Remote-First: An Education
Will education systems prohibit the remote revolution?
Remote work is like avocado toast—it’s everywhere, a lot of people love it, and the world can’t shut up about it. Remote work used to be reserved for specific functions/roles and specific tech companies, but it’s slowly making its way into the mainstream.
It’s estimated that by 2025, an estimated 70% of the workforce will work remotely at least five days in a month.
As someone who’s worked remotely off-and-on since 2012, I’ve experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like it or not, remote work is here to stay. A recent WSJ article highlighted the fact that workers are fleeing big cities like San Francisco and New York for smaller ones like Boise and Denver. Personally, this not surprising. In Seattle, the flood of Big Co. workers has throttled housing prices and created massive inequality. The trends don’t seem to be slowing, making the idea of small-town life more and more appealing.
But as remote work continues to rise, there’s one major barrier to entry: kids.
Whether you have kids or are thinking about having kids, we’re all aware of the fact that they take priority. Many parents build and design their lives around the kids, pushing them towards certain schools, activities, and sports, all in pursuit of a better life in our hyper-competitive society.
What is surprising to see is tech elitists taking the plunge into a dramatically different lifestyle, leaving behind esteemed private schools and the ever-common credentialist approach to modern education. The bar has been raised in these schools and it’s unlikely that we’ll abandon these standards just for remote work opportunities.
Rise of Remote Work will create new demand for Remote Schools so families can be location-independent or nomadic together.
My partner and I have struggled to address this challenge over the last few years. As we look towards our future, while we’re not sure how kids fit in, we see ourselves returning to our small-town roots. In the past, our biggest challenge would’ve been finding a job that fulfilled our passions and our bank accounts. Now, the biggest challenge is in planning for a future beyond ourselves. Remote working is no longer the challenge; remote education will be the next frontier. Get ready to be disrupted.
I’d love to know how you’re thinking about the future of education and what it means in a world speeding towards location independence.
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Thanks for reading, and see you next week,
— Kevin K.