I f you often imagine being awoken for work by splash- ing waves instead of an alarm clock, and your o ce be- ing a sun-drenched terrace with postcard views, believe that you are not alone. A new generation of businesspeo- ple who rule the domain of online business has succeeded in turning that dream into a reality, and thus the generation of “digital nomads” has emerged. What precisely does that mean? Starting with the old wisdom of “Choose a job that you love and you won’t work a day in your life”, digital nomads haven’t stopped at just turn- ing their passion into a profession: they see the entire plan- et as their o ce by constantly changing their environment. In practise, that implies that, for a given job with a particu- lar employer, they only stay for a certain period of time and then move on around the world, or that the bene ts of glob- al connectivity provided for us by today’s technology more than ever before in known human development mean that they can live in any place they like on the planet and carry their work with them. Of course, regular and a ordable ights
jednolični ofis u sivom poslovnom kom- pleksu zamenili egzotičnim lokacijama poput Tajlanda, nekom od zemalja Juž- ne Amerike ili inspirativnim megalopo- lisima poput Barselone ili Los Anđelesa. Istraživanja javnog mnjenja, uz uče- šće biheviorista i sociologa, pokazuju da ovaj koncept nezavisnosti od lokacije kao načina rada i života postaje globalni fe- nomen i da se do kraja 2020. očekuje da čak polovina stanovništva ispod 50 go- dina prisvoji fleksibilniji životni stil, di- jametralno suprotan od „kuća–posao“ postulata prošlosti. Prerogativ za takvu vrstu slobode je odabir posla, a nakon to- ga sve je u stabilnoj internet konekciji. Svedočenja onih koji su se otisnuli u no- madski biznis model pokazuju da svaka utopija danas ima i svoje izazove. Napu- štanje zone komfora i sredine u kojoj ste odrasli, razlike u jeziku, valuti, običajima i rutini, kao i mnoštvo drugih nepozna- nica sa kojima ćete se neminovno sresti deo su procesa koji vas očekuje ukoliko se odlučite na ovakvu drastičnu prome- nu, ali će vam svi odreda reći da je upra- vo takvo iskustvo neprocenjivo. Ipak, ono što digitalni nomadi često pominju kao najveći izazov jeste usamljenost. Premda nenadmašni u krugovima onlajn netvor- kinga, ne polazi im za rukom da podjed- nako brzo ostvare bitnu povezanost sa lju- dima oko sebe u novoj sredini, a učestale selidbe sa jednog na drugo mesto one- mogućavaju stvaranje značajnih prijatelj- stava i veza koji sežu dalje od površnih. Ipak, većina ne bi ni po koju cenu menja- la svoj nomadski ritam – da može da ra- di odakle želi, u šortsu, pidžami, na plaži, planini, uz manje stresa nego u klasičnoj kancelariji – i da im „out of oce reply“ nikad više ne zatreba.
help them immensely in that, while so- cial networks serve them as a digital version of passport stamps. Such an adventurous modus op- erandi is no longer the exception that con rms the rule that masses of young people would on a whim switch their monotone o ce in a grey business com- plex for exotic locations such as Thai- land, some South American country, or inspiring megalopolises like Barcelona or Los Angeles. Public opinion polls that include the participation of behaviour- ists and sociologists show that this con- cept of independence from location as a way of life and work is becoming a global phenomenon, and that as many as half of the population aged under fty are expected to adopt a more exible life- style by the end of 2020, one that’s dia- metrically opposed to the“home-work-
Polazeći od stare mudrosti „Izaberi posao koji voliš i nećeš raditi ni dana u životu“, digitalni nomadi su celu planetu pretvorili u svoj ofis Starting with the old wisdom of “Choose a job that you love and you won’t work a day in your life”, digital nomads see the entire planet as their o ce
home” postulates of the past. The prerogative for this kind of freedom is selecting the right job, and after that everything lies in having a stable internet connection. The testimonies of those who’ve switched to the nomad- ic business model show that every utopia today also has its own challenges. Abandoning the comfort zone of the envi- ronment in which you grew up, di erences in language, cur- rency, customs and routines, as well as many other unknowns that you will inevitably encounter, all represent part of the process that awaits you if you decide to make such a dras- tic change, but everyone who has done it will tell you how such an experience is invaluable. Still, what digital nomads often cite as the biggest challenge is loneliness. Although unsurpassed in online networking circles, they don’t nd it quite as easy to forge essential connections with the people around them in their new environment as quickly, and fre- quently relocating from one place to another prevents them from making meaningful friendships and relationships that go beyond the super cial. Nevertheless, no price would convince most of them to change their nomadic rhythm - to be able to work from wher- ever they want, in shorts, pyjamas, on the beach, in the moun- tains, with less stress than in a traditional o ce - and to nev- er again need an “out of o ce reply”.
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