I’ve been working @OpenVPN remotely for 2 + years.

When I started I was homeschooling + a toddler mom, my kids were 2,4, & 6 at the time.

Over the years juggling the two has been difficult, but nonetheless I’m thankful.

So here is my remote work experience in a thread.

Positives:

The main obvious one is I get to do both (SAHM + Work). While my kids are little, I’m thankful I get to be there. And with COVID — it wasn’t such a shock to me to stay at home and work while my kids are there. I was used to it.

Making my own schedule is nice. If I want to run errands, I wake up early knock a few things out and I don’t feel guilty for missing a few “work hours”

Some people may view this next one as a negative, but for my personality, it’s a plus (or maybe a plus for OpenVPN? Lol).

I work a lot. A lot more than I would in an office. What is work-life balance?

Negatives:

I work at home with kids I love it but after a few years, it takes a toll. There’s guilt from being home but not really “being there”

I had just sent my older 2 to school Jan. 2020....impeccable timing on my part. They were in school a total of 8 weeks.

I miss people. People don’t talk about this side of remote work much. It can be lonely. The small talk may seem unproductive, but for mental health, it helps.

So now a little humor. This is my little guy who woke up from a nap early (I was in a meeting so couldn’t get him out right away again no one ever talks about this)

I could make an entire thread of “While mom was working...” just of my youngest. I’ve never been more thankful for a kid getting out of the toddler stage.

To end this: @OpenVPN takes care of their remote workers. We have secure access (plug) to the resources we need to make it possible.

Check out more stories from my team mates here: https://openvpn.net/remote-work-chronicles/

#remoteworkchronicles