Remote Work after Covid-19

What a crazy timeline 2020 has had. As a remote software developer/marketing guy before COVID-19, I feel as if I've watced the world fall into turmoil from my window. I'm so thankful for my current situation and deeply saddened by all the hardships people are going through. From losing loved ones, employment, and peace of mind to struggles I wouldn't understand. Of course, I'll never know your specific struggles, but here are my thoughts to why now may be the best time ever to begin learning to code and make the jump into working with tech.

In times where "security" can mean so many different things, I think learning to code can provide great opportunities and a definition of security. It's very hard to shut down operations that are heavily code relient. The internet never sleeps and has a global reach. Coding opens this doorway to a world that's always awake and the biggest available market. More activities will move online, along with more people as the world becomes more connected. It's my belief that before long, everyone will be required to have some technical knowledge. With the rise in automation, no jobs are safe except those supporting it.

While I am by no means an expert in any programming language, software, framework, etc. I believe I have a proficient understanding in many different technologies. From this, I feel comfortable in pivoting to where I need to be. I'm confident that if I were to be laid off from my employment today, I could find a new position relatively quickly or earn enough money online through my own businesses to sustain myself. I think understanding the principles of programming is enough to achieve this, as long as you continue to want to learn.

Having the ability to work remotely opened many doors as well. I have been lucky to have the opportunity to explore the world, live where I wanted, and figure out where I wanted to spend my life at a young age. This opportunity has undoubtedly been life changing for me.

Finally, by knowing some code, I have received the opportunity to work with some really cool people, (who know much more code than me), that have taught me some of their secrets and made me better.

The hardest part is getting your foot in the door, and once you have that, the sky is the limit.

The world is a crazy place. Overnight, the stock market can crash. You can lose a large percentage of your net worth, your job, your health, or something much worse. COVID-19 taught me the importance of diversification. I'll now always strive for multiple income streams, multiple platforms to trade stocks (Thanks Robinhood crashes!), multiple options to persue should I lose my job, and multiple "plans" for the future. There is undoubtedly a place for those who specialize, but for me, diversity in skill sets as well.