Tag: nomad

There’s little doubting the world of work is changing – and changing rapidly. Where once it was the case employees were required to suffer the humdrum Monday-Friday, 9-5 (including the often-draining daily commute), the considerable advances in connection speeds, technology and devices in recent years have heralded a new age of the remote workforce. 

The move to freelance and gig working had already been growing momentum towards the end of the last decade however, with the emergence of Coronavirus and the resulting lockdown and isolation measures that ensued, employers had little choice but to embrace the concept of a geographically remote workforce. 

Of course, the tech required to let full-time staff work from home is pretty much identical to that needed to allow freelancers to also join the throng, helping increase the trend for so-called digital nomads – employees happily working in a third-party capacity, untethered by the traditional confines of office space and geographical proximity. 

Jobs best suited to the digital nomad model

As the web and technology have come to play an increasingly important role in all aspects of our business and social lives, so the blurring between the real and virtual worlds has continued apace and, these days, it’s almost impossible to think of any aspect of life that isn’t (at least to some degree) mirrored in the digital realm. With so much real-world information now also stored digitally, there is barely a single aspect of commerce that doesn’t now rely on electronic assets. 

While there are certainly some jobs that are particularly suited to nomadic workers (e.g., programming, design, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), online marketing, etc), in truth, the majority of jobs now rely on working with computers and data. Any job that involves the production of information in a digital format could, feasibly, be performed remotely by a nomadic workforce. 

The minimum requirements

Of course, to work online, you’re going to need a reasonably fast connection (the faster the better) and some kind of input device – a laptop is typically the preferred tool of choice. With WiFi now so ubiquitous in most developed nations around the world (not to mention the fact we pretty much all own connected smartphones these days), getting online should not prove a problem. Don’t forget a pair of classic Ray-Ban​, they’ll protect your eyes wherever you go!

Other tools you might want to consider

A laptop and means of connection are prerequisites; however, you could also consider:

Cloud storage – Essential for backing up files

Speakers – Speakers are particularly useful if you’re producing multimedia work but are also great for powering your Spotify work playlist

External hard drive – For when your cloud connection is running slow

A capacious, secure backpack – Required to carry work essentials safely

Travel sleep kit – Handy for when you’re pulling long hours on the road

Universal travel adaptor – An extension lead capable of plugging into any foreign power supply to keep your devices charged and working

All-in-one external power bank – Essential for when you can’t find power but need to get some juice to your gadgets. Choose a model that can power all your kit – from your laptop to mobile phone and speakers.