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
Dear friends,
Today I want to go ‘back to the basics’ and talk about how my journey to working remotely first started, the many obstacles I faced along the way, and how the universe supported me and listened to my heartfelt desires at every step, although in its own time.
If a lifestyle of remote work and travel is what you aspire to, I hope this article will inspire you to stick to your dreams. And if you have specific questions for me, feel free to leave a comment or send me a private message.
Let’s start!
‘As incapable as I was of admitting it to myself, in hindsight, I felt very lonely in a country I didn’t know and whose language I didn’t speak, especially during the most crucial part of my experience— its beginning — when I couldn’t do things or meet people.’—Myself
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, and I ended up being unemployed for nearly a year.
That year felt incredibly long.
Each pandemic wave worsened my mental health, filling my mind with persistent thoughts of worthlessness and a loss of self-confidence.
On top of that, I felt the shame of being unemployed while everyone around me had jobs — even though the entire world was in chaos.
Eventually, amidst the dozens and dozens of applications, an opportunity 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 would need to move to the country where the institution was based, which in this case was Poland.
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 an obstacle. I was simply so excited and relieved to finally have something on my plate!
So in September 2020, after buying an entire 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 had quickly met the rest of the trainees who were starting their job 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 in my workplace, most of whom were already working remotely from previous waves, shifted entirely to working from home.
Making the effort to maintain an optimist 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 had not seen any of my work colleagues in real life, nor had the chance to talk face-to-face with the rest of the trainees.
As incapable as I was of admitting it to myself, in hindsight, I felt very lonely in a country I didn’t know and whose language I didn’t speak, especially during the most crucial part of my experience— its beginning — when I couldn’t do things or meet people.
I ended-up staying at this job for roughly a year and a half.
During this time I saw my boss a maximum of two times in real life and worked most of the time, even when the situation eased, at home or in an empty large office room that I had all to myself.
However, in the meantime, an enticing opportunity had arisen
The European Commission 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, was also happy to come along.
An idea started creeping into my mind… How amazing would it be to work and travel together, 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.
💡In the meantime, feel free to revisit previous newsletters:
‘I Do Something For You, But... Do I Expect You to Do Something for Me?’ A conversation with Italians in New York shed light on a common, yet implicit Italian behavior
"If I Just Left My Job and Traveled, What Would Happen?" From nurse to world traveler - interview with Sara Burdick
On the Freedom to Listen to Your Creative Impulses... And my love for New Jersey