Courtesy of the author
- Back in 2013, before the pandemic made remote work a thing, I was already working with remote teams.
- In 2019, I made the decision to go fully remote and work for a company with no office.
- Remote jobs have allowed me to be the breadwinner while also being a present mom.
Being on Google Hangout meetings has been part of my professional career since 2013. Back then I used to work at BuzzFeed managing operations outside the US, so while I was going into our New York office every day, my teams were all remote to me.
I worked from home often since my direct reports weren't physically in the office anyway. And in 2018 when my first child was born, I moved into a hybrid schedule, working fully from home two days a week.
After getting laid off in January 2019, I decided to only look for fully remote jobs. I felt like my son was growing too quickly, and I wasn't a part of his life. I've been working from home ever since.
People thought I was a freelancer
When I landed my first fully remote job as an editor for an online publication, everyone around me assumed I was just freelancing. I had to explain over and over again that the company had no physical offices and that everyone was remote.
Most employees were parents and were attracted by the possibility of a flexible schedule that would allow for school drop-offs, having a sick kid at home, or being home in time for dinner.
Shortly after joining, I found out I was pregnant with twins. Being pregnant takes a huge toll on your body, but being pregnant with twins made things like getting out of bed feel impossible at times. I appreciated being able to take afternoon naps when I wasn't feeling well, and then picking up work after my oldest was in bed.
I made it to almost 39 weeks pregnant with the twins, and I credit that to not having to commute every day, putting my body through the stress of riding the New York City subway system.
I moved from New York City to Maine
Having a remote job also allowed my family to move from our tiny and cramped Brooklyn apartment to a house with a backyard in Portland, Maine.
Knowing that at least one of us had a full-time job that we could take everywhere we went made the decision much easier. And it has been incredibly beneficial for our family, especially for our three kids.
I changed jobs again in 2021 to another fully remote job, where I'm once again remote to my team — who often also works from home.
I'm a more present parent
Now that my kids are 6, 4, and 4, having a remote job is invaluable. I not only get to be the breadwinner in our home, but I also am a present mom to our kids.
Without a commute, I can sit down for breakfast with them, drop them off for school, and still make it back home in time for my first meeting an hour before.
When my husband and I worked in offices, we would text each other to see who could make it back home in time to relieve our nanny, who would often put our son to bed because we would work late.
Now, even if I have to work late (which is incredibly rare), I can still walk upstairs for story time and tuck in before resuming my job.
That said, I still rely on my husband for a lot of the more fun parenting jobs, like taking care of the kids in the summer when school is closed or all the extra holidays they get that don't align with my work schedule.
Growing up, I remember being sad that my dad — who was the breadwinner in my family — missed so much of my childhood because of work. It makes me proud that I can have the same role, while also being way more present than he was.