I love coding and engineering, but I do sometimes regret going into software development instead of, say, medicine or dentistry. And it's not about the money per se--it's about the location. One of my friends growing up is about to start his medical residency and I occasionally think about how a doctor will be able to work really anywhere in the country and be guaranteed a very comfortable six figure salary (at the minimum). If I want a similar salary, however, I feel constrained to go to a few of the tech hubs--Silicon Valley, NYC--where I will be faced with extraordinary cost-of-living expenses. I think back to my dentist growing up who had a little private practice in my home town. He surely made what a Google engineer makes, at the minimum, but he lived in a town where $500k gets you a literal mansion and $1m homes don't even exist.<p>Certainly this is a first world problem in its purest form. But remote development to me represents one way for software developers to realize the dream of high-paying jobs anywhere, even in a rural town in Missouri.
First, an office less world is a dream right now. If you plan to be hyper-competitive, there's no substitution to 'water-cooler' talk. Technology is nowhere near being able to reproduce that.<p>Second, why would they put the picture of a communist leader who used to shoot defectors and kill artists? Why is he any sort of hero?
I've been working remotely (1500 km from the office) as a programmer since Sept. 2006. I believe there is huge potential for innovation here and that current collaboration tools are pretty primitive, although I have to say, Webex is a lifesaver. This Screenhero application looks like a great complement.<p>Companies can gain a lot by allowing people to work remotely - they vastly increase the talent pool and they save money by not having to supply office space. But like the article said, there's a cultural issue here. The whole thing reminds me of online dating ten years ago, when the perception was that it's for losers. Now seemingly everyone does it.<p>What's needed is basically validation for this lifestyle. Once that happens, the awesome tools will follow. Screenhero seems like a great first step for sure.
This is the inevitable future, but something else - and related - I've been thinking about is the rise of the freelance. These two processes go hand in hand on the path to a more efficient yet flexible employment.
As an exchange student that doesn't want to go home for his final year, remote degree would be nice too. Mobile work is a relatively trivial problem compared to a long-distance relationship.
Meh, screen sharing is only part of the solution. I want to see who is available, who they've been chatting with, and I want to instantly share screens when I want.<p>The only tool on the market that does this is Sococo; I don't understand why it never gets mentioned in these conversations..
<a href="https://www.sococo.com/home#screens-carousel" rel="nofollow">https://www.sococo.com/home#screens-carousel</a>
I can't help but think of the environmental repercussions of this, should it come to pass. I can imagine that the cost of heating millions of houses and apartments during the day far exceeds the cost of heating a lesser number of shared office buildings and other collective spaces.<p>An alternative would be if those millions of information workers worked out of coffee shops and the like during the day, but at that point, what is the benefit over working in an office?