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Comment by spoiledtechie | Hacker News Reader

I have a few reasons, but I am tired of the 9-5 driving to work for 30 minutes each way, getting ready in the morning while putting really nice and expensive clothes on, then getting home at night and only have 4 hours to do my thing. If I didn't commute or take the time to dress up, I would save a minimal of 2 hours a day. Most people have to do this and sadly, shouldn't have to.

There are other reasons as well, but just wanted to give an example. I am trying to compact my entire life and this is one of them. With my job moving farther away, it would be more than an hour commute each way now as well.

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If you're looking to do remote work because you're sick of your current 9-5, you shouldn't look to remote work to fix anything.

I worked anywhere from 30%-50% a week remote at my last gig and it still requires maintaining somewhat regular hours (you still have colleagues) and a routine. I now work remotely save for trips to the Head Office every once in awhile. You still need a routine because you have other colleagues you need to interface with, at least sometimes in real-time.

If you want to set your own hours and do your own thing, start freelancing or start your own business. My ability to work remotely was an asset when I started at my new job, but if I phrased it like you did ("I don't wanna wear nice closes and drive") it would make me sound more like a sloth than a good remote worker.

And if you work remote, you best be getting out and dressed up at least a day a week anyway. Interaction is REALLY important and you'll go crazy if you don't get out and see people.

Have you ever worked remotely?

Yes, you and everybody else in the world. You are not a snowflake unique among snowflakes in this regard. As an employer, this is not a good enough reason for me to just hand you a remote job.

But what's important is that as someone hiring, I would have just thrown your resume away (or in this case closed the window) because you seem selfish. You would never have the chance to explain.

My extra curricular activities in the first place shows that I am not the selfish type. Working for others instead of my self. Creating a website with over 20k users which is rather a handful and getting nothing but thanks and gratitudes in return. I find that far from selfish.

On a flip side, remote work may shift and fragment your schedule. If your employer is in a different time zone, your work time may shift and your free time now suddenly has less overlap with a free time of your family and friends. Part of the success at remote position is making yourself readily available and it can be easily abused.

I am not trying to talk you out of it, but it may happen that you will miss your 9-to-5 even with the commute.

I would tend to agree with you. I took up remote work about 18 months ago, after relocating to another country where no local work was available. While saving commuting time is certainly a big plus, there are a lot of downsides, including: - not having colleagues to socialize with, and the stimulus of a professional environment - not spending enough time out of the house - having to deploy a substantial amount of willpower simply to follow a regular work schedule - having no clear separation between work and home, which means I find it much harder to relax or "call it a day" than before.

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