If you’re here, it’s likely because you’ve heard the term “digital nomad” but might not have understood its meaning. Either that, or you’re ready to dive into digital nomad culture but want to learn everything you can.
Well, whichever category you fall into – don’t worry! Sit tight and in this article eNomad will explain everything you need to know about what a digital nomad is and why you should consider adopting this lifestyle.
What is a digital nomad?
In simple terms, a digital nomad is someone who has cracked the code to work from anywhere with a Wi-Fi signal. Picture yourself sipping coconut water on a beach while smashing those deadlines – that’s the dream, right?
Well it’s now a reality for countless people around the world as more and more companies ditch renting offices and allow their staff to work from home. Today, you can work just about anywhere on the planet, as long as you have an internet connection and a device to do your work.
Benefits of becoming a digital nomad
Of course, one of the first things you’ll probably want to know is the benefit of this style of work. If so many people are now choosing to go remote, why?
Well there are countless benefits of remote working to choose from, and too many to list here in our opinion, but here are some of the most popular reasons digital nomads decide to jet off so far:
Freedom to Travel
Getting a remote job gives you the freedom to travel. As long as you have an internet connection and can get the job done, it doesn’t matter where you live. While working from the beach isn’t as glamorous as it sounds, there’s more to travelling than sand and sea. You could work by a mountain, a lake or even get integrated in a city. With a remote job you choose where you go; as long as you can legally work there that is!
Financial Freedom
Going remote means opening up your job options to the whole world, which means getting paid closer to the world average. If you live in a country with a lack of employment regulation or below average wages, getting a remote job can be a great step on the road to financial freedom. As long as you can set up your own company in your home nation, you can access job opportunities from far and wide, that may pay better than a job in your own nation.
Flexible Work Hours
Say goodbye to the 9-to-5 grind and hello to a life where the alarm clock is more of a suggestion than a command. Digital nomads revel in the luxury of crafting their own schedules, leading to enhanced work-life balance and a substantial reduction in stress levels. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, many remote jobs give you the freedom to choose your working hours. Of course, that’s not always the case, and many remote workers must still clock in and out, much like they would in a regular office. However, when you’re working remotely, typically you won’t be the only person in the team that works in a different time zone.
Networking
Contrary to popular belief, digital nomads aren’t just solo warriors. The digital realm is teeming with vibrant communities, both online and offline. Co-working spaces, conventions and workshops are just a few ways you can find other digital nomads while on the move. Connect with like-minded souls, swap stories of triumphs and pitfalls, and who knows, you might find your next business partner or lifelong friend.
Improved Quality Of Life
The biggest benefit of becoming a digital nomad is improved quality of life. It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for: a more relaxing working spot, a better tax rate or even just a cheaper cost of living, being a digital nomad opens your options and allows you to pick the lifestyle that works for you.
Challenges of Becoming a Digital Nomad
Of course, becoming a digital nomad is Not without its challenges. Before you decide to get moving, it’s important to consider some of the downsides you may encounter.
Staying Motivated
With great freedom comes great responsibility. Staying motivated without the familiar office environment can be a challenge. While choosing your work hours may seem like a blessing, some people struggle to self-motivate. However, not all remote jobs give you this option, so if you struggle staying on task, perhaps consider a remote job with fixed working hours.
Documentation, Visas and Tax
Bureaucracy, the not-so-glamorous side of the nomadic lifestyle. Learn the ropes of documentation, visas, and tax responsibilities to avoid any unwanted surprises on your journey.
Instability
Living on the edge might sound thrilling, but when it comes to income stability, it’s wise to have a safety net. Explore strategies to cushion yourself from the unpredictable nature of freelance work.
Loneliness
One of the biggest challenges digital nomads face is loneliness. Travelling around is all well and good, but if you don’t stay in places very long, it makes it much more challenging to make friends and integrate in your temporary home. Luckily, there are tons of ways to get into the remote working community, from chat groups to in-person meet ups. At enomad we also recommend staying in each place you visit a little longer so you can get to know the locals too. There are also plenty of remote communities you can join that wil help you connect with other digital nomads. So although loneliness can be challenging, there are lots of ways to combat it.
Types of Digital Nomad Jobs
There are probably about as many remote jobs as there are non-remote jobs these days. So don’t think this list is exhaustive. The kind of remote work you find might not fall under any of the following categories. However, most digital nomads you will come across will likely work in or around one of these types of jobs. And if they don’t the likelihood is they are entrpreneurs; which is a subject for another day and another article.
We plan to post an ultimate guide to bagging a remote job too, but for now, here are some of the roles you can expect to find on a strictly remote-only basis.
Social Media
Under the social media bracket there are tons of different roles to choose from. Content creation is important for any business today, and thus there are several layers of social media roles you can consider. Community managers, social media leads and even platform-specific roles exist. For example, you might find roles in Tiktok content creation specifically asking for knowledge of the filters and apps available on that platform. Conversely, the skills you will need to run a eSports discord server might differ greatly to the other roles we have mentioned.
Whatever social media platform is your jam; there’s probably a role for you. And if there isn’t, perhaps you can create your own. Today, lots of content creators monetize their own following and make a living from just that. Yes: we’re talking about influencers, and although it’s not recommended for new digital nomads, plenty of remote workers also document their lifestyles via social media and make money that way too.
Writing
Writing is a useful skill across many aspects of marketing, social media and more. It opens up the door to many other industries, but even alone, writing can be a sufficient source of income for many. If you’re a native English speaker, often that’s enough to bag your first writing job on a buzz or news site. If not, there are also countless writing jobs in other languages too, with spanish, german and arabic being some of the most useful writing languages to have.
If you’re looking for a bit more cash, then another great way to go is writing for niche sites. The more niche information you can contribute, the higher your writer rate will be. If you have technical knowledge—even better! You’d be surpirsed with how difficult it is to find competent technical writers. The balance between tech and creative writing is always a struggle. One of the biggest struggles for any new writer is often setting their rate. A good rule of thumb is to never go below 0.05c per word, no matter who’s offering. An average pay rate is around 0.25 per word. It’s always much harder to increase your rates later, and by valuing your own worth, your employer will respect the time and effort it takes. Just don’t rely on AI to write everything for you!
PR
While PR could technically come under the writing bracket, it really offers a whole range of roles within its own right. PR is all about respresenting brand identity and putting a company (or person)’s best foot forward. As a PR representative you’ll have to use your writing skills to correctly describe client’s projects to publications. But you’ll also tend to rely on your interpersonal skills; creating networks of people and maintaining relationships across companies. PR roles require people that can write, but also have a friendly and persuasive bone too. If you have experience in sales and writing, perhaps PR could be your next remote job venture.
SEO
SEO is literally the science of making websites rank first on google for specific queries. Once seen as the “snake oil salesmen” of the digital marketing world, SEOs are now a must rather than an option. The truth is: it’s hard to compete with any website if you don’t hire an SEO. As a result, this is a really solid source of income, especially for those starting out in digital marketing. SEO changes all the time, so being an old skool veteran doesn’t get you far unless you’re also staying up to date with the latest changes in the algorithm. It’s also easy to learn these types of skills online, meaning you don’t need a fancy degree to get started. In fact, it’s the way eNomad’s CEO Jem got started with her digital nomad journey.
Localization
Are you a polyglot? Or at least bilingual? Then perhaps a localization job is for you. Today, international companies rely on translating their brand image across many different countries and language groups across the world. But that’s a lot more challenging than it sounds. To get the right tone in each language and avoid any unfortunate translations, it’s imperative to use native speakers. For example, when you navigate a german version of a website, you’d hope it would contain the same information as the ducth version. Well that’s exactly what localization teams do; and it’s not just for websites either. Games, films, adverts, and even apps require talented linguists to help translate their content effectively. And most of the time, you can handle all of these taks completely remotely.
Sales
Sales jobs are possibly some of the most plentiful remote jobs on offer. Almost every remote company will have a sales department; although the job of a salesperson differs hugely from business to business. Luckily, it’s also a role that is open to many entry-level candidates. That means that not every sales job will require experience, or even a degree, to join their lower ranks. Once you’re in a remote sales job, the pay and benefits can also differ greatly. Some roles will offer salespeople a fixed salary, whereas others work purely on commission. These days, most companies build their rates using a mix of these methods; offering a base salary with bonuses for each sale.
HR and recruitment
HR and recruitment is a huge industry that was once housed purely in the office. These days though, HR and recruitment is often carried out using online methods. Think of how many times you’ve got through a job application process without meeting a single person. Well, behind the scenes there are countless remote HR workers making sure that process is respected: reading CVs and personal statements and checking references. And beyond recruitment, you also have HR roles with slightly different responsibilities too. For example, some HR roles focus more on relocation, helping new workers gain the necessary visas and permits to work in specific countries. You also have roles focusing on staff development, internal logistics and much much more. So, if people are your thing, maybe you want to consider a role in the HR and recruitment industry.
Customer Service
Customer service is one of the most popular remote jobs for entry level candidates. If you have any experience in customer-facing roles, a remote customer service job might be a good option for you.
Customer service jobs vary greatly and are available across multiple industries. For example, you could work as a chatbot agent for a SaaS company, or perhaps as a telephone agent for an energy company. With customer service, the more niche skills you have, the better you will be paid. Thus, it’s usually a good idea to bag a remote customer service job that allows you to show off your unique skills, such as your understanding of coding, languages or specific products and industries.
Development (Coding)
Some of the best paying remote jobs out there are in development. If you already know how to code, the remote working world is your oyster. Coding talent is in high demand and the salaries reflect that. Plus, there’s a huge range of coding jobs across multiple languages, skill levels and industries. If you’re yet to start your digital nomad journey, learning to code is a sure fire way to get hired.
Video editing
Video content is becoming more important in marketing your business. Youtube and TikTok are sources of income for the digital generation, and that means you can get in on the action by offering video editing services.
Design
Although quite a saturated industry, design is a great way to make money as a freelancer. Who doesn’t need some sort of design these days? Design is an integral part of most businesses, and it’s also possible to do it entirely remotely. Whether your specialty is digital illustration, product design, 3d design or something else entirely, this is a great option for aspiring digital nomads with a creative flair.
Photography and Videography
Are you a photography enthusiast? Do you own a cutting edge camera and have an eye for aesthetics? Perhaps photography or videography may be the remote job of your dreams. It’s not the easiest industry to get into, as its quite oversaturated. However, if you have the equipment to get started, and the passion and motivation to market yourself, becoming a remote photographer or videographer can become a great source of income.
How To Become a Digital Nomad
- Research remote jobs you want to do
- Identify the skills you need
- Train those skills and get the qualifications you need
- Create a top-notch CV and learn how to apply to remote jobs
- Apply for remote work or gain clients for your remote company
- Find a suitable destination to work from
- Apply for the necessary visas and get the needed documents
- Travel!
- Register For work and learn how to pay tax in your new home.
- Get involved with the local community: meet other nomads and locals and thrive!
Should I Become a Digital Nomad?
So, should you take the plunge into the world of digital nomadism?
If you’ve considered all of the benefits and challenges in this post, and uou think you have viable skill to monetize, then what are you waiting for?
Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of freedom, challenges, and unforgettable experiences. The nomadic lifestyle might not be for everyone, but for those who dare to dream beyond the conventional, it’s a journey worth taking. Suit up, aspiring nomad – your adventure awaits!