Why Small-Town Living Pushed Me Toward Remote Work
You’d think living in the countryside would make you want to escape to the city for work. For me, it was the opposite. Being based in a rural area — a good 30+ minutes from anything you’d call a proper town — is what kicked off my search for a remote gig in the first place. That, plus the need for something that actually fit around family life rather than the other way around.
The Never-Ending Job Hunt
Fresh out of college, I started looking for work like everyone else. That was over 15 years ago, and honestly? The search never really stops. Most professionals keep one eye open for the next thing — something better, something that pays more, something that doesn’t drain the life out of you. I wasn’t unemployed all that time. I had good jobs, solid ones even. But I was always looking. And the more I looked, the clearer it became: the opportunities near me were slim. Drive 30 minutes? Decent options. Drive an hour? Slightly better. It stung realizing my community just didn’t have the range of professional roles I wanted.
Staying Put in a Farm Town
Most of my classmates left for college and never came back. I went a different route — married into a farming family. That meant I was staying put. No moving to a bigger city for better prospects. Twenty years ago, I already knew I wanted to work from home someday. Back then it was rare, and the way I imagined it looked nothing like what remote work actually is today. My first few jobs out of college gave me decent experience, but none of them clicked perfectly. The more experience I stacked, the more I realized I didn’t have to limit myself to whatever was within driving distance.
The Commute Problem Nobody Talks About
Every single one of those early jobs had one thing in common: a brutal commute. At my worst, I was spending nearly two hours a day in the car. That happened to be right after I had my first child. Two hours a day away from a newborn, burning gas, just to sit in an office I didn’t need to be in. I liked the job well enough, but I knew there had to be something more flexible. Remote work is the obvious cure for that. No commute means more time at home — with kids, with hobbies, with sleep. And if you’re already in a remote area, those commutes hit even harder.
When You Finally Find a Good One
A few years later, another kid, another job. This one was only 15 minutes away. Flexible, family-friendly, with actual perks. It was near my kids’ school, and they let me duck out early for pickups most days. For a traditional office role, it was about as good as it gets. So why didn’t I stay? Because even a great local job still anchors you to a location, a schedule, and a ceiling. Remote work doesn’t just erase the commute — it erases the limits. And once you’ve tasted that freedom, it’s hard to go back.
