More and more people want to work remotely because of the convenience, eliminating commute and also being able to work in a much more comforting environment.
I have been working fully remote for a few years now and here is my quick guide on how you can be a remote programmer too!
Be remote ready!
When you are being interviewed, Recruiters might ask you if you have ever worked remote before. If you have not worked remote before but have studied remotely in the past, do mention it. It’s important to show that you are able to study on your own as most remote jobs do require a lot of learning.
You would also need to show that you have some quite private space in your home for working and have the right setup for it. Most companies would be willing to provide you with a laptop and other accessories but sometimes companies expect you to have a laptop and other accessories already.
Here’s what your remote setup should include
- Laptop or Desktop
- Mic and Headphones
- Office Table and Chair
- Webcam
Ramp up your programming skills
Whether you are experienced or just a beginner in programming, you will need to spend some time studying! Challenge yourself to learn a new programming language. I have listed a few programming languages that are currently in demand right now –
- Python – recommended for beginners
- Java
- Scala
- Ruby on Rails
- React/AngularJS – recommended for frontend programmers
- SQL – recommended for people who want to work with data
Learning programming will not only help you with interviews but will also make you more marketable! Companies these days are looking for folks who can work with a variety of programming languages and not just one!
Here are some well known websites for studying programming –
- Coursera – cheap courses (subscription based) – degrees can be pricier
- Edx – cheap courses (except bachelors/masters degrees)
- Udemy – Free/cheap courses
- Udacity – somewhat expensive but quality courses
- YouTube – Yes they have programming courses!
Familiarity with tools like Slack/Zoom, can be beneficial as well.
Familiarize yourself with cloud technologies
While programming is important, these days a lot of companies will ask you if you have worked with cloud technologies. The three most popular cloud companies are –
While companies usually don’t require you to have certifications, it is good to have a basic understanding of how storage and compute works on the cloud.
Specialize in something
Once you have learned a programming language, take on some interesting personal projects. If you can’t think of any projects, there are actually courses out there can help you specialize in front-end or back-end technologies.
Here are the most popular tracks that you can work in
- Web Development
- Data Science
- Mobile Development
- Game Development
- Database Design and Development
- Software Testing
Put yourself on GitHub!
For any personal/open source project that you work on, put your code on Github! If you are not familiar with Github, it is a portal which developers usually use to share code as well as revision control.
You can then share the repository link when you submit your resume or during interviews which will allow the interviewer to assess your coding abilities.
Practice coding problems
Most of the companies are not going to give you a job straight after a single interview! They are going to ask you to do a coding test usually around problem solving.
I recommend you to practice problems on the following websites –
Optimize your resume!
Make sure that your resume is up-to-date and lists whatever programming experience you have! I usually recommend people to fit everything within a single page of resume! It’s going to list whatever courses you have done even if they were not at a workplace! There is a huge shortage of skilled programmers and companies will be willing to consider you even if your experience is limited!
For Canadian Jobs, here are some tips for optimizing resume.
Apply for jobs
If you are not even getting rejected for jobs, that means you are not applying enough! If you are early in your career, it can take a few hundred applications before you might even get a request for interview!
Start applying remote jobs on Indeed and Linkedin.
I also recommend you to apply for listings on Greenhouse and Lever if you are targeting small/medium sized companies. To be able to search for job listings you can searching the following on google –
- site:greenhouse.io remote software engineer
- site:lever.co remote software engineer
Companies hiring remote workers
Here are a select number of companies that are hiring remote workers –
- Companies hiring remote workers in USA
- Tech companies hiring remote in Canada
- Latin American remote companies
- Global remote companies
- Companies hiring remote workers in Colombia
- Companies hiring remote workers in Indonesia
- Remote companies in Nigeria
Learn from your mistakes
If you get rejected for a job following an interview, try to determine what went wrong and how you can improve on it. One of the ways I actually improved was by writing down questions that were asked by interviewers and writing down the answers and improve upon them for the following interviews.
Good luck with your remote programming job search!
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.