Life as a Digital Nomad – Not Just For Hipsters and IT Gurus

Every day everyday people quit their jobs and leap into life as a digital nomad. Why can’t it be you?

Life as a digital nomad
Beer at sunset during our house sit in Thailand

A lot of people want to be a digital nomad or have a job that means they are location independent but may have concerns about what it really means for their lifestyle, or perhaps whether they are too old, or don’t have the right skills to be able to work online.

Well we are here to tell you that you aren’t too old, it definitely is for you no matter what kind of person you are and that you no doubt have the skills to be able to earn money to work online from wherever you want.

Miami Cafe Penang for Digital Nomads
View from our favourite cafe in Penang – Miami Cafe

Did you know you can be a digital nomad from home? Or if you have young kids? Or if you aren’t going to be a blogger or Instagram star? You don’t have to fit into a certain age bracket and you don’t have to be an IT expert doing software development for a major company.

Family Activities Sydney
Before we left Australia we took a road trip and spent a few days in Sydney.

Many think they are too old and see digital nomads as being a certain stereotype… usually a young person sitting in a coffee shop with their laptop or on the beach in a bikini taking photos for their instagram. There are heaps of people making their money doing that, and that’s awesome, but there is even more people doing ordinary and non glamorous jobs so they can live the life they actually want.

Digital Nomads - Fresh coconut water in Batu Ferringhi, Malaysia
Fresh coconut water in Penang Malaysia

There is also the train of thought that you have to wait until you’re in your mid 50s or hit 60 and retire early, take your retirement savings or sell your home and then head out and have fun. We have also met many families who are out on the road with a couple of kids living the life of digital nomads exploring the planet. In Penang we even met a family from Canada travelling with four children under the age of ten! They had previously been in the Bahamas before Penang and then were heading off to Sri Lanka next.

Digital Nomads - Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

There are plenty of jobs that you can do from anywhere in the world online with minimal experience and without very expensive courses. One of the most popular choices for many is to get a TESOL Certificate and teach English online. It’s cheap and easy to get certified and online teaching companies are always urgently looking for candidates with certain characteristics (find out more here). Of course that is not the only option if it doesn’t interest you or you don’t meet the requirements.

Digital Nomads - Neolithic Burial Chamber - North West Wales
Neolithic Burial Chamber – North West Wales

There are so many options for working online no matter your background, nationality, education and skills. Check out more jobs you can do online to become a digital nomad here.

Digital Nomads - Working by the pool - Penang - Malaysia
Working by the pool in Penang

Don’t just dream about being a digital nomad thinking you don’t have what it takes or that it’s too difficult.

Most people can be fired from their job at anytime, having a job isn’t the security blanket that it used to be, why rely on someone else wanting to keep you employed when you can manage and control that yourself? Is it really easier working 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week, fighting traffic, dealing with annoying co-workers, only getting weekends off?

Wouldn’t it be easier to work where you want, when you want, with who you want?

Do you have more questions about becoming a digital nomad? Let us know in the comments!

Further reading:

What You Need to Consider as a Digital Nomad – Income

A Day in The Life of a Digital Nomad

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