Redditors Have Asked What It's Like to be a 100% Remote Developer

Times have changed after the pandemic hit us. The majority of the companies are now turning into fully “remote workplaces”, where demand for remote developers is rising. Now more than ever talent will know no geographical boundaries. Organizations might as well be happy that they can hire the best remote developers across the globe. 

As a result, while so many people lost their jobs, on the other hand, many experienced developers got a chance to work with the top global companies.

Not so much to my surprise though, I see Redditors were curious about how 100% remote developers land positions, pursue a successful career, and earn good money much before the pandemic. 

But without a doubt, the number of Redditors who are asking about remote development jobs is now increasing. It’s their chance to work for the best, earn better, from the comfort of their home, after all. Imagine a developer sitting in India working for Alphabet or Domino’s or Grab, isn’t that what almost every developer dreams of regardless of their tech stack? But developers have their doubts. 

Here I am putting all this into perspective for everyone to understand how being a 100% remote developer is like.  

Here’s what having a 100% remote development job is like

Resources remote developers use to find jobs

Numerous sites allow employers to list remote developer job openings. The first kind, some of the most used and popular ones, are LinkedIn, Flexjobs, AngelList, etc. These sites allow multiple people to apply to the same job and then, if shortlisted among thousands of candidates, go through multiple interview rounds. 

One can say that these kinds of sites where one has to keep an eye on fresh listings are the ones that bring the slowest results, even if you’re an experienced developer. There are no standard tests as every organization has a different screening process. So, if that’s not something that might interest you. where to go next?

The second kind is the ones like Upwork, Fiverr, People Per Hour, etc. These sites are based on the gig economy. So you might get one-time gigs or long-term gigs from one buyer too, but it still might not be stable. 

There are thousands of remote developers who have created gigs, priced them accordingly, and then only gotten ditched because there was someone else who was offering the same services for a lesser amount of money. The quality of work might vary from low to very low at times. You will hardly find listings for jobs in top global companies but these sites can be used for a side hustle along with your full-time job. So, where to go next? Where do the top companies hire? 

The top companies use tools like Crewscale, Flexiple, Turing, Toptal, etc. to hire pre-vetted remote developers. These tools let talented developers sign up, clear assessments customized to their tech stack, and then match them with the top global companies that are using the tool. These tools end up with the top 1% of the talent as global companies only seek high-quality work in return. 

Interviews of remote web developers 

The interview process varies from one organization to another. And one way to recognize if the employer is professional about their hiring process and are in sync with the current hiring standards is if they give you a developer-friendly platform to perform the test and ask the right questions according to your tech stack. 

Popular memes have amplified over the past couple of years how developers are almost always disappointed by the questions interviewers ask, the platforms they are offered to perform tests on, and other interview-related dilemmas. The good thing is, there are sites, as mentioned above, that let you take assessments according to your tech stack and provide an IDE to take assessments. 

The day-to-day routine of a remote web developer

The day of a remote developer is not the same as being in the office. Typically companies who have turned remote, have also offered developers flexibility over schedule while they can keep logging in the time they spent on work as and when they want. 

Work and human well-being are taken into consideration at the same time. It might not be the case before, when remote work could be done from cafes or anywhere outdoors, but as we hit the pandemic the case is different. 

Stability of remote web developers

Stability is again dependent on the platform you choose to find yourself a job. The gig economy has surely boomed in the last few months but is it something you can be completely dependent on in the long term? 

Many would prefer job security and even more people would prefer to grab a chance to work remotely for the global companies that have turned fully remote now. It sure is once a lifetime chance for experienced developers. Job stability is greater in that case. And you become an asset to the company as they do not let their star performers go. 

Benefits, compensation, and performance reviews 

Every organization has different policies about the benefits of their employees. Compensation by companies that are hiring only the top 1% of tech talent is high. And performance reviews are clear and on time most of the time. 

All this might be slightly different than working from an office as both have their challenges so the benefits are given accordingly. For instance, flexible work timings are a thing in remote work setup but not as much in a work from the office setup. And there sure are other benefits attached to working remotely as it saves you a lot on transport, both financially and in terms of time. 

Most of the companies offer annual merit increases too. Scrum meetings are either daily or weekly depending on the type of management of the managers. Most of the time, managers are left to their instincts of managing their teams. 

Hacker Noon’s Reddit community has some very juicy and useful discussions on remote work in the times of Covid that you can follow. All the best for getting hired by the best!