What are the best technologies to focus on in order to be mobile/remote? I've notice that nobody is interested in remote C++ development, and the few people I meet who are doing something like this are in some branch of web development.
I think the reason for this is C++ is the new COBOL with the commensurate PHBs.
In domains with real time performance constraints it's difficult to use anything but C or C++. Many of those domains are at the forefront of current technological development, so I wouldn't lump C++ in with COBOL just yet.
I think the reason for this is C++ is the new COBOL with the commensurate PHBs.
The kinds of things you need C++ for - high-performance webservers, database engines, 3D renderers, etc. - often require very close communication between team members to get right. They're deep, not broad - the software is structured as a series of layers, and if you don't get the interfaces between the layers just right, the software won't even compile. Typical webapps are much more horizontal - they consist of a se…
In my experience it's the opposite. The C++ savant can write the high performance webserver from his basement in Estonia, but you need the webdevs around so they can collaborate with the design team, ops, and product management. When it's deep, work units can be split into days or weeks, which lends itself pretty well to disconnected, remote work. When it's broad, you need to constantly keep everyone on the same page, which equals daily stand-ups, 24x7 chatrooms and other agile forms of humiliation.
It sounds nice if you can pull it off, but on the occasions where I've been continually moving from place to place I've found it much harder to actually get anything done. Continual travel adds cognitive and other entropic overheads which deplete your mental and energy real estate.
At the beginning of June I went to Chris Guillebeau's first World Domination Summit in Portland, OR (http://worlddominationsummit.com/) and met lots of people who are living like this. I highly recommend going next year (I'm already registered!) if you're interested in learning about the techniques people use for lifestyle design.
It sounds nice if you can pull it off, but on the occasions where I've been continually moving from place to place I've found it much harder to actually get anything done. Continual travel adds cognitive and other entropic overheads which deplete your mental and energy real estate.
I spent a month in Argentina last year thinking I was going to work on a personal project and got absolutely nothing done, so I can definitely relate. The distractions of foreign places definitely add to the cognitive overhead.
How does immigration law work for this kind of trip? Do you need a work permit/visa?
And where do you need to file taxes?
You usually have to pay income taxes on income earned while you're resident in a country. If you're on a tourist visa, you're not resident, but really the visa regimes aren't set up to understand this way of working.
In practice just pay taxes in your country of "residence" not the country you're in temporarily. Many countries have 60-90 day visas for visitors from first world countries.
This looks like fun, but so many people have done this now, it's almost a cliche.
It almost seems more unique to hear about a hacker from NYC documenting a summer working in New Paltz, rather than another story about social media experts working from cafes in Buenos Aires and Thailand.
What are the best technologies to focus on in order to be mobile/remote? I've notice that nobody is interested in remote C++ development, and the few people I meet who are doing something like this are in some branch of web development.
Sure. The bottom line is that nobody is interested in any serious stuff being done remotely. So those type of stories you usually hear from someone like these folks who did "online communications" and "freelance web design/programming", which is not serious by definition. Projects involving something like C++ have significantly higher chances of having a bigger scope, impact and different set of responsibilities from…
Your use of the word serious to describe work sounds like a value judgement. Your description sounds more like a distinction between inter-connected vs. carved-out / standalone.
That said, If I were to take off 12 months, I too would prefer to save 10/20K and take off a whole year. I traveled for 6 months after college on ~$5000. Pro tip: if you're paying taxes before and after your trip, then spread it over two tax years (i.e. June - July in US). I calculated that doing this in the UK (where there is a big jump in tax rates) could net you several thousand pounds.
I've been doing the same for 9 months now. I've travelled round the whole world, had a fantastic time, and wrote a book for O'Reilly as I went. It's been the best year of my life. In fact, it turns out that writing books is one of the best ways to do this - as it's very flexible and a successful book will just about cover traveling costs. What most people don't realize, is how cheap it is to do this. As always though…
One thing I'm certain of is that my expenses for a trip like this when I was 21 would have been much lower than for a trip like this now.
I've sadly grown accustomed to fancier meals (restaurants over ramen) and softer beds (hotels over hostels). It would be a lot of mental work to keep my expectations down and readjust them to what they were in my student days.