Hello there,
It’s been like forever, I know right?
I have missed interacting with y’all.
I’m happy to announce that I’m back for good. Oh yes!
Wondering why I’ve been away?
I have actually been working 9-5 (and other factors though (but that’s like the major reason I have been away).
It’s been a ‘bouncy ride’ for me (I don’t know how else to explain it).
Before I got the job, I anticipated what it will feel like to be working 9-5, offices spaces, work buddies, fun office meetings, activities and the rest.
Guess I only anticipated the fun part. However, the reality is that there are other parts that weren’t exactly rosy.
However, I survived most part of it.
Recently I started working remotely again. Funnily enough, I have worked fully remotely for two years stretch before I started working 9-5.
So in this post, I’ll be sharing few pros and cons of working 9-5 and remotely, based on my personal experience.
9 – 5 Work
Pros:
- Having a steady source of income feels great. The credit alert I received by the end of the month made me forget all the hassles sometimes. Lol.
- I get to leave my house everyday instead of staying all by myself at home. Well, in my opinion, this is actually a cool thing to look forward to. However, it can also be a con (I’m an ambivert).
- I had a phenomenal boss and colleagues that pointed out areas for improvement, and helped me grow professionally. I didn’t exactly have work buddies, but it felt good to see jovial familiar faces I can say hello to and interact with before, during and after working hours. I got to learn a lot from the work environment and it has improved my leadership and team building skills.
Cons
- Proximity was a major challenge for me. The distance from my house to my work place is another thing. We’re talking 1hr 30mins – 2hrs drive sometimes (I’m not mobile yet). The stress my body went through was on another level.
- The pay was good but I couldn’t exactly save a lot; due to expenses such as daily transportation, lunch and miscellaneous.
- With the nature of my job (Media Personnel), there were no fixed working hours; I do work at work and at home. It can be overwhelming sometimes.
Remote work
Pros
- I experience more flexibility than 9-5. This has helped me maintain a work-life balance. I can literally work from wherever I am as long as I’m with my phone and/or pc. I get to plan my day and time better while working remotely.
- Because of the flexibility, it’s easy for me to freelance to earn more if I want to; and I get to save on transportation and other expenses that 9-5 would normally require.
- I also get to create time to learn various technologies to help me do my job better.
Cons
- Sometimes because of the lack of face-to-face connection with my employers/clients, there can absence of proper communication. I’d say even with the advert of technology, face-to-face communication is more effective for me.
- Working round the clock is sometimes inevitable as I work remotely. Most times I have to stay connected online 24/7. This can be overwhelming for me.
- Working remotely can be lonely sometimes, and makes it a little difficult for me stay motivated and energized for too long.
From my experience, you can tell that both 9-5 and remote work have nice advantages and some pitfalls to consider. We can’t have it all, can we?
However, if I’m to choose between working 9-5 and remotely, I’d choose working remotely, then maybe showing up at the physical office space once or twice a week when necessary.
So do you work 9-5 or remotely? What is your experience like; do you like or hate it? Kindly share with me in the comments.
Twelfth Grace 
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