Working remotely as a Computer Scientist

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I am almost to the point where I should be deciding on my major. Ever since I can remember I have loved to travel and experience new countries/cities/cultures. You could say that I have an unquenchable wanderlust - it just never gets old for me. I even enjoy flying, unlike the majority of people. In fact, flying is one of the most enjoyable aspects of traveling for me, as I am on a plane headed to a locale that I have never been to, and the anticipation seems to consume me. </p>

<p>As you can imagine, finding a career field that allows me to travel extensively, and not be tied down to a single place for long periods of time, is my most important priority. After repeatedly researching just about every major out there, I am finding myself coming back to Computer Science time and time again. It seems like it would allow me to fulfill my dreams. Additionally, computers have always been my biggest interest outside of travel, so I would certainly enjoy my job.</p>

<p>So just how realistic is it for a Computer Scientist to be able to work remotely for all or at least a vast majority of the time? I plan on majoring in CS, learning essential and popular programming languages, then quite possibly going for a graduate degree if it will significantly help my employment prospects. What about the freelance side of CS? With the aforementioned qualifications, would it be possible to earn a decent living as a freelancer? I am not necessarily looking for a huge salary, and as I already know how to travel/live abroad on a fairly modest budget, I would probably be OK with taking a reduction in my salary if it allowed me to do whatever/be wherever I want to be.</p>

<p>Finally, if you were in my fairly unique situation, would you go into Computer Science, and if not, what field would you go into?</p>

2

<p>Hey man?..</p>

3

<p>It is possible, but rare, in that face to face conversations with co-workers can make solving some problems more convenient.</p>

<p>A contractor or consultant willing to travel to customers would be a different story. But the customers may not be in places you find to be interesting.</p>

4

<p>I have read/heard good things about consultancy. Would a degree(s) in Computer Science along with proficiency and certification in many programming languages get me into that field? I understand that a lot of consultant work is located right here in the US, but I would imagine as China and other emerging countries continue to grow, there should be plentiful opportunities in that region. I have actually been to China and India several times and have enjoyed them immensely. Even if the job location is in location other than North America, Asia, Europe, I am sure I would enjoy it, especially seeing as how I would likely not be there long enough for the novelty to wear off.</p>

<p>As a consultant, I could probably work half the year (perhaps not all at once) and travel the rest of the time. What kind of pay does a CS consultant make? I have heard of some very high figures, and know full well that your pay rate depends on your pertinent certifications and skills, but a general ballpark figure would be nice to know.</p>

5

<p>CS contractor and consultant pay is all over the place. Those with the best reputation and are always in demand can name their own hourly pay (much higher than they would get as a regular employee, but some of it has to pay for benefits and additional taxes – still netting more than as a regular employee if they can keep the contract pipeline reasonably full).</p>

<p>But there are those at the other end of the scale whose hourly pay is worse than a regular employee would get, with few or no benefits (such persons try to get regular employment as soon as they can, though some are in this situation because they have not found anyone to hire them, for good or bad reasons).</p>

6

<p>Globaltraveller - obviously it is now technically feasible to work remotely. The issue is not whether you can do the work sitting on your hammock in Costa Rica but how to get the work. You can work as a freelancer but you need to go hunt for work and its hard to convince customers (at first) to hire you if you aren’t face-to-face. First you have to sell then you get to perform the work.</p>

<p>You can’t work in China or India without work permits. It would, in fact, be easier to work for a US customer while living temporarily in China.</p>

<p>Go into CS if you have a passion for it. There will be opportunities to do what you like but you are going to have to find them. </p>

<p>BTW - travel can be interesting but the glamour fades for everyone.</p>

7

<p>To the OP, my husband and my sister are both in CS. They both took very different paths, although they actually work for the same company now, and have in the past.</p>

<p>My sister had a math degree, but was always adventurous, willing to take out of town internships. As a female in IT, she had her pick of jobs, and would often change employment for a higher offer if one became available.</p>

<p>At one point, she decided to do freelance consulting because of the various contacts she’d made over the years, and she did quite well at it. She commanded three times the hourly rate of regular IT employees, but she missed out on the benefits. She paid extremely high taxes and had no health insurance. But, she was able to spend more time with her kids, while making a lot more money than her former coworkers. She has, over the years, bounced back and forth between a regular job and consulting, and often does both. She did get her masters in engineering at one point, which allows her to pick up extra money teaching courses at local colleges. Unfortunately, now that she is in her mid 50s, she has lost her job, as many of her age group peers did in her company. She is thinking about reviving her old freelance firm, but as she is now up in age, she is more likely to take a pay cut so she can retain her health insurance, as her COBRA would be 1800/month. She has a preexising health condition, so she has to have good health insurance.</p>

<p>My husband, on the other hand, has a computer science/engineering degree. He has never been willing to travel, and has never continued his education. He has never been let go, though, as he’s never been priced out of the market, and he is seen as a dependable, safe employee, extremely loyal to the company, and unwilling to pull up his roots. It is a good place to be right now, as he is middle aged and less expendable than his peers who are likely to jump ship any minute, but he’s never been as financially successful as those who have been willing to travel and take risks with new employment opportunities.</p>