What are you working on?

Question: What are you working on? Read answers from remote workers to learn.

Interview with Jacob, a site reliability engineer

I'm currently employed at Envato as a Senior Site Reliability Engineer tackling some of our wider-reaching security, performance and reliability issues.

The Ruby on Rails monolith that powers Envato Market is one of the oldest and largest Rails applications and as such, requires a special type of caring and feeding due to the scale it operates on.

Envato is one of those places where we are consistently taking on interesting problems that the majority of internet users wouldn't know were problematic over a certain amount of traffic or scale and we need to make it Just Work™.

Along with this, I'm an avid lover and contributor to all things open source due to how reliant we are on some of the projects internally.

Jacob is a Site Reliability Engineer who believes in asynchronous communication and bullet journaling - learn how he maximizes his daily "deep work" time.

Read full interview from Interview with Jacob, a site reliability engineer.


Interview with Mark, a programmer building bespoke business applications

I am a full-time software developer for Symphono, a consultancy based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We build all types of bespoke business applications, ranging from real estate to banking to the energy sector.

My career started heavily in web development. From there, I probably followed a similar trajectory as many others. I became very engrossed in things like UX design and front-end development, honing these skills over the first 5 years of a freelance career.

Nowadays, I simply like solving problems and using programming to do it.

Usually, my projects are long-running - I might be working with the same team and client for upwards of two or three years.

I've learned it's important to establish a rapport as soon as possible. This carries extra weight when your team is distributed geographically (and thus temporally) and it's possible some team members may not be used to having remote co-workers.

Right now, I work on a team that has members in Chicago, Michigan, and Switzerland! Needless to say, our communication tools are invaluable; an hour without Slack could mean a day of lost productivity.

For Mark, avoiding distractions and sticking to regular hours are perhaps the hardest parts of being a freelancer - learn his secrets to achieving a good workflow.

Read full interview from Interview with Mark, a programmer building bespoke business applications.


Interview with John, a full-stack web developer who works remotely

Currently I am working with the folks over at OpenSea, the first marketplace for cryptogoods as a front-end developer! I still think it's crazy I'm working with, what to me are, the big boys of the industry. I mean they're backed by YCombinator among others!

I am one of the main front-end developers so I am tasked with implementing new designs and features for the site and integrating the front end with the back end across the site. I've also pitched strategies for customer conversion and retention that have been implemented by the team and have, so far, shown promising returns!

John works remotely while using the latest web development technologies, learn how he works by reading his interview.

Read full interview from Interview with John, a full-stack web developer who works remotely.


Interview with Mike, a software engineer who works remotely at GitHub

I'm currently working at GitHub as a senior engineer. I also dabble a lot with open source software; most notably I'm the lead maintainer of the Homebrew macOS package manager.

Mike got started with remote work after getting an offer from his dream organisation. Learn how he works remotely while working on open source projects and publishing books.

Read full interview from Interview with Mike, a software engineer who works remotely at GitHub.


Interview with Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager reveals must-see freelance tips

Currently, I am working on:

  • New WordPress websites

  • Designs (setups-new websites) for new clients

  • Creating Monthly digital content for other clients whom I work on a project basis. (Where I create a mix of Video, SlideShares and Blog Posts and Local Marketing).

  • Proposals for ongoing Leads - reviewing their online footprint and offering a digital marketing plan for them going forward.

Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager shares the freelance lessons she has learned over the years—see her tips & exceptional entrepreneurial wisdom.

Read full interview from Interview with Rosemary, a digital content marketing manager reveals must-see freelance tips.


Interview with Adam, a UX engineer building his own consulting company

I'm currently helping a mid-sized client build out a React project from its very early stages. Since I specialize in UX engineering, this is a great match between client and consultant.

Learn how Adam started working remotely from a cold-email on Hacker News, to how he's using a local co-working space to grow his business.

Read full interview from Interview with Adam, a UX engineer building his own consulting company.


Interview with Nikita, an entrepreneur building a website to learn anything

My current main project is Learn Anything. It's a very ambitious project with many ideas that I hope to implement.

In short the goal is to make a kind of Netflix for learning where you can learn anything in the most optimal way considering the things you know already and what you want to know and achieve.

I also am very passionate about good tools and macOS so I build a lot of personal projects that boost my productivity in some way. Usually that happens in form of Alfred workflows that I then also publish on GitHub.

Nikita is an entrepreneur working on his startup while optimizing his productivity—learn how he organizes his life and work to maximize happiness

Read full interview from Interview with Nikita, an entrepreneur building a website to learn anything.


Interview with Scott about working remotely for 20 years

I am currently working on web design and front-end development for Intercontinental Exchange. They’re in New York City, about 5 hours from my home in upstate New York.

I’m on a hybrid team: some onsite in NYC and some remote. Some consultants are in South America and Asia, too.

I also have projects of my own, though they’re more creative in nature, involving art and music. I have recently discovered a passion for writing, too, and have a book that’ll come out about working remotely.

Finally, I moderate a weekly chat (#remotechat) about working remotely. If you want to follow along, it’s at @workingrem on Twitter.

Scott is a designer and developer that's been working remotely since 1998, read his interview to learn how he's been successful

Read full interview from Interview with Scott about working remotely for 20 years.


Interview with Sarah about working remotely from an RV

Right now, I work remotely full-time for GitLab, a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, as a digital marketing programs manager. I also do some freelance digital marketing on the side.

Sarah is a digital marketing manager who travels the United States with her partner and two dogs while working remotely in her RV.

Read full interview from Interview with Sarah about working remotely from an RV.


Interview with Alexandra, a freelance fashion designer building her own brand

I’m a fashion/graphic designer and I work on a lot of different projects starting from design to prints, technical files, market trends, and even branding.

At the moment, I’m working on 10 different projects, mostly focused on hi-tech, wearable technology and sustainability.

I also have to deal with the manufacturers, once the designs are done and develop cordial relations with them.

Alexandra is a freelance fashion designer who works remotely while traveling and building her own brand.

Read full interview from Interview with Alexandra, a freelance fashion designer building her own brand.

Keep your remote working skills sharp—get notified when we post the next remote work interview! RemoteHabits will help you achieve your remote work goals!