June 25, 2024 • 11 mins
What if you could skip the exhausting daily grind, commute less, and transform your work-life balance entirely? That's exactly what happened to me as I transitioned from a traditional teaching role to becoming a Senior UX Researcher working remotely. In this episode of the UX Teacher Prep Podcast, I share my journey, recounting the joy of trading in my hour-plus commute for the freedom to choose my work environment.
Join me as I unpack the pros and cons of remote work. If you’re curious about making the switch to a remote or hybrid role, or just want to explore the potential lifestyle changes it brings, this episode is packed with insights that might just inspire your next career move.
Curious about the UX Research job overview? Listen to this episode
Want to hear why I left teaching after 15 years? Listen here
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Resources:
- Follow us on Linkedin, Instagram, and YouTube for daily updates and tips.
- Grab your free UX transferable skills cheat sheet to get started on your transition journey to UX.
- Ready to find balance and unleash your creativity? Explore uxteacherprep.com to see how we can support you.
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- Don’t forget to scroll down and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️review. Thanks for listening!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Zee (00:00):
Hello teacher friends.
Coach Z here and welcome backto the UX Teacher Prep Podcast.
I'm on a mission to helpteachers find the balance to
unleash their creativity.
The other day I was sitting athome working on my computer and
I was looking back and forthbetween my laptop, which is my
main screen, and my monitor,which is my second screen.
It was one of those heat wavedays here in New York and the
(00:22):
laptop was just emitting toomuch heat.
I thought about turning on thefan or even the AC, but then I
said to myself wait a minute,you can go work at Panera.
That's the beauty of workingfrom home.
You can literally work fromanywhere.
So I packed up my equipment anddrove to Panera to work in the
cool AC and get a break from thehouse.
(00:43):
Working from home has its prosand cons, and I know a lot of
transitioning teachers arethinking about leaving the
classroom to work from home.
Ultimately, the choice is up toyou whether you want to work
remotely, in person or in ahybrid role which is a
combination of the two.
In today's episode, we're goingto talk about the pros and cons
of working remotely, based onwhat I've experienced so far in
(01:04):
the past two plus years.
Stay tuned.
Narrator (01:08):
Welcome to the UX Teacher Prep Podcast, the
ultimate destination foreducators who aspire to break
into the field of userexperience and product design.
Your host, zee Arnold, a15-year teacher turned UX
researcher, is here to guide,coach and mentor you through
every twist and turn as you makeyour career transition into
tech.
If you're ready for a moresatisfying career and lifestyle
(01:31):
and you want the balance tounleash your creativity, this
podcast is for you.
Now for the show.
Zee (01:46):
First up, and my personal favorite, you get to work from
the comfort of your own home.
There's something incrediblysatisfying about rolling out of
bed and getting straight to workwithout the hustle and bustle
of a morning commute.
Well, I don't actually justroll out of bed and start
working.
Of course, I have to brush myteeth, wash my face, get ready,
get my daughter ready for pre-K,but knowing I'm going to drop
(02:07):
her off and come right back hometo work is what keeps me going.
Speaking of which, no longcommuting.
That's a huge perk.
Not only do you save time, butyou also save on gas money and
reduce your carbon footprint.
It's a win-win.
When I was teaching, my schoolwas actually an hour and 15
minutes away from my house on agood day, and that's because of
(02:28):
traffic.
If it was snowing, forget it.
Commuting for two and a halfhours a day is insane.
I felt like by the time I gotto the school building, I was
already tired, and then, when Ileft the school building, going
back home in traffic was just amess.
Another great thing is theflexibility to work from
anywhere with Wi-Fi.
If you want to work from a cozycafe or a sunny beach, go for
(02:49):
it.
This freedom is something youjust don't get in a traditional
office setting or a schoolbuilding, and one of my pet
peeves about office settings isthat they're always freezing
cold in the summers and I haveto dress like it's winter in the
office.
Why Not?
Going into the office alsomeans there's no need to dress
up.
I have 15 years worth ofteacher outfits and I'm happily
not using them on a daily basis.
(03:10):
I like to be comfortable whenI'm working.
My work as a senior UXresearcher doesn't have a dress
code and doesn't require me towear anything fancy.
I love that.
Now I do go into the officeonce in a while, or I go to our
annual company in-person event,and for that I like to dress up
a little bit, but nothingspectacular.
I'm really a minimalist atheart.
(03:30):
Now, in terms of socializing atwork, if you're like me, you'll
appreciate the lack ofdistractions from chatty
co-workers.
No offense, but those watercooler conversations, as fun as
they are, can also throw you offyour game and suck up valuable
work time.
I like being at home so I canhammer out my work without
distractions.
I feel like when I was teachingI had the most distractions.
(03:51):
I mean between the endlessannouncements, calls from the
nurse, metrocard distribution.
I could never get a steady flowof thinking or productivity,
even on my prep periods.
I like to be in my zone whenI'm working.
The last thing I love aboutworking from home is you get to
build your own workspace.
I set up my workspace with anadjustable standing desk, a
(04:11):
super comfortable chair and allthe things that make me
comfortable and productive.
You get to design a workspacethat suits you best, which can
really boost your productivity,and you can create the
conditions for yourself to besuccessful.
I mean, what's better than that?
Now, I'm not going to pretendthat remote work is all sunshine
and roses.
There are some downsides.
So let's talk about the cons ofworking remotely and I want to
(04:33):
give you some solutions as well,because I learned a lot along
the way.
First on the list is lessphysical activity.
So without the daily commute orwalking around the office or
classroom, it's easy to become amajor couch potato.
I mean like a seriously bum.
My first week of working fromhome, I remember my Apple Watch
had to put me in check.
I kept getting notificationsthat I needed to stand and my
(04:56):
activity levels plummeted.
I was getting more than 10ksteps a day from pacing around
the classroom and the hallwayswhen I was teaching.
When I started working fromhome, I barely got 500 steps a
day.
It was tragic.
I like to stay active, so thiswas very concerning for me.
So I had to come up with a plan.
The first thing I did was Ischeduled regular breaks for
short walks each day I call themmy vitamin D breaks and I got a
(05:21):
walking pad so I could walk onmy work breaks if the weather
was bad outside.
I did get that standing desk, Isaid earlier, but I honestly
wanted to do more than juststand.
Next up is the lack of socialinteraction.
Now, if you like to communicatewith others in person, this is
going to be a big one for you.
As a remote worker, I'm on Zoomand Slack a lot.
(05:42):
I'm sure you know what Zoom is,but Slack is like a messaging
platform that some corporatecompanies use to keep their
colleagues connected so they canplan and work on projects and
also socialize.
These platforms are great forcommunication, but they can't
replace the in-person sort offellowship you get from being
around your colleagues.
They're just not the same, butthey do help bridge the gap.
(06:04):
So for me, to combat this.
I set up virtual coffee breaksor, like I mentioned earlier, I
go to public places with Wi-Fi,like libraries, cafes or
restaurants, to work.
That way, I can at least get achange of environment sometimes
and also see other human beingsthat are not behind a computer
screen.
Another downside is the increasein screen time.
Staring at a computer all daycan be draining and bad for your
(06:27):
eyes.
One of the first things Ipurchased when I realized how
much it affected my eyes, was ablue light screen protector for
my laptop and for my monitor.
I spend all day looking at acomputer screen, whether I'm in
a Zoom meeting, typing aresearch report, analyzing Zoom
user sessions or planning forupcoming research, so I have to
take regular screen breaks.
Sometimes I just close my eyesfor a few minutes.
(06:49):
Other times I just step outsideand watch the squirrels run
around in nature.
One trick I've read online isto follow the 20-20-20 rule
Every 20 minutes, look atsomething 20 feet away for at
least 20 seconds, and alsoconsider using blue light
glasses if you don't want to usethe screen protector.
Back to Slack.
Slack notifications can also beoverwhelming and distracting.
(07:11):
You can easily get bombardedwith messages, especially if
you're working on multipleprojects at a time or you join
channels for multiple purposes.
So my solution is to setspecific times to check and
respond to messages.
You can actually turn offnotifications when you need to
focus and let your team knowyour availability.
I always use the brain emoji asmy status when I'm deep in
(07:33):
analysis, because that's thetime when I need to be in my
zone and focus the most.
Speaking of being in my zone,stable Wi-Fi is an absolute must
.
If you want to work from home,you need to have stable Wi-Fi.
The most annoying thing is tobe working on a report and then,
all of a sudden, the wheelstarts to spit on your computer
and all you hear is that loudfan noise and you know that
(07:54):
everything is about to crash.
Or you're interviewing ateacher in a Zoom session and
they start getting choppy andthen you lose an important
insight you were just about tocapture.
There is nothing morefrustrating than a glitchy
connection during an importantmeeting.
So make sure you have areliable internet provider and
consider having a backup planlike a mobile hotspot just in
case.
But you'll have to follow yourcompany rules to make sure
(08:17):
you're connected to secure Wi-Fi.
I've actually been looking intoStarlink, which is a satellite
internet service provider that alot of people use, and I've
heard that it works well for RVtravel.
You can also try to get wiredinternet by running an ethernet
cable from your router to yourcomputer.
These are some ways to get areliable internet connection at
home.
This might not be an issue foreveryone, but for me.
(08:39):
We have four kids and a lot ofdevices running off the Wi-Fi
Plus.
In the summers, when the kidsare home gaming, that also
affects the Wi-Fi speed, so it'ssomething to consider.
And lastly, having familymembers or small children at
home can make meetings tricky.
My youngest daughter is inschool, but school ends at three
, so I have to pick her up andbring her back home for the last
(08:59):
part of my workday.
For kids, the best approachhere is to set clear boundaries
and let them know you have yourwork times and then you can play
after work time.
Set them up on a routine thatallows you to get the work done
when they're home.
But, most importantly for me, Itry not to schedule meetings
where I'm the lead late in theafternoon.
Any meeting where I need to beoff mute and lead a discussion
(09:20):
or conduct an interview, I tryto schedule earlier in the day
if possible.
If I have to do it later, Imake arrangements for another
family member to watch mytoddler.
So it takes some maneuveringand planning, but it can work.
As for adults in the house, youjust need to let them know
you're working from home and, ifneeded, let them know your work
schedule and your meetingschedule so they don't catch you
(09:41):
off guard during a meeting.
But ideally, the best scenariois to have a dedicated workspace
where you can close the door ifneeded and focus on your work.
So that's it, and despite thepotential challenges, I feel
like the pros of workingremotely do often outweigh the
cons if you're prepared and havestrategies in place to handle
(10:04):
the downsides.
But I think if you're kind ofstuck in between the two, hybrid
is something you shouldconsider because it'll give you
a chance to get the best of bothworlds.
Thanks for listening and, asalways, if you need help on your
transition journey, you canreach out at uxteacherprepcom or
connect with us on LinkedIn.
Narrator (10:25):
Hey, thanks so much for tuning in.
If you like this podcast, hit,follow and scroll down to leave
a five-star rating.
Then share it with a friend.
If you're looking for resourcesto help you on your tech
transition journey, head over touxteacherprepcom.
Follow us on LinkedIn andInstagram at uxteacherprep for
daily tips and motivation.
Have a topic you'd like to hearaddressed on the show?
(10:48):
Send us a DM on Instagram.
If you're listening on YouTube,like, subscribe and share.
Until next time, be well.
Hello teacher friends.
Coach Z here and welcome backto the UX Teacher Prep Podcast.
I'm on a mission to helpteachers find the balance to
unleash their creativity.
The other day I was sitting athome working on my computer and
I was looking back and forthbetween my laptop, which is my
main screen, and my monitor,which is my second screen.
It was one of those heat wavedays here in New York and the
(00:22):
laptop was just emitting toomuch heat.
I thought about turning on thefan or even the AC, but then I
said to myself wait a minute,you can go work at Panera.
That's the beauty of workingfrom home.
You can literally work fromanywhere.
So I packed up my equipment anddrove to Panera to work in the
cool AC and get a break from thehouse.
(00:43):
Working from home has its prosand cons, and I know a lot of
transitioning teachers arethinking about leaving the
classroom to work from home.
Ultimately, the choice is up toyou whether you want to work
remotely, in person or in ahybrid role which is a
combination of the two.
In today's episode, we're goingto talk about the pros and cons
of working remotely, based onwhat I've experienced so far in
(01:04):
the past two plus years.
Stay tuned.
Narrator (01:08):
Welcome to the UX Teacher Prep Podcast, the
ultimate destination foreducators who aspire to break
into the field of userexperience and product design.
Your host, zee Arnold, a15-year teacher turned UX
researcher, is here to guide,coach and mentor you through
every twist and turn as you makeyour career transition into
tech.
If you're ready for a moresatisfying career and lifestyle
(01:31):
and you want the balance tounleash your creativity, this
podcast is for you.
Now for the show.
Zee (01:46):
First up, and my personal favorite, you get to work from
the comfort of your own home.
There's something incrediblysatisfying about rolling out of
bed and getting straight to workwithout the hustle and bustle
of a morning commute.
Well, I don't actually justroll out of bed and start
working.
Of course, I have to brush myteeth, wash my face, get ready,
get my daughter ready for pre-K,but knowing I'm going to drop
(02:07):
her off and come right back hometo work is what keeps me going.
Speaking of which, no longcommuting.
That's a huge perk.
Not only do you save time, butyou also save on gas money and
reduce your carbon footprint.
It's a win-win.
When I was teaching, my schoolwas actually an hour and 15
minutes away from my house on agood day, and that's because of
(02:28):
traffic.
If it was snowing, forget it.
Commuting for two and a halfhours a day is insane.
I felt like by the time I gotto the school building, I was
already tired, and then, when Ileft the school building, going
back home in traffic was just amess.
Another great thing is theflexibility to work from
anywhere with Wi-Fi.
If you want to work from a cozycafe or a sunny beach, go for
(02:49):
it.
This freedom is something youjust don't get in a traditional
office setting or a schoolbuilding, and one of my pet
peeves about office settings isthat they're always freezing
cold in the summers and I haveto dress like it's winter in the
office.
Why Not?
Going into the office alsomeans there's no need to dress
up.
I have 15 years worth ofteacher outfits and I'm happily
not using them on a daily basis.
(03:10):
I like to be comfortable whenI'm working.
My work as a senior UXresearcher doesn't have a dress
code and doesn't require me towear anything fancy.
I love that.
Now I do go into the officeonce in a while, or I go to our
annual company in-person event,and for that I like to dress up
a little bit, but nothingspectacular.
I'm really a minimalist atheart.
(03:30):
Now, in terms of socializing atwork, if you're like me, you'll
appreciate the lack ofdistractions from chatty
co-workers.
No offense, but those watercooler conversations, as fun as
they are, can also throw you offyour game and suck up valuable
work time.
I like being at home so I canhammer out my work without
distractions.
I feel like when I was teachingI had the most distractions.
(03:51):
I mean between the endlessannouncements, calls from the
nurse, metrocard distribution.
I could never get a steady flowof thinking or productivity,
even on my prep periods.
I like to be in my zone whenI'm working.
The last thing I love aboutworking from home is you get to
build your own workspace.
I set up my workspace with anadjustable standing desk, a
(04:11):
super comfortable chair and allthe things that make me
comfortable and productive.
You get to design a workspacethat suits you best, which can
really boost your productivity,and you can create the
conditions for yourself to besuccessful.
I mean, what's better than that?
Now, I'm not going to pretendthat remote work is all sunshine
and roses.
There are some downsides.
So let's talk about the cons ofworking remotely and I want to
(04:33):
give you some solutions as well,because I learned a lot along
the way.
First on the list is lessphysical activity.
So without the daily commute orwalking around the office or
classroom, it's easy to become amajor couch potato.
I mean like a seriously bum.
My first week of working fromhome, I remember my Apple Watch
had to put me in check.
I kept getting notificationsthat I needed to stand and my
(04:56):
activity levels plummeted.
I was getting more than 10ksteps a day from pacing around
the classroom and the hallwayswhen I was teaching.
When I started working fromhome, I barely got 500 steps a
day.
It was tragic.
I like to stay active, so thiswas very concerning for me.
So I had to come up with a plan.
The first thing I did was Ischeduled regular breaks for
short walks each day I call themmy vitamin D breaks and I got a
(05:21):
walking pad so I could walk onmy work breaks if the weather
was bad outside.
I did get that standing desk, Isaid earlier, but I honestly
wanted to do more than juststand.
Next up is the lack of socialinteraction.
Now, if you like to communicatewith others in person, this is
going to be a big one for you.
As a remote worker, I'm on Zoomand Slack a lot.
(05:42):
I'm sure you know what Zoom is,but Slack is like a messaging
platform that some corporatecompanies use to keep their
colleagues connected so they canplan and work on projects and
also socialize.
These platforms are great forcommunication, but they can't
replace the in-person sort offellowship you get from being
around your colleagues.
They're just not the same, butthey do help bridge the gap.
(06:04):
So for me, to combat this.
I set up virtual coffee breaksor, like I mentioned earlier, I
go to public places with Wi-Fi,like libraries, cafes or
restaurants, to work.
That way, I can at least get achange of environment sometimes
and also see other human beingsthat are not behind a computer
screen.
Another downside is the increasein screen time.
Staring at a computer all daycan be draining and bad for your
(06:27):
eyes.
One of the first things Ipurchased when I realized how
much it affected my eyes, was ablue light screen protector for
my laptop and for my monitor.
I spend all day looking at acomputer screen, whether I'm in
a Zoom meeting, typing aresearch report, analyzing Zoom
user sessions or planning forupcoming research, so I have to
take regular screen breaks.
Sometimes I just close my eyesfor a few minutes.
(06:49):
Other times I just step outsideand watch the squirrels run
around in nature.
One trick I've read online isto follow the 20-20-20 rule
Every 20 minutes, look atsomething 20 feet away for at
least 20 seconds, and alsoconsider using blue light
glasses if you don't want to usethe screen protector.
Back to Slack.
Slack notifications can also beoverwhelming and distracting.
(07:11):
You can easily get bombardedwith messages, especially if
you're working on multipleprojects at a time or you join
channels for multiple purposes.
So my solution is to setspecific times to check and
respond to messages.
You can actually turn offnotifications when you need to
focus and let your team knowyour availability.
I always use the brain emoji asmy status when I'm deep in
(07:33):
analysis, because that's thetime when I need to be in my
zone and focus the most.
Speaking of being in my zone,stable Wi-Fi is an absolute must
.
If you want to work from home,you need to have stable Wi-Fi.
The most annoying thing is tobe working on a report and then,
all of a sudden, the wheelstarts to spit on your computer
and all you hear is that loudfan noise and you know that
(07:54):
everything is about to crash.
Or you're interviewing ateacher in a Zoom session and
they start getting choppy andthen you lose an important
insight you were just about tocapture.
There is nothing morefrustrating than a glitchy
connection during an importantmeeting.
So make sure you have areliable internet provider and
consider having a backup planlike a mobile hotspot just in
case.
But you'll have to follow yourcompany rules to make sure
(08:17):
you're connected to secure Wi-Fi.
I've actually been looking intoStarlink, which is a satellite
internet service provider that alot of people use, and I've
heard that it works well for RVtravel.
You can also try to get wiredinternet by running an ethernet
cable from your router to yourcomputer.
These are some ways to get areliable internet connection at
home.
This might not be an issue foreveryone, but for me.
(08:39):
We have four kids and a lot ofdevices running off the Wi-Fi
Plus.
In the summers, when the kidsare home gaming, that also
affects the Wi-Fi speed, so it'ssomething to consider.
And lastly, having familymembers or small children at
home can make meetings tricky.
My youngest daughter is inschool, but school ends at three
, so I have to pick her up andbring her back home for the last
(08:59):
part of my workday.
For kids, the best approachhere is to set clear boundaries
and let them know you have yourwork times and then you can play
after work time.
Set them up on a routine thatallows you to get the work done
when they're home.
But, most importantly for me, Itry not to schedule meetings
where I'm the lead late in theafternoon.
Any meeting where I need to beoff mute and lead a discussion
(09:20):
or conduct an interview, I tryto schedule earlier in the day
if possible.
If I have to do it later, Imake arrangements for another
family member to watch mytoddler.
So it takes some maneuveringand planning, but it can work.
As for adults in the house, youjust need to let them know
you're working from home and, ifneeded, let them know your work
schedule and your meetingschedule so they don't catch you
(09:41):
off guard during a meeting.
But ideally, the best scenariois to have a dedicated workspace
where you can close the door ifneeded and focus on your work.
So that's it, and despite thepotential challenges, I feel
like the pros of workingremotely do often outweigh the
cons if you're prepared and havestrategies in place to handle
(10:04):
the downsides.
But I think if you're kind ofstuck in between the two, hybrid
is something you shouldconsider because it'll give you
a chance to get the best of bothworlds.
Thanks for listening and, asalways, if you need help on your
transition journey, you canreach out at uxteacherprepcom or
connect with us on LinkedIn.
Narrator (10:25):
Hey, thanks so much for tuning in.
If you like this podcast, hit,follow and scroll down to leave
a five-star rating.
Then share it with a friend.
If you're looking for resourcesto help you on your tech
transition journey, head over touxteacherprepcom.
Follow us on LinkedIn andInstagram at uxteacherprep for
daily tips and motivation.
Have a topic you'd like to hearaddressed on the show?
(10:48):
Send us a DM on Instagram.
If you're listening on YouTube,like, subscribe and share.
Until next time, be well.
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