If you can add value and solve business problems effectively then you can do most programming/IT jobs remotely and on your own schedule. Some jobs require on-site presence (system admin for a data center, for example). I have worked at freelance programming and system admin (cloud servers) for over a decade while traveling all over the world, for quite a few US-based companies. My customers have business problems to solve, they don't care where I do it from or what hours I keep.
When selling yourself to a customer (or employer) you have to persuade them that you can add value and solve problems. You don't want to start the discussion making demands about your work habits. Focus on what they need you to do, not where or when or how you will do it. Don't filter potential jobs by "remote," almost all jobs in this field can work remotely for the right person, meaning a person who solves problems and doesn't create headaches for the customer/employer.
In my experience, listening to my customers and keeping them informed gives me a significant advantage. Domain expertise helps a lot -- understanding the business requirements and needs so you deliver what your customer wants. The most common complaint I hear from my customers: The last developer, freelancer, or outsourcing shop didn't communicate. That means answering emails, Slack messages, phone calls right away so your customer (or employer) doesn't think you disappeared.
Cloud server infrastructure/administration lends itself to remote work. I do a lot of that.
Programming also lends itself to remote work on my own schedule. I specialize in working on abandoned and legacy code bases -- meaning the original developers left or no longer answer emails and calls from the customer. Most of that work involves web sites and databases.
In this context, asynchronous means the work can be done at anytime.
I appreciate everything that you have to say about professionalism and adding value. I've been lucky to freelance for a lot of amazing people and organizations over the years, but most of it has been live / in real time.
Anyway, will you please share a bit more about remote and asynchronous cloud server infrastructure / administration?
I'm relatively new to programming, but I'm improving every day, and I've already had a lot of fun (and professional success) with web development. I don't think it's my passion, but it's still work that I'd be happy to complete remotely and on my own time.
I’ve worked with Unix since it came out, and cloud infrastructure since it became available. Most customers have fairly simple setups but you have to know about security, performance/networking, Linux configuration and maintenance, and how the various cloud providers work. System admin makes a good freelancing business because small/medium-size companies don’t usually have enough work to keep someone full-time, so either their programmers do it (badly and reluctantly) or they outsource.
