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The best work-from-home IT jobs and employers

Plus tips for keeping your remote career on track

April 24, 2017 | By Lisa Dare, TEKsystems Digital Content Strategist

male uses laptop on a couch next to a dog

Tired of the commute or living too far away from the best IT jobs? You might be surprised at how many top tech employers offer remote or flexible schedule options. We also give some tips for advancing your career when you're not in the office.

What does remote work mean?

Remote work often falls in a continuum—it may entail working from your home every day, coming into the office once a week or month, or long bouts of travel interspersed by work-from-home days.

Categories of remote work

  • Full remote/telecommuting
  • Partial remote—often involves visiting the office one day a week
  • Remote with limited travel—typically involves traveling regionally for project kickoffs and important meetings

The best work-from-home IT jobs

Software engineer

In large part due to the short supply and high demand for software engineers, many employers allow them to work 100 percent remote.

Cloud solution architect

Cloud solution architects frequently work in a consultative role, often as part of a project team that builds and implements cloud solutions for external clients. This usually involves regional travel for occasional meetings with a lot of telework between.

InfoSec analyst

With the urgent need for qualified InfoSec analyts far outstripping the available supply, employers are casting a wide net.

Data architect or scientist

The solitary nature of the role and limited supply of skills makes this a prime position for remote work.

Tech sales

Solutions executives and techies-turned-salespeople often have the ability to work from home between travel periods.

Web developer

Particularly if you don’t mind freelancing, there’s tons of opportunity to work from home as a web developer.

Other cool flexible and remote IT jobs spotted: Blockchain specialist and robotics software engineer.

Tech companies that support teleworking

A few top tech companies hire remote workers. These ones stand out for how well they support a culture of remote work:

  • GitHub: Offers full remote—and 65 percent of workers telework (as of 2015), although GitHub is reportedly calling its senior managers back to the office
  • Citrix: About 70 percent of employees work from home
  • Dell: Full or partial remote options fully supported
  • Mozilla: Mozilla has a fun office culture but employees can choose to work remotely
  • SAP: 19 percent of employees telework

Teleworking and career advancement

Many people worry teleworking will prevent them from building relationships and prevent them from advancing their careers. It’s a valid fear, but whether it’s inevitable depends on a few factors.

Factors that affect career advancement for remote workers, and how to manage them.

  1. How many other people are working remotely?

    If you’re the only one, you have a lot more to worry about than if you work in a fully distributed team. Consider this step carefully.

  2. How much does your company support teleworking employees?

    Do they invest in collaboration technology and provide thoughtful communication that takes remote workers into account?

  3. Are you willing to pick up the phone and be an active participator on conference calls?

    You’re going to miss a lot of coffee room conversations and happy hours, so will have to be more intentional about building relationships and getting your ideas heard.

  4. Are you an effective written communicator?

    In conversation, it’s easy to see where your communication falls short and rectify it. If someone doesn’t understand, they’ll ask a question or you’ll observe it in their body language. Your writing will have to be very clear and you should get in the habit of anticipating possible questions as you write.

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