Unfortunately for me, I am not one of those travel bloggers that can spend all of their days traveling and not logging any hours in a corporate setting (yet). Fortunately for me however, I am able to work from a location of my choosing while earning a full-time salary to support my traveling lifestyle.
The Pandemic changed the face of a lot in the world and had a lot of direct and indirect impacts on the lives of everyone. Depending on the light you look at them in, they can either be positive or negative.
Today I am going to talk about the direct impact that the Pandemic had on my field of work and how it would indirectly change the course of my entire life.
Taking a quick trip into the past, prior to my move to Cincinnati, Ohio I was completely unaware of the world of clinical research and all of the caveats within it. When I tell you that I completely fell into the career field that I am currently in by happenstance, that is exactly what happened.
My first job within clinical research came to fruition as it was the first job out of the state of Michigan that gave me a reason to move away from a place that was no longer meant for me. Looking back now, my family and friends probably thought I was the most unhinged. I packed up my entire life and moved 5 hours south to a city I have never been to for a job that was paying me $17.50 an hour. To me, it was an opportunity and a chance and I took it.
My first year working in clinical research was extremely eye opening and busy. I was on a variety of projects trying to learn and absorb as much information as I could. It was ingrained in my mind that the only way to be successful was to climb the corporate ladder. I was making friends, earning my first big girl paycheck and was having a really fun time learning my new city.
Fast forward to the Pandemic. I was just about a year into my career at this point and we were all told one day in the office to pack up anything we might need as there was a chance we wouldn’t be working in the office for the near future. This of course had the Microsoft Teams chats buzzing as working from home was almost never a tabled conversation at our company.
I went back to my apartment and packed my suitcase to spend what I thought would be a week up in Michigan with my family. Little did I know, I would be working remotely from my parents house for the next six weeks.
Prior to this, the only “work” that I have ever done from my home was online coursework during my college years. While everything was upside down during this time, the only thing that seemed to be going well was the continuation of my work. I certainly needed time to adjust to working from home. I worked on being disciplined and staying in a routine as if I was going into the office, this helped me to remain successful in my position.
Working from home started just as you might expect, in my pajamas and watching Criminal Minds in-between study calls. It provided me with a work life balance that I was missing before and allowed me to take advantage of my free time in a way I was unable to prior.
This got the cogs in my brain turning – thinking that surely if I can do my job and do it well from home while also having a better work life balance, why would I ever return to an office setting?
As the world and my company tried to get things back to a more “normal” setting amidst the pandemic, we headed back into the office. Work started back on a hybrid schedule, working with half of our team in the office half of the time and spending the rest of our time working from home. While the hybrid schedule wasn’t bad, I still was unsure about returning to the office full time when the time came.
Eventually after a few more months of the hybrid schedule, the dreaded day of returning back to the office full time came.
So you know what I did?
Quit my job. Just kidding.
I only did so after applying to and landing a fully remote position.
Something that I had thought I would never have the opportunity to do, was now my daily reality. I know that working from home is not for everyone but I absolutely love it. I love having the freedom to enjoy a slow morning instead of rushing to work. Being able to do a load of laundry in between meetings. Spending less time commuting to and from an office.
Since then, I have worked from home for the last three years. I don’t see myself working any other way any time soon, if ever.
Sure, I do miss the socialization aspect of working in an office. The coffee chats with colleagues and the department potlucks but the pros of being home full time certainly outweigh those that being in an office setting brings.
I am fortunate enough to work for a company that supports their employees and encourages them to have a work life balance. When I brought up the idea of travel to my then manager, he responded with “Well you work from home don’t you? I don’t care where you work, as long as the work is getting done.”
What a mentality to have. I truly wish that there were more companies out there that supported and encouraged their employees in the ways that mine has.
It has opened so many doors for me. It is a great conversation starter when I am on a new team and I tell them it doesn’t matter the time zone they schedule the meetings in, as my time zone changes often.
I am here to tell you that remote opportunities are out there. Jobs that require you to be present during your working hours and fully offline during the nights and weekends are out there.
How lucky am I to be in the career field that I am, making a good living all while accommodating this new lifestyle?
Now, the only requirements for me to do my job are an internet connection and my laptop!