Choices are sometimes conscious decisions and other times circumstances force change. Regardless of which it is for you, you do have choices!

I briefly commuted for more than an hour into downtown Los Angeles. It didn’t take me long to decide it was simply not worth it.
Career Choices
Many previously could not imagine choosing not to commute. Where they live most may live in one area and commute to another so it never occurred to them there are options.
But you can, by making a conscious choice about your career. And given the current situation with COVID-19, that may be the best choice available.
You do NOT have to have a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke). You could choose to work from home for yourself like I do.
Many of us collaborate and refer work to each other so that we can balance out our workload.
Or you could decide to earn less so you can live closer to your work. When you get laid off is a good time to consider relocating to a less expensive area.
This is wise if the available positions pay less than you were making.
The lower your pay the better off you will be financially by moving where housing costs and other expenses are lower.
You need a high salary to live in an expensive area. Or you can cut expenses by eliminating the need to own a car.
Change Jobs
If you love where your live, consider changing jobs. (Don’t quit the one you have – find a new one first.
It is easier to find a job when you’re currently employed because you are considered more “in demand”.)
Expenses are not the only reason for shortening your commute. The high cost of gasoline is one reason, but saving time is even more important.
You could work and live in a community where:
- You can walk or ride a bike to work
- There are car sharing programs
- Public transportation is a short ride
- You could work from home
Besides saving time and money, commuting can impact your life, health, and career in other ways.
COVID Change Your Life? You Have More Choices Than You Think!
Now is the perfect time to re-examine your life. Do you really need to work full-time or commute? What might make you happier?
Here’s what one person who used to have an $80k / year career decided to do instead:
Ok, so you do have choices even if you don’t believe you do. Your life may look totally different already due to circumstances beyond your control.
So what are you going to do about it? We don’t know what will happen this fall much less in the years to come.
Don’t sit around waiting for things to go back to “normal”. And we sure don’t want to be stuck with the “new normal”.
That means you have to make things happen for yourself. If you need an income to keep a roof over your head and food on the table, act now.
How to Find Work in the Remote Economy
Experts estimate that by 2025, 70% of all people will work remotely at least 5 days a month. But if you can work remotely any time, you could do it all the time.
So what’s holding you back? Start working toward the future you want now. If your income went away or is substantially lower, find new income.
Use the infographic below to find more details on what kinds of employers are hiring for remote work.
1) Decide what kind of work you would like to pursue
You need to know this first because it will guide you in what kind of resume and portfolio you may want to create.
2) Create an Online Resume on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an excellent (free) place to find work and the best place to create your online resume.
There are plenty of tips around on how to optimize your profile there. Start with 20 Steps to a Better LinkedIn Profile in 2020.
3) Create a Portfolio
Interested in pursuing creative freelance work such as writing, website building, video creation, etc.?
Create a free portfolio at Contently. Writers use it to gather their published content from across the web in one place.
You can see mine at https://gailgardner.contently.com/.
Julie Weishaar uses hers to show off videos, SlideShares, custom images, infographics and content.
Check hers out at https://julieweishaar.contently.com/. Then jump right in and create your own.
4) Create Job Searches
The two best places to search for both jobs and freelance gigs are:
They both have options to indicate what type of jobs you want and the ability to save your searches.
One drawback to both is that there is often no detail related to whether the listings you’re interested in pays decent or well or “you’ve got to be kidding me cheap”.
So it will take time to weed through interesting options. It is worth it as there are good jobs to be had on both of those sites.
5) Let Your Network Know What You Want
The key to getting considered for freelance work is often referrals from other freelancers.
Make sure you make yourself easy to recommend and that everyone who knows you is aware of what kind of work you’re interested in getting.
The best way to get established and land work that pays well is by collaborating with others who do what you want to do.
The remote work environment is expanding. Use the details on this infographic to find work:
Remote Work Wage Gap
While it should be common sense, many may not realize that there will be a wage gap between in person on-site work and remote work.
This only makes sense because your expenses will be much lower. Unless you’re appearing on video in work clothes regularly, you won’t need much dry cleaning.
Your commuting expenses could go down to nothing. Less miles means you could keep your vehicles longer (which is highly recommended to improve your standard of living).
There is really no reason to trade a car in every 3-5 years if it is still sound and you have a good mechanic.
Once one is paid off, put the car payment aside to pay cash for your next vehicle or for emergencies. Or spend it on something else if you won’t be needing a car (but plan ahead for when you will).
Some expenses may increase, such as utilities from being home all the time — but only if you set them differently when you were gone.
Consider Relocating to Less Expensive Areas
Have you always wanted to live somewhere warmer? Or out in the country? Why live in an expensive area when you can work from anywhere?
Do your research and find a place that has decent to good internet. Be aware that big cities and both coasts tend to have super-fast high-speed internet of 100 Mbps+.
You are not likely to find that in most rural areas. “High-speed” there will be 3-10 Mbps in most cases. Note that 35 Mbps satellite has latency so it doesn’t really load any faster than 5-10 Mpbs point-to-point from a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP).
If you upload videos, especially long videos, you will need to locate somewhere with very good internet access. Satellite and WISP won’t work well for that.
Many Employers Pay By Cost of Living
Many may not realize that corporations have always paid their employees less in areas with a lower cost of living.
But even then, they did not always pay enough to afford areas with high costs. For example, when I transferred from southern California to Texas I was warned I might not see a pay increase for years.
IBM had greater difficulty getting people to transfer to San Diego and San Francisco. It wasn’t because people didn’t want to live there; it was because they couldn’t afford housing.
See this infographic for more details on how switching to remote work may impact what you earn if you work for a larger company:
NOTE: Originally published 10/23/13; Original post sponsored by Workopolis, Canada’s most popular and largest site for finding jobs online.
Content edited 8/28/20 to replace missing video, add an infographic, and expanded and updated to be more current; edited 3/15/21 to add Remote Work wage gap infographic. Added Is the Internet Ready for Remote Work infographic on 4/15/21.
Gail Gardner
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Excellent post as always! Important topic, great infographics, easy to read and understand
I’ve worked remotely for many years now and watching how the world has changed and become more remote has been astounding. This is a great post for those looking to get into remote working, keep it up!
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Great article with infographics, The infographics is informative. Which will help in career development. Can I share this infographics ?
Hi Chakri,
Most infographics online are intended to be shared. And if you click through to the original source there is usually a code at the bottom that you can just paste into html.
If there isn’t, then you have to save the image. Either way, you should link to the original page as attribution for the source.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Get a US Passport Faster by Expediting
My husband and I both work from home now and have had the amazing realisation that we can live anywhere! We chose our house previously based on my husband’s work location, but now we’re free! It’s an amazing feeling to be able to work remotely, but now we have the tough decision of where to resettle our family! Remote working is definitely the way forward 🙂
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Hi Victoria,
Did you know there are states handing out cash and perks to entice remote workers? Arkansas offered $10k so other locations copied them. See https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/arkansas-remote-worker-initiative and other coverage.
Think about cost of living, climate, water availability (Arizona and Austin, TX already have shortages), and especially internet connection.
Depending on what kind of work you do online, you may need to only move where there is faster internet access than we have in most rural areas.
Tulsa, Oklahoma has astoundingly fast internet to offer along with their $10k cash. See TulsaRemote.com for details. The bad news is you have to live within their city limits for a certain amount of time. I can’t find the internet speed now, but it was 1 Gbps or something insanely fast like that.
Note that rural areas often only have 5-10 Mbps down OR Satellite which offers 35 Mpbs down BUT it has data limits and it isn’t any faster than the 5 Mbps WISPs are because of the latency (distance to satellite and back).
Also check tax structures. Some states have no income tax, but they have other types of taxes that more than make up for it. The cost of housing varies wildly and right now rural land and homes are selling like hotcakes as people flee cities.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How a Small Business Can Compete with a Major Brand Selling Similar Products [Infographic]
Hi Gail, great to check into the tax structure before making a move! And of course, the internet speed as I’m in the midst of a move and going through it now. Luckily I love to work early am and no one else in town is online but if I need to do work midday it becomes a challenge.
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Hi Lisa,
Have you seen all the locations now paying people up to $10,000 to relocate and work online? The drawback on most of those is that you have to live within the city limits for at least a specified period of time.
The cities making the best offers are wise enough to have installed really great internet. I was surprised to see Tulsa has 1 Gig download speeds. That is nearly unheard of in Oklahoma.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Get a US Passport Faster by Expediting
Thanks for sharing
Really amazing article it helps lot of people
mehar unissa would love you to read ..Blogging tips and tricks for beginners 2021
Commuting is not preferred by many employees nowadays due to the pandemic. Hence useful information regarding this.
i am also doing a job as 6 to 5 in a company , i am always feel like quit my job but i didn’t get any freelance work ….
The best thing i found in this blog is the Info-graphics. Those are very detailed and explain every things very clearly and save time of the reader.
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Thanks a lot for sharing this awesome info. I like the way u explain.
sobi would love you to read ..40 Interesting Facts About Hamsters You Need To Know
Hi, thanks for such a great post. You are right, where covid has taken out many jobs, its also provide a lot of opportunities to world. Now, many people work online and earn decent money.
thanks for sharing your insight with us. it was very helpful deciding what to do next
stacy would love you to read ..Why One Should Hire React js Developer
Truly helpful for students and thank you for this guidance.
choosing a career is a bit difficult at a young age but if you do some research and search it on google you can get some references like this article. thanks for inspiring and guiding me with proper advice.
Dhaval Joshi would love you to read ..Steps to be considered before starting an e-commerce business in 2021 with e-commerce Web and App Development
Thanks a lot for this Gail. Covid 19 swallowed more than 6 months of the year. And I’ve found some great insights to work with on this post. Once again, Kudos.
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Hi Moses,
I’m glad it benefitted you. Some of us have been working remotely for 20 years or so. So if you have any questions, you know who to ask.
You might want to join the BizSugar Mastermind Community. I am the Community Manager there and there is a lot of information on how to generate more work, nurturing leads, setting goals, etc. There is no cost to join.
Find out more about it in Why You Should Join Me in the BizSugar Mastermind Community Today.
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World is changing so quickly. Next era will the digital world. People will look out everything online. Being on digital platform is so much important after this pandemic COVID-19. Really appreciate your post. It will guide some people. Where to start and to build it.
Rahul Jagtap would love you to read ..Google Verified Calls beating Truecaller 2020
Hi Gail,
Keep up the good work. I appreciate the way you are working. Thanks for sharing such information that is helping a number of people.
Thanks for the great post and infographics. It is a tough economy, and every little hint or advice helps.
Aaron Jarrels would love you to read ..Grow an Online Business Group
Hi Gail,
You nailed it.
The Global Pandemic has reshaped careers in the entire world.
Many businesses has tested remote working and started to enjoy it, meaning they would love to continue that way post-pandemic.
Choosing a Career is now difficult than ever, you want to make sure your career option would survive even post-pandemic.
I also believed following steps outling in this post will help alot.
Enjoy the Rest of the Day
Folajomi
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Thanks Folajomi,
Businesses are likely to find out that employees don’t want to go back to the office. And former employees who start freelancing frequently never take another job – especially a full-time job — again.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Amazon: The Wal-Mart of the Internet
Your article is hopeful for those who faced unemployment in this difficult time. Thanks for sharing multiple kinds of job opportunities. Well, I think the willingness and interest of a person in a field and how he/she [presents it in a resume is actually what matters to get the right job. Your ideas were great and helpful!!
i recently started working on fiver and its a nice experience i can work from comfort of my home . And its a nice post helped a lot
Akshay Verma would love you to read ..Top 5 Amazing Manali travel Tips |Must too know before traveling to Manali
No matter where we are we can always get a job even in the remote environment. Covid-19 pandemic has really shown the world that distance is no excuse for failure.
Like rightly said, we ought to be good in whatever much we find ourself and we will get job no matter our location.
Many thanks for sharing,very informative.
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Impressive! These tips are really great honest and practical. They will really greatly help me. Thanks so much for a detailed post.
It is no doubt a great post in these pandemic situation when everyone is looking to get work from home. Career options for all have suddenly reduced after the COVID-19 and one has to really change the pattern of work today and online working is no doubt a future option for all of us.
Regards,
Ovais Mirza
Hey, thank you for noting this down here. As it is my starting nad first step towards my career. I never told about what i want as a job, in my friend cirecle. so may this is a big reason of getting less opportunities.
thank you for sharing you good thouts here.
thank a lot again.
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This article is pretty informative. Thanks for sharing it here.
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Remote working, Freelancing, Blogging breaking into the mainstream just because of this covid-19 pandemic
Now large and small Companies are offering remote work opportunities, so it’s important to adopt the changes
Thanks a lot for this informative article.
Richa would love you to read ..Want to Be a Growth-Hacker? 10 Best Growth Hacking Books For Beginners
I am freelancer I waste my 2 year in career choice then start work as freelancing but still face difficulti in rank fiverr gig .
But its not the issue the finaly I chocie my career
Samra Saghir would love you to read ..By: Advocate sumaira ali
Seriously you are getting work from fever bcoz I tried to do freelancing but these sites never help me to get work even they are asking for money also.
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A very timely blog post! I used to commute 90 minutes each way, which cost me £25 ($30) on the train. My life was truly miserable. So happy I can now work from home, and I really hope that one of the few good outcomes from COVID-19 will the the end of people accepting long commutes.
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This Covid-19 pandemic has really changed the way we live forever. Can we ever revert back to what it used to be?
I doubt. So it is very important to choose a career that will allow you to work remotely like you have mentioned.
Perhaps we also need to acquire new skills in order to be more versatile and be in demand.
Thanks for sharing.
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Yep the world is flip upside down, I am interested what effect it would have after we come out the pandamic, it is something I think intuiting to learn about…
Hi Gail..
Nice article and very informational thanks for the information. Good job keep it up.
Samir Das would love you to read ..Children’s day in India (bharat mein bal divas)
Resume writing has become a very interesting challenge on students who just came out of the college. They a need a lots of tips and tricks regarding it. I hope this tips will help them. I have found many resumes Including LinkedIn profile to increase the chances of getting hired. It may work. .
Locations should be ranked first when you find a job. The distance between your apartment location and your company may become a tough problem in the future.
crowded subway and bus, high transportation fee, sleeping less…I’d better choose to live near my workplace.
I always use this technique to find new jobs that you have mentioned above. I always find a better job opportunity and leave previous after getting the employment letter from new company.
Zareen would love you to read ..KPMG Vacation Programme 2014: June / July 2014
There was a time a work for a Japanese MNC. I used to take 2 hours to commute one side. I was hardly getting any time to do anything else. Finally i quit my job and find another near by to my place. Now i’m getting enough time for me and also running a blog.
Tauseef Alam would love you to read ..MIT School of Distance Education (MITSDE) Pune Courses Admission 2014
Hello friend!
As we all know about choosing Career in right path is quite difficult because it will become your life for long time. Firstly 2-3 times thinking about your Interest to choose career, than about your Dreams what you want to achieve in your life and last, level of education you needed. Better to Changing the job after he/she get a good year of experience.
I used to commute for over two hours into London. It really brought me down and I ended up dreading my job, despite it having many other benefits and really good co-workers.
It was one of the reasons I decided to work from home. Miss those guys, however 🙁
For teaching, if I didn’t have that commute, I’m not sure I would take the time to listen to an audiobook without feeling like I needed to get to work.
Some people like commuting, but personally I would always live near my place of work. Traffic can increase stress which is really bad for you over the long term. Thanks for the article.
Shorter commute may mean less paying job but more happiness. The longer commute put more stress on your family. Time not with your family cannot be replace. It all about quality time. Not only the quantity of time.
hi thanks for this article those steps for career choices were pretty nice and good
Hi Gail,
A great thought penned down into a good note 🙂
I have read many famous professional notes where they also speak about commuting, where they say when commuting time increases, they loose interest in their jobs and at last they quit the so called jobs and end up in the freedom owned ‘work from home’ jobs.
My wife and I used to commute 1.5 hours each way when we first got married. It is probably no coincidence that is when we had the most er…”intense discussion” in our marriage. We then took jobs as boarding school houseparents and never looked back. Now, we’re working from home and I don’t even process the commute.
Recently, I started teaching in another city at the College level. I look at the teaching as a calling but the commute can be trying. That being said, now that I can have audible.com on my android, a commute can be a pretty cool thing. I look at it as my self education time and that makes in enjoyable.
The truth of the matter is that if I didn’t have that commute, I’m not sure I would take the time to listen to an audiobook without feeling like I needed to get to work. So I guess its all a matter of perspective.
I live in a very big city, where it takes two hours drive to reach work place. I become so hectic at the end of the day.
I feel that some people like the commute if the drive is not through a crowded city. A good drive through a beautiful suburb can be calming and energizing.
Steven
Gail,
A lot of people don’t take the time to think about communting to work. Our time is a valuable and an extra 30 minutes a day can add up. Not only for time but for gas money and added stress on your mind and car.
I’m lucky where the city I live in is very small and you can walk, drive or bike anywhere .