Freedom From Versus Freedom To

Sam used to be stuck in a 9-5 office job as a software developer that was draining him both mentally and emotionally.

Although he loves the problem-solving and creativity that being a developer brings, he did not love what he was doing. He was chained to a one hour commute every day, felt like his job was just paying for daycare, and missed watching his kids grow up.

One day he decided he was done. He wanted to pursue his creative interests and find a way to make money doing it. He started his own business where he could dictate his work schedule and have more time for his family. Finally, freedom from the shackles of his office job.
But it wasn't quite that simple. 
Even though he enjoyed working from home, he was constantly worried about finding clients in order to maintain his financial stability. Although it was a different kind of stress, he had still not achieved his goal of turning his passion of software development into an enjoyable source of income for his family.
So where’d he go wrong? 
He was running from his job, not to the life he wanted. While building a business from the ground up might be exciting to some people, for Sam, it was trading one bad situation for another. When Sam was honest with himself about his own strengths and started focusing on what he really wanted, both personally and professionally, he realized that he wanted to achieve real freedom. The freedom to work from home and have a flexible schedule was most important to him. 
But was the combination of meaningful work and freedom possible? Or was he just wishing for the best of both worlds?
This is when Sam found Clevertech. 

Sam started working as a software developer with Clevertech on a fully remote team. He worked on projects that mattered and challenged him. While doing this, he was also able to cut his commute, obtain financial stability, and watch his kids grow up. Clevertech gave him the freedom to work in a way that feels deeply satisfying and fulfilling.
Are you running from an unsatisfying job? Or running to a meaningful life?
David Brooks is a moralist who believes that true freedom is the freedom to. Meaning, we have the “ability to do something that’s difficult and requires effort and expertise... Freedom in this sense does not mean the absence of restraint, but rather, choosing the right restraint. That involves commitment, which involves a choice to forego certain choices.”

At Clevertech, it is important to us that we bring on people who are looking for freedom, but who also acknowledge that good work requires hard work. We want employees who are looking for freedom to do what they love—whatever that might be. Maybe they want the freedom to build an exciting new career, or be there when their baby takes their first steps, or to move to a sunnier climate where they can surf and hike.
At Clevertech, we want people to have the freedom to do what they love, where they want, and expect them to commit to doing the hard work when things get tough. 
Commitment
We want employees who are willing to work hard at what they love so that they can have the freedom they’re looking for. For example, maybe they want the freedom to ‘become an expert in big data’. That freedom will require many hours of labor and learning, that might not look like freedom, but it is the ultimate freedom! They’ve done the work to achieve the goal that will change their life. It's called commitment.

Brooks says, “my favourite definition of commitment is falling in love with something and then building a structure of behaviour around it for the moment when love falters.” At Clevertech, we don’t expect people to be in love with their work all the time, but we do want people to have the freedom to do what they love, where they want, and expect them to commit to doing the hard work when things get tough. 

Choose freedom
1. We are looking for people who are choosing freedom to.
2. We want people who are willing to make a professional commitment to our company and our clients. It might mean fighting to keep up with the latest trends in the industry, sacrificing a bit of time when things are busy, or going that extra mile to make sure our clients have the best experience.
3. Ultimately, we want someone who is committed to doing what they love with excellence in a way that satisfies their soul.

If you’d like to find out more about our culture at Clevertech and current job openings, check out our YouTube channel and visit clevertech.careers.

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