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The Joys of Working from My Home Town

In the digital era, where every business and organization need an online presence, thousands of websites are being developed every day. Web design, and design in general has always lent itself to remote work, but I’d always found myself chasing work in larger cities. Often working for large international companies with a London or Dublin base. With the wide adoption of WordPress, and now the advent of the much-improved CMS Webflow, I’m finding myself better able to take my skills and lend them to much smaller, even local businesses. That combined with the fact that web designers can work either from home or an office and don’t need to be in a major city to do great work. 

I remember talking to a successful local business owner at a conference in 2016; upon me stating I was thinking of moving back to Derry and working from there. He warned that there was little to no demand or market for it locally and that it was likely not a wise move.

That was one piece of advice I wish I had ignored earlier. 

I had just spent Christmas at home in December 2019. As usual I had spent most of the break wondering what life would be like if I did actually move home. I had just signed a remote client in the weeks before Christmas and that work would carry me the next 4 months. When news started to float that a pandemic might be on the cards in January of 2020, I decided to take the plunge.

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Access to a Global Market

A common misconception is that your freelance web design work is limited to your local clients. You must promote your skills, and if the market is not right, then you are out of luck. This is 2022; there are a series of ways to do business, face-to-face, one on one through the internet. The pandemic made everyone from little kids to grannies & grandas familiar with Zoom. Business owners are no longer surprised when you set up an online meeting.  Location is no longer a limitation. 

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Lower Cost of Living

Compared to the rest of the UK, you’ll be able to stretch your money further than people in a higher cost of living area. Everything in Derry, as compared to say London or Dublin, or even Belfast, does costs less. From houses to transportation to groceries and utilities. You can purchase a three-bedroom home in Derry for the same price you might get a studio flat in London. If you want to save some money, smaller cities like Derry are something a web designer should keep in mind.

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Higher Quality of Life

There is so much stuff to see & do now in Derry. Along with the annual festivities, from the Jazz Festival to the Halloween parade, there is an absolute abundance of beautiful cafes & spaces to sit & meet other people, friends & clients. Lots of local spaces will also let you work remotely too! With the new road to Belfast almost complete, and nature on our doorstep (you don’t have to look far to see green fields from any vantage point!). The Atlantic Ocean & nearby beaches in Donegal & even the activities you can take on the Foyle. To live like this in a capital city you’d need to have a lot more funds.

As well as all that my hometown allows me to slow down. I feel like my work is much more focused and productive when I’ve spent Sunday genuinely relaxing and not say trekking across the busy tube on London to transport a coffee table back from Ikea. I can work hard during the week & take life easy and focus on friends & family at the weekend. Because any journey across town is also much shorter than in a big city, I also have more time on my hands, which allow me to spend more time on work, rest, practice my hobbies, and reflect on my life. 

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Family Support System

Don’t want to miss out on being there for your siblings when they grow up? Your parent’s health? What about your close friend? Then, working from your hometown can be a major advantage. Yes, our family can sometimes be frustrating, but we can’t reach where we want to go without them, and we need to be there for them also. Living in the same city as most of my family members and friends gives me a good chance to get stay in touch with my cousins, uncles, and aunts. All people I’d hardly spoken to while I was away. Believe me; it is a lot better than making awkward small talk over the phone occasionally. Plus, if I ever did run into any sort of trouble, I know my friends and family will always be there to help me out.

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Local Knowledge

One of the biggest advantages I observe in working from my hometown is the fact that I know the people, norms & culture of the town much better than anyone from further afield trying to sell services to local businesses. Instead of getting lost in a massive sea of competitors, it is a lot easier to get a client’s attention. In fact, I might even be a customer, or know people who are customers. Meaning I’ll usually have a good understanding already of some of the business’ pain points & areas of friction. This allows me to tailor my work to completely fit the specific needs of my clients so I can build long-term relationships with them.

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Conclusion

Working as a web designer in Derry isn’t without its challenges, but it brings a lot of opportunities for learning and growth. For this reason, I choose to stay in my hometown to continue my freelance web designing career. When deciding where to live and which areas are more productive for you, I would definitely consider which individual factors are most important. They say the grass is always greener on the other side.  But remember, if you’re a freelance web designer, graphic designer or in any other profession that allows you to work remote – you can always try it on an initial project first, work remote in another location before you make your move. Hopefully once you do, you won’t look back.