I injured my leg but I can still work... from home
Hey,
I'm Sergio Pereira, and this is the Remote Work newsletter 👋
Last week I told you why most startups work remote. This claim was made on the back of the study I published the previous week, which highlights a strong cohort effect in the adoption of Remote Work. The younger the company, the more common it is to work remote.
Today it's a very personal edition of this Newsletter. I'm telling you about my recent injury and the epiphany I had because of it.
I teared my calf muscle while running on the beach last month, and it doesn't look good. I escaped surgery, but now I have a long recovery ahead of me until I can walk again. At least 4 months, the doctor says. It means I won't be able to walk without crutches again in 2023.
I'm not able to play with my kids or to do much of the sports training I enjoy doing. It sucks!
But I realise I'm incredibly lucky. Take a look at these couple questions I've been asked since the injury:
1/ "Do you need to take a leave from work?"
The doctor asked, very rightfully. Quite naturally I replied "No. I work from home. This injury makes no difference to my ability to work."
In fact, this hadn't crossed my mind until then. But if I had a physical work I'd need to be a few months on leave, or possibly even risk being terminated. By working remote I escaped a huge impact on my professional life and even income.
2/ "How will you go to work now?"
A friend asked. I told him "I work from home, my work is done from here, my house". He was a bit puzzled and asked "Ok, but on the days you need to go to the office, how do you go?". I said I don't have an office to commute to, my clients are all remote startups based on another country, mostly in the US.
His question is very valid, though. If I needed to walk or stand during my work or commute I'd be very limited to do it. If I was still doing in-person work with such international clients, I'd now be in a position to travel on crutches, which would be very unpleasant to say the least.
The epiphany
I've always seen Remote Work as a way to increase my income, above everything else. And I've also appreciated the convenience of not commuting everyday.
However, I realise now that my view was a very privileged one. For people with physical disabilities or any kind of mobility challenges, remote work is the ONLY way for them to be equally able to work as everyone else. Remote work does enable the disabled. It does enable me now, on my current condition, to continue doing my work exactly the same way as I did before the injury.
The biggest proof of this. Since the injury, two weeks ago, I've closed and kicked off a new client as a Fractional CTO. The client doesn't know or care about my leg injury, it didn't affect my rate or my commitment in any way. Such an incredible privilege!
In case you're actively looking for a remote job, I'm launching soon my first ever cohort based course and private community, where I'm breaking down my knowledge into modules, and will help a batch of remote job seekers find a remote job. The launch will be private, join the waitlist and stay tuned. In the meantime, check this list of 1000+ remote companies hiring right now, and apply to the ones that fit your skills.
Thanks for reading this newsletter until the end. You can read all past editions here. Make sure to share the link with your friends and colleagues so they can read it too.
See you next Tuesday,
Sergio Pereira,
Startup CTO & Remote Work Lover
