My Journey to Remote Work and How It Changed My Life

And why I would do it all over again, despite the obstacles—Part 1

Jun 23, 2024

Dear friends,

Today, I want to go back to the basics and share how my journey to working remotely first began—the many obstacles I faced along the way, and how the universe, in its own time, supported me and listened to my deepest desires at every step.

If a lifestyle of remote work and travel is what you aspire to, I hope this article inspires you to stay committed to your dreams. And if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me a private message!

Five years ago, I finished my studies just three months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit

Almost overnight, all the exciting professional opportunities that laid before me as a fresh graduate disappeared, as companies halted their hiring efforts to deal with the pandemic.

As a result, I found myself unable to secure a job in the already challenging job market of my native Southern European country.

I remained unemployed for nearly a year—a year that felt endlessly long.

Each wave of the pandemic took a toll on my mental health, filling my mind with persistent thoughts of worthlessness and eroding my self-confidence.

On top of that, I carried the shame of being unemployed while everyone around me seemed to have jobs—even though the entire world was in turmoil.

Then, after sending out dozens upon dozens of applications, an opportunity finally came my way—surprisingly, in the last place I expected to succeed: a highly competitive traineeship at one of the fastest-growing institutions of the European Union!

For this job, I had to relocate to the country where the institution was based—Poland.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t scared to move abroad.

By then, I had already lived in several countries for studying and volunteering purposes.

I spoke several languages.

Moving to a brand-new country didn’t seem like an obstacle. I was so excited and relieved to finally have something on my plate!

So, in September 2020, after buying a whole new wardrobe of office attire, I moved to Warsaw, Poland.

I had barely picked up my laptop at the shiny skyscraper where my office was located…

…and quickly met the rest of the trainees who were starting their jobs with me, when yet another wave of the pandemic was announced on the news.

Once again, strict regulations were imposed on the whole country, controlling social gatherings and closing bars and businesses.

The entire workforce at my company—most of whom were already working remotely due to previous waves—shifted entirely to working from home.

Making an effort to maintain an optimistic mindset, I thought, "Oh, that's unfortunate! But it’s also going to be cool to wake up and have my laptop just a few steps away."

Five months into my job, I still hadn’t met any of my colleagues in person, nor had I had the chance to talk face-to-face with the other trainees.

As much as I struggled to admit it to myself, in hindsight, I felt very lonely in a country I didn’t know and whose language I didn’t speak—especially at the most crucial part of my experience: the beginning.

I ended-up staying at this job for roughly a year and a half.

During this time, I saw my boss in person a maximum of two times and worked most of the time— even when the situation eased—either from home or in a large empty office that I had all to myself.

However, in the meantime, an enticing opportunity had arisen

The EU had given its workers the chance to telework for part of the month from different European countries, mainly to allow its workforce—many of whom had resettled within the EU—the opportunity to visit their families.

This new set-up allowed me to start working and traveling — a habit I would soon get addicted to.

During that time, I traveled to Greece, Germany, Austria, several towns in Poland, and several cities in Italy, in addition to my hometown.

My boyfriend, who is from a different continent and whose job allows him to be location-independent for a large part of the year, also tagged along.

An idea started creeping into my mind…

How amazing would it be to work and travel freely, visiting him in his country when he needs to go back for work—without being bound by any restrictions?

As appealing as this plan was, the thought of leaving my job was giving me cold sweats.

When you have barely one year of experience after grad school and you come from Southern Europe, where youth unemployment levels hover around 24%, the societal pressure to find a job and keep it, with tears and sweat, is enormous.
If it’s a public sector job? Then you are literally living the dream of half of your country.

With that being said, I was slowly realizing that the social status of my job was not enough to keep me going when I was pretty dissatisfied with almost everything else.

While the fancy semi-corporate lifestyle had been a fascinating experience, I was craving more location freedom and the ability to visit places beyond my PTO allowance.