The ups and downs of remote work

I previously wrote about my first full-time internship this summer. One unique thing about this internship was it was 100% remote. Not only was I working from home, but so were my fellow interns, managers and coworkers. After this experience, I have some thoughts about the benefits, and potential downsides, of working remotely. 

Firstly, the downsides. In my experience, the biggest downside is potential loneliness. I’m a solid ambivert. I need my alone time to recharge, but I’m also very outgoing and rely on people. I love socializing, and since most of the jobs I had before this were customer service oriented, I’m also used to socializing at work. Outside of Zoom meetings, I was pretty much alone in my house all day. Luckily, I had a lot of podcasts and music to listen to to keep me stimulated. If you’re outgoing like me, the solitude is definitely something to consider. 

Another downside for me was making sure to separate work from life — even though it was difficult. At an office, you do your work there and come home to socialize, relax, cook, etc. Working from home, all of those parts of my life converged. I was lucky enough to have a small dedicated area that I worked in, so I could have a little bit of physical separation from my “office.” Still, it can be hard to unwind in the same space you’ve been working all day. 

Now, the benefits! I had an amazing experience at my internship, so I think there are a lot of pros to working remotely. 

There’s a sense of freedom. As long as I attended all of the necessary meetings I needed to be in and finished my assignments on time, I was able to be flexible. I could have lunch at 11 or at one depending on how I felt, instead of an arbitrary number. I could listen to the kinds of music I wanted to without distracting anyone else. I could also wear comfy pants every day so long as I looked presentable from the shoulders up! I also had more financial freedom, since I was able to live at home and didn’t have to worry about the cost of transportation to and from work, extra rent, etc. 

You open yourself up to new experiences you might not otherwise have access to. My internship was based in New York. For various reasons, it would have been really difficult for me to relocate there over the summer. Being able to work remotely let me work for a company whose values aligned with mine, giving me real-world experience I wouldn’t have access to in my relatively smaller hometown. 

While there are definitely pros and cons, I would still recommend a remote internship if its a company you see yourself fitting in at. Who knows, it might open doors for you in the future! 

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