Why I Made the Switch to Remote Work: My 10-Year Journey (Real Talk)

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1 The “Feast and Famine” Cycle

2 The Loneliness

3 1. The Global Salary Arbitrage

4 2. The Ability to “Deep Work”

5 3. Being Present

6 My Advice to My Younger Self (And You)

7 🚀 Stay Ahead of the Curve

12 Discover more from Technosys Blogs

Last Updated: January 2026 | By: Shreekant Pratap Singh

Disclaimer: This post covers my personal career path. Results vary for everyone.

It is 2026. I am sitting in my home office, sipping coffee, writing this blog post. My commute was exactly 10 seconds (from the kitchen to the desk). My clients are in the US and UK, and I haven’t worn a tie in years.

But 10 years ago, my life looked very different.

I remember sitting in traffic, watching the red taillights of the car in front of me, feeling that familiar knot of anxiety in my stomach. I was trading 2 hours of my life every day just to get to a building where I would sit in front of a computer… to do work I could easily do from home.

It didn’t make sense then. It definitely doesn’t make sense now.

Deciding to make the switch to remote work was not an easy decision. Back then, it was considered “risky.” People asked me, “Shreekant, isn’t that just for unemployed people?” or “How will you have a stable career?”

Today, with over a decade of experience working with global clients, I can honestly say it was the best decision of my life. But it wasn’t a straight line to success.

If you are standing on the edge, wondering if you should take the leap, here is the honest truth about my journey—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Breaking Point: Why I Left the Office

We all have that one moment where we say, “Enough.”

For me, it wasn’t one big explosion. It was the slow realization that the “Standard Career Path” was broken. I looked at my seniors in the office. They were stressed, they missed their kids’ school events, and they were constantly tired.

I realized I didn’t want their lives.

I wanted three things that an office job couldn’t give me:

Location Independence: I wanted to work from my hometown, or a cafe, or a different city.
Income Control: In a job, your salary is capped. In freelancing/consulting, your income is capped only by your skill.
Time Freedom: I am a night owl. I work best at 11 PM. The 9-to-5 schedule was killing my productivity.

I knew I had to make the switch to remote work, but I had no idea how to start.

The Early Struggles (It Wasn’t Magic)

I want to be real with you: The first year was hard.

When you switch to remote work, you lose the safety net. There is no IT guy to fix your laptop. There is no HR to sort out your taxes. There is no boss standing over your shoulder telling you to work.

The “Feast and Famine” Cycle

In the beginning, I made the classic mistake. I would get one client, work hard for them, and stop marketing myself. When that project ended, I had zero income for a month.

Lesson Learned: Never stop looking for leads. Even when you are busy, spend 30 minutes a day on LinkedIn networking.

The Loneliness

This is something people don’t talk about enough. The silence can be loud. I missed the “chai breaks” with colleagues.

Lesson Learned: I had to build a digital community. Now, I have “virtual coffee chats” with other marketers every week.

The Turning Point: Moving from “Freelancer” to “Partner”

For the first few years, I was just a “gun for hire.” Clients told me what to do, and I did it.

But the real switch to remote work success happened when I changed my mindset. I stopped being a “task doer” and started being a “problem solver.”

Instead of saying, “I can write emails for you,” I started saying, “I can help you improve your lead generation system using AI and automation.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t competing with $5/hour freelancers anymore. I was a Consultant. My rates doubled. My clients respected my time.

This is the secret: Global clients pay for outcomes, not hours.

Why I Will Never Go Back to an Office

Ten years later, the benefits far outweigh the struggles.

1. The Global Salary Arbitrage

Living in India (or any lower cost-of-living area) while earning in USD/GBP is the ultimate financial hack. You can save 70% of your income while living a comfortable life. You cannot do this with a local salary.

2. The Ability to “Deep Work”

In an office, you are interrupted every 15 minutes. At home, I can block off 4 hours of silence. I get more done in 4 hours now than I did in 8 hours at the office.

3. Being Present

If my family needs me, I am there. If I want to take a nap at 2 PM because I worked late, I can. That autonomy is priceless.

Is the Switch to Remote Work Right for You?

I am not going to lie and say everyone should do it. You need discipline. You need to be able to manage your own time.

But if you are reading this blog, I think you already know the answer. You feel that itch. You know you are capable of more than just sitting in a cubicle.

My Advice to My Younger Self (And You)

If I could go back 10 years, I would tell myself this:

Don’t wait for “Perfect.” You don’t need a fancy website to start. You just need a LinkedIn profile and an offer.
Learn to Sell. You are the CEO of You, Inc. You need to get comfortable asking for money.
Build a Financial Runway. Don’t quit your job tomorrow. Save 6 months of expenses. Then, make the jump.

The switch to remote work was the scary door I almost didn’t open. But on the other side was the life I actually wanted to live.

Your Turn

Are you still sitting in that traffic jam (literal or metaphorical)? What is stopping you from taking the leap?

Let’s chat in the comments. Tell me your biggest fear about going remote, and I’ll tell you how I handled it.