Why I Love Being A Programmer in Louisville
The single biggest problem with working remotely is that you have to be excellent at a lot of things that don't matter when you're on site. And since your energy is a zero sum game, being excellent at these things steals energy from building.<p>You need to expend time and energy on:<p>- preparing precise specs instead of explaining and interacting<p>- interpretting imprecise specs instead of questioning and interacting<p>- writing precise emails<p>- interpretting imprecise emails<p>- guessing body language and tonality from written communication<p>- dealing with conference calls and web-based meetings<p>- building relationships without benefit of breaks and meals<p>- understanding the human terrain without benefit of gossip and the water cooler<p>- being noticed and recognized for who you really are by new people<p>- being included when you're "out of sight, out of mind"<p>You kinda get the idea. If you can be excellent at these things, great. Otherwise, be prepared to see your work suffer.