remote jobs ideas from a boat

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by gonesail

with all the tech layoffs coming .. jobs will be even harder to find. and it looks like it is becoming fashionable to require workers to show up in person .. again.

Nah, there is an extreme shortage of qualified people in tech (and just about every other knowledge-based industry as the Boomers retire) and a general shortage of willing workers at any level of experience. This is in Australia and New Zealand.

Leaders like Musk and Zuckerberg may think that remote work is no good, but they will quickly find that their name plate company is not going to be attractive to new workers. Job location flexibility is the new normal.

That said, for deeply creative jobs where groups of people work on projects, co-location is critical for awesome results. So, it depends.

Pick your work area carefully. As an example, project management is something that can easily and effectively be done remotely.

[fxykty]

And to reiterate, working full time at remote work and actively cruising is not easy. If all you want to do is live aboard in a marina or on a mooring in some fixed location, sure, that’s just a different address and just requires an employer or client that allows remote working. But if you want to sail from place to place in one country or to also passage between countries, that’s something altogether different.

Assuming that your working is tied to general business hours, you will be restricted to the weekend for longer sailing trips, which means weather becomes a major factor whether you can go somewhere new or not. If you go sailing during your work week then you will have problems attending meetings and collaborating with other people. Your attention will be split between work issues and your life afloat, which means neither will get your full attention. While others are having sundowners on the beach, you are working. While others are snorkeling or diving, you are working. If you take a break and go ashore for sevusevu, while others go visiting and exploring afterwards, you are going back to your boat and your work.

Internet connectivity determines where you can go, unless you are a YT creative. Starlink will probably make connectivity less of an issue, but when relying on cellular coverage there are going to be gaps when you can’t be connected. Is your employer or client OK with that?

I worked in the past and work now as an IT contractor in software development. My wife and I started full time cruising last May and I had a contract (and a willing client) that was OK with me working remotely until my contract (and my project ) finished last December. And they were OK with me taking 3 weeks off in the middle of it to make an ocean passage and then quarantine at the other end. We cruised over 5000 miles in that period and I wasn’t fully present for any of it, which I now regret. The 5 month period without work was a markedly more pleasant time.

YMMV

[Chotu]

Listen closely to fxykty that’s the voice of experience. That’s exactly how it goes.

[AKA-None]

And sometimes the work has to remain in the country of origin
So you can’t leave the country and still work on the project

[goboatingnow]

You also need to be aware of any income tax issues depending on where you are.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by gonesail

stay with the rat race until you save up enough money to buy a boat and then some. none of the marinas I have experienced have reliable WIFI.

Being debt free...YES!!!!
Being independently wealthy and not needing a job...naw

Wifi does tend to be marginal but cell plans work unless you are in a data hungry job. We've been doing it since 2007.

The other thing to consider is starlink. $130/m for the RV plan (works on boats). Blows away most cell data rates and they only cap the speeds after 1 TB (it still works just a bit slower).

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by psk125

Writer -- if you can find someone to pay you for articles.
Author-- if you can find a publisher who wants to print your book
Mechanic -- if you know marine engines and work legally in whatever country you're in. (Other countries may have legal requirements for offering services for sale.)

Everyone is a writer/author...actually getting paid for it is about as easy as becoming a movie star.

Mechanic can work though you have to watch where you work. Not only do you need to be legal to work in the country, a lot of marinas will prohibit outside contractors or make you jump thru a lot of hoops.

Really, unless you have a job that already translates to remote work, it's tough transition as you are trying to sell yourself with zero contacts, history or skill set.

[Franziska]

If you can gain a good reliable set of specialist knowledge on any of the following, and can carry appropriate tools (and even spares to some extent) , you be in demand by fellow cruisers:

Desalinators
Outboards
Engines
Electronics
Electrics (Solar and LiFePo4 especially)
Aircon
Welding (Aluminum and stainless)
Diving

Mind you this will usually be paid in cash or by filling your onboard stores.
If you need full insurance and so on, its a different ballgame.
Don't play it to open, the locals need not know...

[Rumrace]

OP I think it’s a form of boating OCD. It’s a new used boat owner infatuated with their new procession. If You have a successful career and you can work from the boat which can often ruin boating. I had a special dumb architect keep me on the phone locking even though I told the idiot I was maneuvering a twin screw boat in a concrete bathtub. It was urgent.
There are folks who have worked lucky and hard who can work of their boat in seclusion. To weekend warriors like myself it ruins boating.
Folks who catch this boating fixation are just about all of us at one point. How far the new toy changes your reality worth a long term plan.
Eventually you won’t walk properly on land, the boat and you will smell like an old mattress but we will remain too polite to mention it. Some just hang around marinas in free boats projecting themselves as boat experts.
I read in another forum an admin give advise on financial hardship for liveaboards and his in depth financial advise. He also threatened to ban anyone with similar advise contributing to the thread, so maybe social media is a bad place for advise. I guess some bit coin delirium, but living the fantasy doesn’t avoid much but taxes.

[goboatingnow]

In most countries other then “ pin money “ income, you’ll be forced to register for business and income taxes. This can be cumbersome and really you also need insurance.

It’s no a decision to be stumbled into.

[Petunia]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Exactly. That work from home crowd never understood this. I was saying this since the day they started working from home.

If you don’t have a personal connection with your employer, There is no reason they will keep you over somebody that will do your work for half the price.

I work remote full time in the US as a US citizen for a large, multinational tech company. Folks in other places might be cheaper and that is appealing but there are also drawbacks, such as working in completely opposite timezones that make the realities a lot less appealing for our clients. Another factor is that while cheating on certification exams is rampant everywhere there are certain places where it is so commonplace that level of skill is completely unreliable. Couple that with major communication and collaboration barriers due to timezones and the work you get can leave a lot to be desired. Collaboration is essential and tech giants know that. Clients are going to want someone as a point person that they can directly communicate with to solve issues, not have a 12+ hr lead time between an issue being identified and someone getting back to them on it. Cost is a big factor but it's not the only factor. If that were true then large tech companies simply wouldn't employ anyone at all in the US, Europe, etc.

[IT_Mike]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Exactly. That work from home crowd never understood this. I was saying this since the day they started working from home.

If you don’t have a personal connection with your employer, There is no reason they will keep you over somebody that will do your work for half the price.

Sometimes experience and quality of work matter, other times it's the requirement of citizenship and clearances.

I was 'remote' for most of my career, COVID just made it 10% and permanent. As I'm driving work and solutions, improving company productivity with every quarter and setting record goals, they tend to be understanding about my desires.

[FrankC_OR]

Have you considered teaching English as a Foreign Language? I taught EFL for many years, and my current plan (and professional experience) is to sail on my boat teaching around the world in countries for a year or two before moving on to the next port.

Learning English from a "native speaker" is sought after in many developing countries, and there are several types of learning platforms; public/private primary, high school, and university; language courses; private lessons. Teaching at a primary or high school usually requires a bachelor's degree in any field, plus a 40-hour TEFL certificate. Still, you usually have to commit to a 10-month contract and acquire a work/resident visa. On the other hand, language courses often pay under the table and only require you to teach a two-hour lesson a few days a week without committing to working a full-time contract for the school year. Government officials often look the other way since EFL teachers are little more than long-term tourists who benefit the country economically.

Teaching isn't for everyone, but depending on the country you're visiting, you can realistically bring in a few hundred dollars a week during your stay. Look at ex-pat forums to find out the country's specifics to learn more about the teaching situation. Some countries frown on undocumented workers, some schools are notorious for not paying, some places do not pay enough. In other places teaching English for a few hours a week can be a great way to meet locals and pay for daily expenses.

[Strangefolk]

I see most of these answers are coming from highly educated and qualified working professionals in the middle or late stages of their career. But I wanted to try living the dream before my back gave out.

I asked this same question over COVID as an unemployed 30 y/o factory worker. Taking to the internet, I found some of what I knew already - that often jobs in the tech industry were remote and well paid - so I gave web design and coding a shot. I didn't like it and gave up after a couple months.

But then I got into Computer Aided Design - CAD. This is basically 3d modeling parts and fitting them into assemblies. I paid $100 for 1 year of the student version of SOLIDWORKS and realized that computer Legos is actually pretty fun! I got an entry level certification in SOLIDWORKS which got me into interviews, but never produced a job offer. I hated school, but enrolled in night classes for a 2-yr mechanical design degree. The fact I was in school and 8 years of experience on the factory floor now made me appealing to employers. I got super lucky and scored my first job as a CAD Designer Technician at Milwaukee Tool. The experience in sheet metal shops, running CNC machines, and building stuff taught me things I could contribute to the design process.

9 Months later I got an offer in FL so I dropped everything and moved down here before completing the degree. I'm still working on the 'remote' part, but being on the design side has opened the door to that and a better wage.

I have some debt to pay down, I'd like to save some, get a boat, get it ready, and try living aboard at a marina to start. The rest will come organically.