Ask HN: How far can you take a telecommute career?

by cmorgan8506 on 3/13/2013, 3:32 PM with 9 comments

I've been doing telecommute and/or freelance for about 4 years now. When I think of the future, I feel like a career via telecommute has a ceiling. Do you think a career based on telecommuting can continue to grow like a typical in house career?

  • by orangethirty on 3/13/2013, 5:24 PM

    Great question. I don't think social norm would allow it to grow in the same manner as a non-remote position. Given how a lot of promotions are based on office politics.

  • by 10dpd on 3/13/2013, 6:27 PM

    We by nature are social and while teleconferencing has improved exponentially over the last couple of years, you cannot beat in-person communication. If you eventually want to lead a team, you must be there in person. If you want to socialise with your teammates, you must be there in person.

  • by fexl on 3/14/2013, 11:11 PM

    Yes, I've been doing it since 1998, and that includes three major separate gigs including (1) a corporate job, (2) free-lance, and (3) a founder of our own firm. So that's 15 years and counting! Best wishes to you.