If someone were to bet nearly all companies would allow working from home by mid-2020 at the beginning of the year, you probably would have thought they were out of their minds. Hypotheticals aside, here we are. Almost anyone who can work from home is doing so. Now we have the potential to be in one meeting at 12:59 and a different session at 1:00 with a few clicks. Data regarding the amount of work getting done or the number of hours employees are working hasn’t been solidified. Neither has what will happen to wages as more companies allow people to work from home permanently.
Tech companies, especially in high priced urban areas, are dealing with a significant number of employees leaving the region to live in areas where their money stretches further. Some companies, like Facebook, have claimed they will adjust the salaries of those workers even though they okayed employees to work from home permanently.
For tech workers in less costly zip codes or cities, this probably won’t be an issue. Employees and graduates won’t have to worry about this when looking for a job. The cost of living in smaller cities/locations is definitely lower. Remote work begs the question: Will tech salaries change as companies permit workers to work remotely from entirely different states? The answer may vary according to a person’s position. Here are some examples:
Web Designer
Web Designers don’t exclusively work with tech companies. If a company doesn’t have an in-house web design team, they probably outsource one. Every company, no matter the industry, wants to have an excellent online presence. Web designers are on the frontlines, making sure sites are clean and functional.
Airlines, hardware stores, and restaurants all have online ordering, which helps drive business, especially as consumers are opting for online ordering to avoid contact with other people. A web designer can easily do their job from home; freelancers worked from home well before Covid-19. Since telecommuting is easy for web designers, it’s hard to tell if their salaries will be affected. Theoretically, a company could already outsource this position to cut costs; it’s doubtful there will be a change, positive or negative, to a web designer’s salary.
Cybersecurity
Companies are always warding off ill-willed individuals from accessing sensitive data and programs. Cybersecurity Experts are responsible for protecting these resources. There are many instances where a cybersecurity professional might be able to work from home. Still, this position might require the handling of hardware, which may prevent the possibility of 100 percent remote work. Since remote work might not be possible, salaries will likely remain the same.
If you are interested in a career preventing hackers from breaking into a website, consider attending Flatiron School. Its bootcamp can teach you the skills you need to become a cybersecurity expert.
Bootcamps are still worth it
Covid-19 has changed the professional landscape in unprecedented ways. Tech jobs were becoming available faster than colleges could churn out qualified applicants. Bootcamps fill the gap; they quickly get qualified individuals from limited, or zero, tech skills to working on projects that mimic actual work they would do as tech workers. One of the motivators to attend a bootcamp is to get a high-paying tech job.
The economy has slowed from quarantines and lockdowns, causing disruptions in many industries. Compared to other sectors, however, the tech industry has proven to be resilient. The stocks of tech companies like Tesla, Google, and Amazon have risen, while retail stores are filing for bankruptcy. These companies, and many more, are seeking individuals with the right skills. The quickest way to become a web designer? Attend a top web design bootcamp.
Next steps
The fate of permanent remote work salaries will be told in the next few years. Some companies believe it is the future, while others think that grouping their employees together encourages collaboration that wouldn’t happen over Zoom. The possibility of getting a job in a different timezone seems more plausible than it did in 2019.
If you don’t have a tech job and want to become a web designer or prevent illegal access to company data, find a bootcamp that fits your needs. Your future tech job is waiting for you, but you have to take action.
