When you ask: “What kind of degree do I need to become a digital nomad?” or “How do I find remote jobs?”, you are looking at the problem from the wrong angle.
Location independence is not a job that requires a certain degree, work experience or specific skills set. It’s not a job you can find in a specific place. It’s a way of living.
If you ask “What kind of degree do I need to live in the US?” or “Where do I find a part-time job?”, the answers would be the same: it depends.
It depends on the job you want. It depends on your skills, your passions, your previous experience, what you enjoy doing, how many hours you are willing to work, how much freedom you want, how many risks you are willing to take… And I could go on!
We get it, the dream of working from a beach is being sold everywhere. Expensive courses, magic formulas, get-rich promises, pyramid-schemes, and so on: “if you want to be location independent, you just need to do this/do that/pay thousands of dollars for this miracle opportunity”.
We believe there isn’t one way that works for everyone, we believe there isn’t one single way to become location independent, we believe there isn’t one remote job you can do to work and travel and be free and happy forever. The internet gives us the instruments, the tools and the possibility to reach the freedom of location independence, but there are so many ways to make it work for our particular situation.
When you choose a job (any job), you choose it because you are good at it, it’s in line with your skills, you like doing it, it aligns with your passions and it provides you the lifestyle you desire. Why would this be different for a location independent job?
If your desire is driving a sports car, having lots of money and not much free time, you’ll choose one kind of job.
If you want to live a minimalist life, travel a lot, have a lot of free time and you don’t care much about your status, you’ll probably choose a different kind of job, right?
We are all different. We have different stories, experiences, skills sets, priorities, needs, desires, personal situations…There are opportunities out there for everyone.
Our idea is that you shouldn’t start asking yourself what others are doing, but what you are going to do to design your ideal life. Yes, it’s hard, it’s overwhelming, it’s a long process. But it’s worth it. It’s worth it because you wake up every morning and are satisfied with the direction your life has taken. Maybe you are not satisfied at what your life looks like right now, but you know for sure that you are on the right track. You know that you are building, step by step, brick by brick, your life and your future.
Designing your work starts from understanding that your life is in your hands, that no one will be able to give you an easy way to reach your dreams. Of course, you can get inspired by what others are doing, read blogs, learn, absorb all kinds of information, by all means. However, don’t expect the solution to come from others, it will have to come from a deep and careful self-reflection and self-analysis.