Have you ever wanted to travel around the world?
You know, quit your job, pack a bag and go wherever the road takes you. Don’t you want to experience adventure, learn new cultures, taste exotic food, and to know that you have the freedom of doing whatever the fuck you want? Isn’t that the dream?
An unrealistic dream, some would say, a fool’s errand. But I say different; it is possible to live this kind of life; all you have to do is become a digital nomad.
What is Stopping You from Traveling?
The problem is that you, like most people, believe you need to save a shitload of money, right? And, then and only then, you will be able to set off on your limited adventure. Limited by how much you were able to save.
And, this is why many people fail. Do you know how disciplined and lucky you need to be for a year to save up enough money to travel? Do you think you can go a whole year without certain luxuries like Starbucks or Netflix? Or worse, what happens if you have an accident and need to spend all your money on medical bills? Then you just lost everything you had been saving.
21% of working Americans end up with no annual savings, while 28% say they save only 10%. So, let’s say you make $50,000 a year, you end up only saving 5,000 which is enough money to last maybe two months if you are on a strict budget and only fly to one destination.
Therefore saving is not the answer. The answer is earning money while traveling; this is the key.
By earning money rather than saving, you also solve the problem of what happens when you return home. I would also assume you had to return not because you wanted to, but because you ran out of money.
So, then what will you do? Will you live with your parents until you can find a new job? How do you expect to pay for anything without any money? Returning home with empty pockets means you have to start over again. Do you want to do that?
Not to mention when you save, that means you need to follow a strict budget because there is no source of income. So, what happens if you love Thailand and want to stay for another week, or you want to take a detour to follow new friends to Mongolia for a few days. No income means no freedom. Is that how you want to travel the world?
Are you starting to see why it’s better to find a digital job rather than saving up money for traveling?
Are Digital Nomads a Real Thing?
Being a digital nomad is undoubtedly a real thing. What isn’t a real thing, is the idea that you can sip delicious cocktails by the pearly white sand beach all day while only working a few hours.
Digital jobs are like any regular jobs; they require hard work, focus, and time. And yes, you probably will work 8+ hours a day; it’s a job, not a hobby.
But being able to work anywhere in the world from your laptop is a fantastic opportunity, an opportunity that people before could never experience. Imagine being able to go surfing or hiking in the rain forest after finishing your workday. Or be able to visit the local markets to experience a new culture and to try delicious fresh food.
This beats what you probably do now, which is probably go home and watch TV while eating a frozen pizza. If you seek adventure and are tired of being stuck in a monotonous routine, this is a way to break free.
You live in a world that has the internet, a network that can reach millions of people all around the world. And, what does it mean when you can communicate with millions of people? It means there is an opportunity, an opportunity to earn money from anywhere there is an internet connection.
But…
“Isn’t making money online, isn’t that a scam?”
“Digital jobs aren’t a steady income.”
“My friend has a blog, and he doesn’t make any money off of ads.”
“I only find jobs that offer below minimum wage offers.”
These are questions and statements often brought up in conversation when talking about earning an income online. And they are all true but only if you don’t know what you are doing.
The internet has been plagued with scams, misinformation, and sites that offer jobs that are equivalent to $2 an hour. So, it is understandable that you might be skeptical.
And it doesn’t help that people are continually looking for an easy way to make money, and when they don’t, they tell everyone that it was all bullshit to hide the real fact that they were just incompetent.
For example, you can’t expect to make money as a blogger if you only rely on ads as your income source or that you will make money from online job board sites like Upwork if you are a freelance writer. These are examples of doing the bare minimum and expecting a big payout.
You need to take the extra step; you need to transform your blog into a company that offers a product. You need to reach out and contact clients and send them your writing pitches. You must be proactive and think like a boss.
Right Way to Find a Digital Job
The power of the internet is the ability to communicate with millions of people. Your first thought should be, what do millions of people need, not what YOU want to offer. Your job is to provide a useful service or product for the people to buy. Think as a business owner; it’s not what you’re passionate about; it’s what can make you money.
The idea is to make money by using the internet rather than making money off the internet.
Realistically, there are hundreds of different job opportunities that are available for you. But, you need to do the research and take the time to find these jobs. They’re not going to just pop up in your email, begging you to join their company. If it were that easy, then everyone would be doing it, right?
Last year more than 7.3 million people described themselves as digital nomads.
Digital nomad has become such a popular trend that even big businesses are hiring salary employees and allowing them to work from anywhere. Why? Because studies have shown that employees are happier. Don’t you want to be happy?
— I still recommend trying to work for yourself, if possible. Why? Cause fuck working for someone else’s dreams.
Examples of Digital Jobs
- Freelance Writer
- Photographer
- Vlogger/Blogger Content Creator
- Graphic Designer
- Website Designer
- Social Media Manager
- E-commerce Business
- Digital Marketer
- Online Teaching
- Entrepreneur
- IT Jobs
These are a few examples of some digital nomad jobs; you can do a quick Google search to find more if you want. There are many ways to find digital jobs, join social media groups, scan online job boards (legit ones), ask friends, create a website that shows off your portfolio, contact business, and pitch ideas.
The primary key is to be persistent; don’t expect to find a job right away; be prepared to be turned down, but don’t let that stop you. The internet reaches millions of people. Just because one publisher doesn’t like your style of writing doesn’t mean there isn’t someone else who does.
Or, why not try to take the skills you already have and see if you can start your own online company, be your own boss.
Remember, jobs that are typically done in the office like accounting, dietician, or IT work, can also be done remotely. If you do all your work from a computer, then you can do it from any location, and don’t forget you can use video chat services to communicate with your clients.
Thanks to advancements in the field of technology, there is no longer a need for you to waste your time commuting to an office building just to work from a computer, the same computer you have at home. When finding a digital job, try to think outside of the box.
But what if you don’t have any skills. What if you had worked in a restaurant your whole life and didn’t go to college, can you still become a digital nomad? Of course you can; I did.
The internet is a library full of knowledge. You can learn almost anything you want to, but only if you are disciplined. You can’t just read a few articles and think you are a master; you need to sit your ass down and study and practice as if you were in school.
And, if you have questions, post them online, there a hundreds of community groups and forums with friendly people who are willing to help. (Yes, there are forums with dumbasses, but ignore them.)
There should be no excuses in trying to learn a new skill when you have the internet as a resource.
Recap
This article is for you to realize that traveling the world and never stopping is possible by becoming a digital nomad. Think about how much better traveling would be if you weren’t worried about running out of money. You can travel longer, eat at amazing restaurants, visit more sites, and have that sense of pure freedom to go wherever you want. With a digital job, you can have all of that. No restraints when traveling. Isn’t that how it should be?
If I missed anything or if you have a question, feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks!
— Starting over for your dream is better than settling for a life of regret.