How many of these are true for you?

• I work in tech, but I want to work on more exciting projects than my city can offer.

Not all of us can live in Silicon Valley. Maybe you don't even live in the US! Luckily with #RemoteNative work, there are still plenty of challenging projects available all over the world. You deserve to be challenged by your work. Is it time to super charge your career?

• I want to grow and be around smarter people.

The purpose of life isn't to work. There's so much more. Learning and growing is when we truly feel alive! Just like there are only so many days to sit on a beach, there are only so many days where you can feel like the smartest person in the room. It gets old. Maybe it's time for a change.

• I want a variety of projects to work on.

Developing a product can sometimes feel like digging a large hole with no end in sight. For some, that's exactly what they need. For others, consulting provides a change of pace. The right balance of project variety, client interaction and new technologies allow them to stay engaged and deliver better results. We all know the feeling of working with somebody else's terrible code. Some of us have even risen to the position of tech lead and have the opposite problem: they miss the variety of code they worked on before. The question is: would you rather dig or sell shovels?

• I'm tired of sitting in pointless meetings.

Are you getting interrupted at work? How much time do you spend in deep flow? A little more freedom to focus on important projects could be the key to unlocking your full potential.

• I want to be closer to the people I love the most.

The pandemic has made all of us evaluate our true priorities. If you have an overseas partner or a sick family member in another country, working from home can be draining. A feeling of security has never been more important. What's top of your mind? Is your current company doing enough to support your priorities?

We're standing at a new crossroads. We need to make a decision.

This is a critical time in history. As we enter a new era in work and life, people are starting to be pulled in different professional directions. Some are quickly returning to the office or returning their children to the classroom; others, will continue with 100% remote work. This new landscape is a completely different than anything we've experienced. Before we make a decision, let's take a step back. Could there be a way to engage with these new challenges while still finding win-win solutions for everyone involved?

First, let's look at some data…

Many would rather quit than return to the office. This article from Bloomberg business takes a deep dive into why that is. On top of that, the data shows that companies, as well as their employees, are embracing new hybrid & remote workplaces. Chris Herd spoke to over 1000 companies about this idea and came up with some eye opening statistics. He summarized his findings in this twitter thread.

Regain what we lost? Sure, but let's keep what we found!

What is "normal?"

Let's take a second to remember what "normal" actually looked like. Was it ideal? Long inefficient commutes, meaningless meetings, and micromanagement were the norm, but over the past year we've found time to integrate our work and family lives and even found more time for hobbies and passions. Is that something we want to give up? Just to return to "normal"? Here's our blog post on the power of "freedom of" vs. "freedom to".

They didn't before, but kids, health, hobbies have all played a big part in the new workplace.

Be honest, how often did you take your kids to work with you before the pandemic? In the past year, our children have been a bigger part of our work-life balance than ever, and our interests and hobbies have never been more important to remaining happy and healthy in our day-to-day lives. Surely a return to work doesn't mean that we have to leave these things behind? Read our blog post on the importance of family in #RemoteNative work.

Home is comfortable!

Who wants to wear a suit every day? The freedom of remote work has allowed us to to be more comfortable than ever. Do we really want to give that up? Check out this blog post on the new remote uniform.

We are remaining remote. Why do I get the feeling my company doesn't trust me?

Tracking software, time sheets, meaningless meetings and stand-ups have become common in the new workplace. What's more, for some companies, a return to the office is really a return to control of their employee's lives. If you found a good balance while working remotely, or even if you're relieved to go back, are you sure you're getting the most out of yourself? Or is your work squeezing the most out of you?

Don't get treated like a "code monkey"

Plenty of companies don't understand how to treat coders and developers as human. Is your company treating employees like a community? Or just a calculator?

Another big issue is how often Developer work disappears. Would you rather your code just vanishes? Or would you rather create projects that are in production quickly and used by many millions? There are plenty of options in this new world. Are you trusted to make your own decisions?

"At a bigger company I would not have any contact with the client. At CT I meet directly with the CTO daily. I would never get that kind of access at a large company. At previous jobs, I would simply receive the requested features, and have to finish them without talking to anyone! I feel involved in the process here." - Bernardo Berra, Fullstack Developer at Clevertech

What if we just went hybrid?

A hybrid workplace with two or three days in the office per week sounds like a great idea! Still, it won't work if you weren't ready to be remote in the first place. Long commutes, micromanagement and increased inefficiency are all parts of office culture, and if those issues haven't been addressed while you were remote, what will hybrid do to help other than make things more complicated? Let's change the game.

"I have problems managing my time from home." We get it.

Some developers have hated working from home. Maybe you had Zoom fatigue or found it hard to focus and manage your time. It seems strange, but it's not entirely your fault. The remote workplace is a brand new space for so many! Just like any new idea, it will take some time to get used to. Ever wonder what might be possible if you had just a little guidance in the beginning? Maybe all you really need is a few proven strategies to improve your productivity and time management.

Training programs should be the standard everywhere.

Are companies really paying attention to the real life challenges of working from home? Many employees felt unprepared for remote work, and their early fears were just further confirmed as time went on. Employers tracked time, and integrated time management software, but almost nobody took the time to prep employees for the new personal challenges. It's not your fault if you were unprepared. Your company should be investing in trainings that solve problems for you, not expensive software that creates them. Here are some habits of the highly productive remote developer

"The Personal Productivity Systems course was a real mind-shifter. My days really got some extra hours by adopting simple habits of scheduling tasks and taking notes. Things I need to get done are no longer floating in my head, and I have confidence that they will get finished, or evolve into something that makes more sense." - Thiago Brezinski, Javascript Engineer

Life is about more than just work. It's about finding the right balance.

A well balanced life leads to healthier relationships, a better mood, and a more productive work week. Finding that balance in today's changing workplace is incredibly difficult. We have some suggestions…

Let's throw micromanagement in the garbage.

It seems obvious, but we actually believe this makes employees more productive. Try this: no meaningless meetings, no time sheets, more time and trust. That means more time for deep flow, more time to learn, and more time to work on delivering results! It sounds crazy, but getting off your employee's backs actually makes things better, not worse. Here's how our remote differs from their remote.

"Clevertech trusted my ability & experience. It’s funny, when you are given trust, somehow, without noticing, you end up being more productive and determined to deliver valuable results." - Abner Silva, Sr. Fullstack Developer at Clevertech

"At Clevertech, I'm able to focus on my tasks while trusting others on my team are doing the same. This trust is important as I'm able to operate effectively with minimal distractions. Nobody is micromanaging me and yet it's easy to collaborate with my team to identify new ways to solve complex problems." - Chris Buryta, Sr. Javascript Developer

Let's find room to improve.

Nobody wants to feel like they're the smartest person in the room forever. That's like playing the game on easy mode! We want to be challenged in our day-to-day work. Growth is the only way forward. Everybody wants bigger and better, but is there room for that in your current position or have you reached a ceiling? It's time to #CodeYourOwnLife!

Let's invest in people to improve their skills and lives

Investing in employee's lives means investing in all aspects of life. Whether it's improving your home office, time off with your family, or simply sharpening your technical skills, Clevertech wants to help. We invite you take on tech challenges that play to your strengths, and others, that take you fully out of your comfort zone. We invest in our employee's through our Personal Development Fund, which allows them to improve their home, office and their work life. Beyond that, we train our employees to become leaders in the space, taking time to develop new languages and strategies that allow them to be more successful in any work environment. Take it from our team:

"The leadership course was a life changing experience. After I understood the basic structure of a conversation for action, even my relationship with my wife improved. One of the pain points in our relationship was exactly that we had an incomplete conversation structure. It's amazing how much negotiation and agreement we can apply to a relationship." - Anonymous CT Engineer

Life is too short. Let's enjoy the location we're in, or find the location we want to be in.

Relocation and even simple commuting can be stressful. That's easy to say, but what if you're not exactly where you want to be? Working from home can be incredibly challenging if your heart and mind are elsewhere. Maybe you have a sick family member overseas, or a long distance relationship that you would rather be "short distance." Still, you can't just up and move right? You'd need security to know that you could easily navigate immigration, find a new place, ensure your income is enough to live on, and even in some cases learn an entirely new language. With Clevertech, whether it's a simple ESL class or a full blown relocation, we want to help. Let us work to make it happen!

Let's hold on tight to the things that matter.

People found a brand new work-life balance working from home. There were so many new possibilities to consider! Employees found space for family, exercise, and even time to learn new hobbies and technical skills. We learned so much about what we value during this lockdown so why stop now? Let's find a balance that works for you.

Time for hobbies, time for tech, time for family

When your life is balanced by the things you love most, you become more productive and engaged in the workplace. It can be easy to forget that a good work-life balance comes in two parts. Without both, it can be really hard to find happiness. Clevertech gives you the space to learn, spend time with family, and improve your life.

Introduce empathy

For certain companies, it can be easy to forget that Developers are human beings, and not just robots that churns out code. Clevertech's supportive teams and generous benefits make sure you are treated with respect and decency. We build meaningful connections.

"Last year I had an unexpected family event (I lost my grandmother) and I needed to take off for a week and a half with a very last notice. Everyone went out of their way to accommodate my request and it really helped me to ease the hardship I was experiencing. It really shows how caring Clevertech people are and I feel like I really owe this to my team and everyone who was involved." - Tibor Lovas, Product Designer

Space to innovate with consulting

Mastery is a key component of our philosophy here at Clevertech. When you start, we automatically trust the expertise you have. From there, we want to encourage you to learn and take on new challenges. What does that look like? It means projects that play to your strengths, alongside projects that push you to learn and grow.

Working in consulting means variety and that, as they say, is the spice of life. That means that you don't have to feel weighed down by the same bugs and issues every day like you would when developing a single project. Working remotely with Clevertech allows you to showcase your strengths and skill-up your weaknesses. Every day is a new opportunity to get better. Code the life you want here at CT.

Join Clevertech!

1. Experience #RemoteDoneRight!

Investing in our employees, solving problems, listening, and delivering results are just a few ways we separate ourselves from the pack. We've been remote for 20+ years. We are built for this. Over time we've developed trusted strategies that allow us to create a real work community while remaining lean and efficient. Allow us to introduce #RemoteDoneRight!

2. More hours doesn't mean more productivity

It can be hard to find time to get into a deep flow when we're constantly getting distracted. At CT, we understand that a brief amount of time in deep flow is more valuable than an extended amount of distracted time. All of that comes back to freedom and trust. We believe more freedom actually ensures better results.

3. Major companies trust us to deliver

We work on the toughest projects for the largest companies in the world. They trust us to deliver results. On Twitter we take a deep dive into two projects, one that was a great success, and another that took a lot of hard work.

4. Work with amazing people from around the globe!

We hire people from all over the map and from every walk of life. We care about expertise and experience. That means we focus on the work. Whether you're self taught or traditionally educated, we allow you the opportunity to showcase what you can do. That's why Clevertech has one of the most diverse workforces anywhere on the planet.

5. SkillUp along your Career Path!

It's time to super charge your career! We understand that Clevertech may be just one step on your tech career journey, but we want to make it a valuable one. By the time you leave CT, we hope you've learned new skills and mastered new technologies that will allow you to be successful no matter what that next step is. Our Clevertechnicians have gone on to work for some of the biggest companies on the planet. We'll miss you forever, but we'll be cheering you on wherever your path takes you.