I've been working remotely since 2016 and wouldn't trade it for anything.
Having more control over my work environment, finding the perfect work-life balance, having more energy and fewer distractions (which lead to greater productivity) are something that, for me, is beyond discussion. I don't miss working in person.
You see, I was lucky enough to work with (and make new) friends over the past few years; this friendship allowed us to discuss, share ideas, accept mistakes and exceptionally acquire knowledge. But, most of all, having fun doing what I love: coding.
There's one thing, though, that became special for me: pair programming.
That's right, the simple technique where two programmers work together at the same workstation, where one person is coding while the other is reviewing and providing feedback and after a couple minutes, the roles switch.
I rarely work individually. This became natural and very organic; we can improve the code quality, share knowledge and skills among the team - Everyone grow together. Everyone knows about all projects.
Seeing how another person reason and understanding the differences in thinking when solving a problem is incredible. Sharing is awesome. There's something special when sharing experiences with others, after all:
"Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow"
And I couldn't agree more.
That's not the reality for everybody though, especially after the pandemic; talking with people from other companies or even on social-media, I realized that this is not a common practice and that, a lot of fellow developers have been experiencing loneliness, difficulty connecting with people at work, lack of interaction, which can lead to a lack of separation between personal and professional life.
Many people blame the remote work format, I disagree entirely. Self-awareness and common sense are essential: There are days that I want to work alone (but I don't feel lonely), and there are days that I could use a pair (but I also respect other people's space).
If you are working remotely and feeling lonely (and wouldn't like to), it's worth trying something new. At first, it may be different, but if it works for a lot of people - it has a chance it works for you too.
After all, we are part of the same community.
If you decide to give it a try, here are some useful tools for remote pair programming: