#TheRemoteWorkingChronicles
Ryan (@rwilcox) has been a remote developer for 15 years and works as a lead engineer now, leading like @StarTrek's Chief O'Brien 😎
His story is an example that almost everything can be accomplished #remote
THREAD 👇
Ryan (@rwilcox) has been a remote developer for 15 years and works as a lead engineer now, leading like @StarTrek's Chief O'Brien 😎
His story is an example that almost everything can be accomplished #remote
THREAD 👇
Let's get to know Ryan:
- Professional developer for ~15 years 😃
- Mostly worked remotely, except for a couple stints
- Lead engineer for a mid-sized replatforming project
- His work shuffles between architectural positions as well as hands-on coding 🔀
- Professional developer for ~15 years 😃
- Mostly worked remotely, except for a couple stints
- Lead engineer for a mid-sized replatforming project
- His work shuffles between architectural positions as well as hands-on coding 🔀
Motivation?
After college, he decided to go into consulting, moved back home, and leaned heavily on remote work to get clients.
"Remote work is a great economic equalizer, giving a larger range of opportunities anywhere to people from anywhere 💯"
After college, he decided to go into consulting, moved back home, and leaned heavily on remote work to get clients.
"Remote work is a great economic equalizer, giving a larger range of opportunities anywhere to people from anywhere 💯"
How were the initial days?
Starting a remote business was unique, especially in the mid ‘00s 🤔
Faced problems with finding clients, workflow practices & communication.
#remoteworking challenges included equipping himself, finding a place, understanding the need for change.
Starting a remote business was unique, especially in the mid ‘00s 🤔
Faced problems with finding clients, workflow practices & communication.
#remoteworking challenges included equipping himself, finding a place, understanding the need for change.
How did he find remote working roles?
Was never very good at finding roles as a remote consultant.
A lot of projects in his career were either because of being at the right place at the right time, or becoming known for a niche thing, or being on the right job boards 🍀
Was never very good at finding roles as a remote consultant.
A lot of projects in his career were either because of being at the right place at the right time, or becoming known for a niche thing, or being on the right job boards 🍀
The best:
Flexibility to help around the house and be a hands-on dad 👨👩👧👦
The good:
Better office situation as he doesn't like working at one desk 😀
The worst:
A COVID-19 reality - being stuck in & dealing with isolation or having too many people around to work peacefully 😔
Flexibility to help around the house and be a hands-on dad 👨👩👧👦
The good:
Better office situation as he doesn't like working at one desk 😀
The worst:
A COVID-19 reality - being stuck in & dealing with isolation or having too many people around to work peacefully 😔
Tools he swears by:
- A good headset 🎧
- A good whiteboard setup, preferably a collaborative digital whiteboard ⬜
- Slack’s reminder functionality
- A second machine that’s not connected to work’s VPN, to stream music or video while working 🎶
- A separate space to work
- A good headset 🎧
- A good whiteboard setup, preferably a collaborative digital whiteboard ⬜
- Slack’s reminder functionality
- A second machine that’s not connected to work’s VPN, to stream music or video while working 🎶
- A separate space to work
Most exciting experience:
A working vacation to Calif. His team was based on the East Coast, and he used jet lag to his advantage 🏖️
"I've been on the not so hilarious end of this too: having Hong Kong -> US East coast calls. There's no way to slice that 12 hour difference."
A working vacation to Calif. His team was based on the East Coast, and he used jet lag to his advantage 🏖️
"I've been on the not so hilarious end of this too: having Hong Kong -> US East coast calls. There's no way to slice that 12 hour difference."
Advice:
- #remotework can be hard when your team is co-located
- Remote leadership isn’t all that bad 👌
- You can probably hold that meeting without it being a video meeting 🎥
- Over communicating is important 🗣️
- Try not to be in a vastly different time zone than your team.
- #remotework can be hard when your team is co-located
- Remote leadership isn’t all that bad 👌
- You can probably hold that meeting without it being a video meeting 🎥
- Over communicating is important 🗣️
- Try not to be in a vastly different time zone than your team.
Career and goals:
"I'm currently leading like Chief O'Brian (from Start Trek ✳️): I coordinate how things actually work with the people that do them + I get to avoid performance reviews and arguing.
For me, the best of both worlds, and I want to keep doing this 💥"
"I'm currently leading like Chief O'Brian (from Start Trek ✳️): I coordinate how things actually work with the people that do them + I get to avoid performance reviews and arguing.
For me, the best of both worlds, and I want to keep doing this 💥"
Thoughts on remote working and the future:
On the tech side - looking for a killer AR office conference app, wants AR to take over 🤖
On the culture side - hopes that we come out of the pandemic with more remote job offers & companies become more accepting of #remotework 👐
On the tech side - looking for a killer AR office conference app, wants AR to take over 🤖
On the culture side - hopes that we come out of the pandemic with more remote job offers & companies become more accepting of #remotework 👐
You can read the full story and interact with Ryan here - remoteclan.com/s/qkwe2x/leadi…
