that have justified those things and didn’t find it hard to, because you inherit their superior networks too.
I did and I regret it deeply. I was working remotely even pre-covid times and I decided to leave London (where housing was becoming a nightmare) to move to Sweden. I have never been this deeply lonely in my entire life. I love the nature, I love the winter, even the darkness, but socially this was a very bad move. Working remotely when you live close to a big city where you are very fluent in the language is not even…
Definitely not. Remote work was the key to letting me not move for a job. I’ve managed remote teams around the world. I know this violates the popular narrative, but remote hires generally either stayed exactly where they were or moved to bigger, expensive cities. We paid them more than they made locally so they often used the new income to move up. I’ve only known a few people who used remote work to move to the mou…
> moved to bigger, expensive cities Why did they do that? Did they share to you a main reason? Is it access to groceries, as you mentioned? or better schools for their kids? medical care? I find it hard to justify the increased rent and general cost of living.
If you view a city as nothing more than rent and groceries and you get most of your entertainment at home, then big cities probably don’t feel like a good value proposition.
But if you enjoy going to events, eating out, socializing with a wide variety of motivated people, and otherwise experiencing everything a city has to offer, a big city is the place to be.
Neither answer is “right” for everyone. It’s an individual preference.
I love this way of life. I wouldn't apply for a non-remote job nowadays.