I’m writing this article wrapped in a warm blanket on my favourite sofa, with my dog curled up next to me, listening to raindrops hitting the window and sipping a cup of delicious, aromatic black coffee. No, this is not a snippet from my holiday journal: it is a description of my typical working day.

Working remotely means working in an environment where I feel most comfortable. I don’t need to spend hours stuck in traffic to get home; I finish my work for the day and immediately begin spending quality time with my family. I can wear a comfy sweatshirt, jeans, and fluffy socks and enjoy the company of my family – all of which enable me to reach my peak productivity.

Our ability to communicate over many different channels and distances has changed the landscape of how we work and socialise. When I was a kid we were unreachable until we got home near a landline. Now we have a myriad of ways of staying in touch. While this has annoying, distracting downsides, it opens up a new world for companies to engage in remote work solutions.

I started reinteractive as a 100% remote software development company. While not all businesses are suited to this model, I find that many software developers enjoy remote work.

Here at reinteractive, I feel very privileged to have access to some of the most awesome and talented Rails devs. I still have much to learn and through flowdock, our group chat app, I am regularly treated to some great tips and techniques as our devs uncover new and clever ways of doing things.

Last week, for example, I learned that the plural of corgi is corgwn. Yes, I know that sounds totally random and not at all useful, even at trivia night. But it is a great example of the wonderful culture we have here at reinteractive.

Working as an Operations Developer for reinteractive (a company half-the-world away from the peaceful refuge that I call home), has allowed me to not only get a competitive income, but to continue to develop as an IT professional. I work with amazing people, enjoy an encouraging company culture and have access to technologies, techniques and a knowledge base populated by professionals, in a way that transcends all commonly established barriers.

One of the problems emerging countries face is a lack of competitive opportunities for young people to stay and work locally after finishing college. In Panama, where I come from, a lot of college/university students who display talent tend to apply for jobs abroad, especially in the U.S. and other first world countries. It’s not that there aren't any good jobs here but, in certain industries like IT, they are very scarce and/or seriously underpaid. This situation becomes more severe the further you go from the capital.