Perspectives on the Future of Work: November 7

Upwork’s biweekly column brings you the latest news on the future of work, including trends, freelancing, and other shifts in the way we work.

This week’s roundup highlights:

• A majority of U.S. freelancers put lifestyle above location, with 65 percent opting to live away from cities—a decision that has challenges that are “not only worthy tradeoffs but pretty manageable.”
• Virtual reality has been discussed as a great option to bring distributed and remote workers together. But how well does it work?
• Ageism is an issue that the tech industry is trying to address. As an IT professional, there are things you can do throughout your career to help boost the recognition you get.

Here’s a look at the latest headlines:

Fast Company | Why These Freelancers Ditched Cities for Rural America

Going rural has its challenges, but for a lot of U.S. freelancers being away from urban centers is a way to put themselves and their families first. The latest Freelancing in America study, commissioned by Upwork in partnership with Freelancers Union, found that 47 percent of freelancers live in the suburbs, while nearly one in five have settled in–or relocated to—more remote areas.

In interviews with freelancers from across the country, writer Anne Loehr shares stories about drawing inspiration from bears in the front yard, learning to adapt to new situations, and dealing with slow Internet and limited cell coverage.

When you work online from a small town, there’s also the chance people won’t understand what you do for work. But Loehr says everyone she interviewed says the change is worth it—but it helps to be prepared. “Most agreed that tackling the technical challenges is a good first step. It’s important not only to be able to communicate with clients but also to feel connected to others while you’re far away.”

Medium | Co-Working in Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) has been touted as one of the options to bring distributed colleagues together, as close to “face-to-face” as you can be without standing in the same room. But how well does it work? IT specialist Fernando Tarnogol says it’s good—but there’s a long way to go yet.

Realizing he wouldn’t make it to the office for a meeting in person, Tarnogol connected with a colleague in VR—and they decided to grade their process. Overall, the experience was OK; Tarnogol says there’s a lot of room for improvement.

“We are on a good track,” he said. “The foundations to migrate our workplaces to immersive environments are laid out. The technologies required to achieve this future are rapidly maturing, big money is being poured onto [sic] them and all of the tech giants agree that VR/MR (and AI) is a top priority. Consumer adoption will be a consequence of the above.”

CIO | How Older Workers Can Thrive in IT

As the tech industry works to address its diversity problem, writer Sharon Florentine notes that ageism is an issue for workers of all ages—but older workers in particular often struggle for recognition.

There are four activities she says IT professionals should commit to, at every stage of their development, if they want to thrive:

• Continuing education
• Networking
• Researching an organization’s culture
• Striving to be a thought leader

“It’s really about connecting to the community of others,” James Stanger, of CompTIA, told her. “Almost anyone, at any age, in IT can have the facts, but the benefits of age and experience are all about your perspective on the facts and being able to assert your opinion and your wisdom because you’ve been there, done that.”

What changes to the world of work have had an impact on your business lately? Tell us about them in the comments below!

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