Prior to taking a full-time position in Taiwan, I was a “digital nomad” for nearly three years when it was still cool to be one. In 2020, working remotely is just a new reality for most knowledge workers — except for Taiwanese.
The prospect of taking up a 9-5 job again wrecked my nerves. Could I ever succumb to an institutional structure when I barely took corporate internships seriously in college? How would I get along with coworkers who are culturally very different from me? More importantly, just how long could I stand being trapped in an office?
Thanks to my company’s cozy office and my surprisingly pleasant coworkers, I’ve survived the past year. I can deal with going to an office. I don’t thrive in one. The commute is still a waste of time, and the job simply doesn’t require my physical presence — as pleasant as that may be.
