How to Build a Career as a Digital Nomad

For many, the traditional 9-to-5 workday routine lost its appeal long ago. While alternative work models like hybrid and work-from-home have become more popular, none are more appealing than the work-from-anywhere model supporting the digital nomad lifestyle. 

You, too, can live the nomadic lifestyle and enjoy the freedom and glamour of working from any location you choose.

But before I explain the six-step process of becoming a digital nomad, let’s nail down its definition. 

What is a digital nomad?

A digital nomad is a location-independent professional who works remotely. This means a digital nomad isn’t tied to one workplace, unlike regular office workers. Instead, digital nomads work remotely. It may be from their favorite coffee shop, vacation destination, co-working space, home office, or a van in the middle of nowhere.

A nomadic lifestyle allows you to work while traveling, vacationing, visiting family and friends, or fulfilling your bucket list. As a digital nomad, you may work, stay, and play in Berlin for one month, then fly to Colombia the next month before heading to the digital nomad hotspot of Canggu in Bali.

The freedom that comes with digital nomadism is alluring!

However, you can’t become a digital nomad overnight. You need to plan your transition carefully to get the most out of your nomadic lifestyle and take your career to the next level. 

How to become a digital nomad

Follow these six steps to smoothly transition to digital nomadism: 

1. Evaluate your skill set

Depending on the requisite skill set of your current job role, becoming a digital nomad can either be an easy, natural transition, or it could require a significant amount of preparation. One of the first questions you should ask yourself before embracing the nomadic lifestyle is, “Can I complete 100% of my work tasks remotely?”

If you’re a white-collar worker working at a desk every day, your answer will likely be yes.

But if you’re a blue-collar, aka manual labor, or gray-collar worker, such as a teacher or child care workers, working remotely might not be an option. A Gallup study found that 72% of white-collar employees in the US worked remotely as of April 2021, while only 14% of blue-collar employees did the same. 

Let’s review three examples to gain perspective.

Example 1

 You’re a digital marketer (classified as white-collar). Your skill set includes: 

• Researching
• Writing content
• Editing content
• Analyzing data

In this case, you can easily become a digital nomad because you’ll face no operational hitches executing these tasks online. 

Example 2

You’re a construction worker (classified as blue-collar). Your skill set includes: 

• Masonry
• Caulking
• Carpentry 
• Painting

Because you can’t complete these tasks remotely, it’s difficult to transition to a digital nomad without upskilling or cross-skilling. Even if you work on multiple projects in different states or countries, you would be referred to as a freelancer or independent contractor.

Example 3

You’re a teacher or tutor (classified as gray-collar). Your skill set includes:

• Teaching
• Developing teaching materials
• Counseling 
• Mentoring

In this case, you can complete all these tasks remotely if your students are online too. But you may need to complete a certain percentage of in-person classes. Also, you’ll most likely require teaching licenses in new locations, making it challenging to teach in different states or countries. So it can be challenging, but not impossible, to practice digital nomadism full-time.

2. Pick a career path that complements your skills

If your skill set isn’t sufficient to help you naturally transition to a digital nomad, this doesn’t mean the digital nomad lifestyle is out of reach for you. It just means you’ll need to work harder to achieve it by adding new skills to your arsenal.

These are some of the most common skills digital nomads possess:

• Writing
• Graphic design
• Marketing
• Photography/Videography
• Web development
• UX/UI design
• Translation
• Editing

However, it’s not advisable to learn a random skill and hope it’ll help you land a nomad job. Instead, you should study one that complements your existing skill set. If you think about how you can use what you’re already good at to succeed as a digital nomad, the transition will become much easier.

Let’s refer to one of the examples in step one. Say you’re the construction worker in our second example. If you invest time and effort into developing your writing skills, you can begin your journey to digital nomadism. You may write about caulking and painting and share your articles online via your own website and social media, apply for freelance writing work, or seek out full-time remote work opportunities.

Your expertise in construction-related topics can help you grow a career in this niche. So, if you focus on polishing your writing skills, a digital nomad career will be achievable for you.

3. Grow your online presence

Once you’ve chosen a career path and acquired the skills necessary to excel in your field, it’s time to prepare for the job hunt.

The first step in this process is growing your online presence. As a digital nomad, your career is built online, and this is also most likely where you’ll find your next employer or client. If you’re not already active on LinkedIn, set up an account as soon as possible. 

Not only does this make it easier for employers and clients to find you, but it also makes you appear professional and trustworthy. You’re a digital nomad, so people will expect you to have a professional online presence.

Another way to grow your online presence is by creating a website or portfolio. Include some information about yourself and your background, as well as samples of your work. When you apply for jobs, include your website URL on your resume to give potential employers a better idea of your abilities.

4. Network

Networking is the easier part of building your digital nomad career. You’ll always find a peer in the same situation as you or someone with more experience as a digital nomad. Connecting with fellow nomads worldwide helps you exchange ideas, strategies, and tips to make your nomadic lifestyle more productive. 

Fortunately, you can create instant connections by joining digital nomad communities such as:

• Nomad List
• Digital Nomads Around the World
• Digital Nomad Girls 
• Digital Nomads Network

Besides connecting with other nomads, you should also network with prospective clients. Reach out to decision-makers, business owners, and influencers in your niche. Some of the ways you can connect with stakeholders in your industry include: 

• Attending webinars and events
• Participating in in-person workshops
• Reaching out on social media

Networking with fellow nomads and prospective clients is mostly cost-free. However, some professional associations may charge you a registration and subscription fee.

5. Look for remote jobs

In the initial stage of your digital nomad career, you’ll have to spend a lot of time marketing yourself to grow your client base. Fortunately, remote job sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Remote OK have made it easy to connect with clients. 

On these websites, you’ll find numerous remote job opportunities allowing you to work from anywhere as long you deliver quality work and meet submission deadlines. However, as you gradually build your client base, you’ll likely use job sites less, as you’ll have built a strong referral network. 

The trick is leveraging the client testimonials, reviews, and recommendations you get on various job sites to market your services on LinkedIn, social media, via email, and on your website. 

You can also use LinkedIn and online job boards to apply for jobs if you’re looking for full-time remote positions. Make sure to update your resume and pick a professional, well-designed resume template before you start sending out job applications. You won’t be meeting your employer in person so it’s even more important that you give off a professional impression because they need to be able to trust you to complete your work with minimal supervision.

6. Choose a location

Having a job that allows you to travel is a privilege most office workers can only dream of. But your budget may not allow you to hop from one country to the next at the beginning of your career. That's why most digital nomad beginners prefer to find an affordable destination where they can live cheaply.

Some of the top destinations for newbie digital nomads include:

• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Vietnam

When choosing a location to start your digital nomad career, consider these three essential factors: 

Visa requirements – Check the visa requirements in advance to get your paperwork in order so you don't have problems with immigration authorities. Here’s a list of countries with digital nomad visas. 

Cost of living – Prioritize destinations with an affordable cost of living to help you save more money. This is advisable even if it’s not your preferred destination. After you’ve built a sufficient safety net and a stable client base, you can live in your favorite destination without cost concerns.

Taxes – Review the tax requirements in your nomad destinations and resident country. Some countries, like Costa Rica, offer tax-free digital nomad visas. If you’re a US citizen or a Green Card holder, you must file a US Federal Tax Return regardless of the country you work from. 

Digital nomad community – Check if your location has a thriving nomad community. Connecting with a group of like-minded people can help you feel less isolated when moving to a new place.

How to Build a Career as a Digital Nomad – Final Words

You can build a lucrative, fun, and fulfilling digital nomad career if you get these six steps right.

Pursuing a digital nomad career is an exciting journey to achieving the elusive freedom many professionals like yourself crave.

About the author