Many professionals are not only under official stay-at-home mandates but they are navigating uncertain times as employees are furloughed or let go. It's not only been sobering for experienced professionals but it's also been terrifying for young professionals who have just entered the workplace like Loyola Marymount graduate Maria Lopez Zamudio.
Zamudio is managing to stay optimistic, even after seeing the several years of time, money, and effort that she invested in her education give way to sweeping economic changes that have changed her future with little notice. Zamudio, who specializes in social media, is already seeing her career through a new remote work lens.
Having connected with Zamudio after meeting her virtually at a Step Up power brunch for women, a digital event that had 500+ attendees, I was reminded how important it is to engage with young professionals who take the initiative. When Zamudio boldly asked for advice, we decided to dig deeper and swapped questions with the goal of sharing insight on the best way to pivot.
During a brief chat to break the ice, here's what I learned about Zamudio—although she's just getting started with her career and I have nearly 10 years of experience in communications alone, we have a lot in common. She's still making discoveries about her career, and she's a promising advocate who views problem-solving as a strength and opportunity. Zamudio is driven to utilize her experience in education, non-profit, legal, and politics to support underrepresented communities. It's what drew us both to an afternoon with an amazing organization dedicated to empowering girls and women to fulfill their potential.
I stared for a moment at the concise, friendly message she wrote that I imagined so many must be needing to ask right now: "Based on your experience working remotely, do you have any advice?" I did.
"Based on your experience working remotely, do you have any advice?"
Don't fall for seductive branding that shows happy, well-styled nomads working from stunning destinations. Whether self-employed or as an employee, being a remote all-star means no matter who you live with or your access to a workspace conducive to productivity, you need to be incredibly disciplined. It's not easy. It takes a lot of work. It separates the slackers from those committed to excellence, those who will stagnate from those who will grow. Be the latter.
Here's the reality: self-employed professionals working remotely may wear many hats. Spoiler alert: it can be exhausting to be the chief, the cook, and the bottle-washer. It's important to learn about small business ownership and ancillary income because even if working for a brand or organization is the goal, the skills you develop being self-sufficient can give you an advantage.
Depending on the company, working remotely has its pros and cons. Offsite options may be a rare occasion or the norm. Many startups, for example, are lean and therefore take advantage of being exclusively remote so they can scale and grow during early developmental stages. For many traditionally established businesses, it's far from the norm and, until recently, was even dismissed, scoffed at, and met with suspicion driven by the fear that productivity would suffer. Any and everyone who works offsite is a variation of the remote workforce.
Remote work–life balance is important to define and cultivate, but it's also a discipline that takes time.
Remote work–life balance is important to define and cultivate, but it's also a discipline that takes time. As a nation, we have been recently forced to confront our own identity crisis: We need to provide for ourselves but are now reminded we are not our jobs. Love who you are and what you do. Be a lifelong learner, and fight for what you believe in. Learn to lead—know enough to set new trends so you're not only following. While we still have an impulse to separate ourselves from others into categories based on outdated ideology, disrupt that by networking like a beast.
No matter how you look at it, success isn't a quick grab. It's hard-earned and comes with many life lessons: Work hard, try to have fun when you can, and be who you are.
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About Kahshanna Evans—
Kahshanna Evans is a brand, event, marcomm & PR strategist with several years of remote experience. She has supported the Women in Cannabis Study, Leafy Gram, Punto Space, MGIS, QUARTERS, Soho Contemporary Art for its Ringo Starr Peace & Love Exhibition and Sale and curated/co-produced a mini-documentary for private tech project that featured Wyclef Jean. As quoted in Mashable, New York Times, Techsy Talk, and TNJ. Kahshanna is a proud member of Step Up.
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