In today's ever-evolving landscape, the term 'digital nomad' has entered the mainstream as a way to describe a location-independent lifestyle.
According to Forbes, the digital nomad lifestyle has been on the rise for years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend, leading to a surge in popularity. Research shows that by the end of 2023 a whopping 43.3% of the workforce will be fully remote. Estimates also show that 80% of employees now looking for a job said it was important that the job offered them the possibility to live anywhere.
As much freedom to travel the world, work by plugging in your laptop anywhere - how does one actually become a ‘digital nomad’? Beginning such a seismic shift in lifestyle takes vision, courage and organisation!
Here are some top tips to get you going before you embark on the digital nomad adventure:
- Identify your skills and determine which ones you need to develop further. Consider taking online courses, attending webinars or networking with industry professionals who can offer guidance and advice. Some essential skills for a digital nomad include communication, writing, marketing, sales, digital, and budgeting.
- Build a portfolio and ‘wish list’ of your dream roles – this will help you stay focused and motivated, even when you're working remotely from different locations. You need to have a clear idea of the roles you want to pursue.
- Make sure you keep all online sites up to date – remote working requires staying visible to opportunities, including contracts and freelance positions. LinkedIn, Upwork, Fiver, Remote Ok are all examples.
- Pivot your skills to make extra income – there are many freelance options available online from writing to graphic design projects that done in spare time make a healthy additional salary.
- Stay curious – there are new skillsets required regularly in today’s changing world. Take online classes or attend workshops to develop new skills, such as coding, editing or social media marketing that can help you stand out in the remote work job market.
- Network – ‘reaching out’ is the norm in 2023. Don’t be afraid to contact organisations, brands, businesses about potential work but also fellow creatives or industry professionals to create a community and avoid loneliness.
- Set yourself a budget and decide on a location – be honest with yourself! https://nomadlist.com/ is an excellent place to start.
- Did you know some countries even now have digital nomad visas? Remote work can begin locally but the world is your oyster!
You can discover lots of remote job opportunites on Jooble.
