Cloud Tech Beginners: Don't Apply For Remote Only Jobs!

If you’re a tech beginner looking to get your first job in the industry, it might be tempting to apply to remote only jobs. After all, working remotely is one of the main reasons you want to get into tech in the first place!

But, is applying for remote only jobs stopping you from getting hired?

Today, I am going to give you 3 reasons why you shouldn't apply to remote only jobs. I’ll then break down exactly how you can still work remotely, but without applying for remote only jobs.

Make sure you watch this all the way to the end so you don’t miss out.

The first reason you shouldn’t apply for remote only jobs is because they are more competitive and therefore harder to get than location based roles. 

Let’s assume you live in London, New York, or some other city. When you apply for a location based job you are only competing with other applicants in your city. However, when you apply for remote only jobs you are basically competing with everyone in the world.

With remote only roles you’re competing with people who are better than you, cheaper than you, willing to work harder than you. 

Not to mention that the sheer volume of applicants applying for these positions means that your resume is less likely to be seen by potential recruiters.

It’s important to apply for location based jobs because it reduces the number of applicants who can apply for that job, which means it increases your chances of you getting it because you’ll have less competition.

Again, just because I’m telling you to apply for location based jobs doesn't mean that you won’t be able to work remotely, stick with me, I’ll tell you how you can still get a remote job later in this conversation.

The second reason you shouldn’t apply to remote only jobs is simply because there are a lot more location based tech jobs than there are remote only jobs. 

Now I’ll be honest, I don’t have any statistics to back this up but you can tell from the news headlines that the biggest companies require their employees to be in the office at least 2-3 days a week

For example, there's this headline from Fortune Magazine that says: Tim Cook called remote work ‘the mother of all experiments.’ Now Apple is cracking down on employees who don’t come in 3 days a week, report says.

Or this headline from CNBC that says: Meta employees are back in the office three days a week as part of new mandate.

These headlines are data points that support a trend of more and more employers increasing the amount of in-person or hybrid roles and reducing the number of remote only roles.

There are various reasons why companies prefer their employees to work from the office. Some people argue that employees are more productive when they’re in the office, others argue that these companies have spent a lot of money on office space and real estate and so they want to make sure those offices are being used.

Regardless of their reasons why, it’s becoming clear that there are a lot more job opportunities in location based roles than there are in remote only roles. 

The final reason why you shouldn’t apply to remote only jobs if you’re a tech beginner is simply because an office or location based job will be much better for your career development, especially at the start of your career.

If you work in the office as a junior member of the team you’re going to learn better from more senior members of your team. This mentorship is crucial to your career development, because you’ll be able to learn quicker, improve your skills faster, this translates to more pay rises. 

This mentorship will be harder to get when you work remotely.

Working in tech can be lonely, but going to the office will help you bond with other members of your team and give you that sense of camaraderie which is vital in enjoying your work and feeling supported. 

Simple things like going on coffee breaks together or getting lunch together will allow you to build deeper relationships and trust within your team. 

Now that I've walked you through the reasons you shouldn’t apply for remote only jobs, does that mean there is no hope for working remotely at all?

No, the good news is that you can still get remote work, you just have to be a bit more flexible.

For example, there are a lot of jobs that offer hybrid working which gives you the best of both worlds. 

You still get the benefit of spending time with your team, with all the mentorship and personal development that goes with that.

Plus a couple of days a week you get to work remotely and enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with that.

The second way you can work fully remotely is by taking the long term view. 

The most important thing when you’re a beginner is simply getting that first job by any means necessary. Don’t worry about a high salary, don’t worry about remote working. All of these will come later.

Sure your first job might be based fully in the office or maybe even hybrid work, but that's ok, because while you’re working you’re building up your skill and experience and becoming more valuable in the workplace. 

The more valuable you are, the more leverage you have, which means you can negotiate with your employer about spending more time remotely.

So even though your first job might be in an office or hybrid, your future jobs could be a lot more remote.

I hope that makes sense.

At the start of your tech journey it can be quite difficult to know what learning path you should follow to achieve your goal of getting that first job, should you only use free resources? Or are paid courses better? Or should you sign up to a bootcamp?