Last week I spent two days in Eureka and Libby, Montana visiting with local officials, business owners and students. Unemployment in Lincoln County is high. The scenery is spectacular, but they need better jobs. One fascinating discovery was that we found a number of people telecommuting to high-wage jobs in big cities from their homes there. One man telecommutes to his job at AT&T on the east coast; another to his job in California for Hewlett Packard. These jobs pay national wages.
As more and more companies embrace telecommuting, more opportunities open for Montanans. Once again the Internet is removing geography as a constraint just like it did for us at RightNow. By combining the Montana work ethic, our quality of life, and an Internet connection, Montana is the ideal location for telecommuters, both employees and employers.
A quick search of the web found many sites offering job opportunities for telecommuters. One site (www.flexjobs.com) listed over 2,400 individual jobs currently open for people seeking opportunities that could be done remotely, provided you have a phone, Internet connection, and relevant experience.
While at one high school on this trip to Lincoln County, 37 of the 40 students I was speaking with said they plan to leave the state when they graduate. I was shocked. They just don’t see opportunities locally. Could telecommuting help create opportunities for them? Could we promote telecommuting to the generations of young people who have already left Montana, but wish to return?
If you know someone who currently telecommutes from Montana, please send me their contact information. I think by shining a light on Montana telecommuting success stories we can create opportunities for more Montanans.
May 28, 2014 @ 5:00 pm
The global economy has its detractors, but once the shakeout is further along, coupling the global economy with the Internet opportunities will change lots of things. For example, not too many decades ago, everyone who spoke of jobs in Montana whined that, “…we’re too far from the marketplace…” to make anything here. Well, if we can ship it through Montana, we certainly could ship it from Montana, in my opinion, and BNSF has about 12,000-15,000 trains a years shipping stuff through Montana, not including RailLink. And not only do we have telecommuters working from Montana, we have people who live here that physically commute to their jobs all over the world. Keys: telecommunications/Internet, Global Economy, Transportation. Opportunities abound, and with those three elements, we can change Montana if we change our institutional mindset. Historically, it’s been, “Yes, we can’t.”
May 29, 2014 @ 12:53 pm
I agree completely…
We need a database that would be available to all Montanans to access good, quality jobs via telecommuting.
Maybe work with an existing private sector job placement company to list jobs and place people in them.
May 30, 2014 @ 3:32 pm
Hi Greg,
I am a success story in a sense as I moved to Montana in 2004 while telecommuting for a company in upstate New York, I have since departed that position and have held numerous positions throughout Montana ranging from developing software to Director of IT duties, some on-site and others as a remote worker.
My family and I were able to move to Montana because I was able to telecommute. We came out to Montana in 2002 for our honeymoon and enjoyed the wonders of Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Bozeman, and the surrounding areas, upon our arrival my wife and I instantly fell in love and knew we wanted to move to SW Montana and raise our young kids. Since I was working as a telecommuter for the company in upstate New York while residing in Illinois at the time, we decided to make the leap and move to Montana in June of 2004 – ever since we have enjoyed the wonderful views we have in the Madison Valley south of Ennis while striving to bring more awareness to technology in our state.
The thing I would say had the most influence on my ability to telecommute was my previous employer, had they not been open minded enough to be open to off-site employees I may still be outside Washington DC working – which is a horrible thought in my mind 🙂
Anyways, if you are interested in speaking more, please feel free to contact me.
Be Well!
June 4, 2014 @ 6:15 am
Brad – We are working on a web site to feature Montanans that telecommute. Would you be willing to tell your story for that site? – greg
June 11, 2014 @ 12:09 pm
Hi Greg,
Yes I would be willing and interested in telling my story.
I work over here in the technology park with Joe, Wayne, and team at TEXbase so feel free to contact me via email or swing in and say Hi!
Be well!
Brad
August 14, 2014 @ 3:47 pm
Hi Greg,
Really appreciate what you are doing here. I recently moved back to my hometown of Helena after working in New York City the last few years with one of the top digital music services. I was fortunate in that they asked me to stay on and have since been working remotely. I’d be willing to share my experiences as well.
Thanks,
Nate
June 9, 2014 @ 8:40 am
Hello Greg,
I own a business that uses the internet and telephone to interact with my clients…though my employees don’t telecommute necessarily. We live and work in Lincoln County but most of my clients are spread throughout Montana. We achieved this by offering the best service possible; and it is possible to be the best as well as be very remote as long as you are available (ie. internet connections, phone, fax, etc.). I’ve been able to hire over-qualified people that are willing to fill my positions because they want to live and work here. I have kids in school (middle school through college), and they and their classmates have so much to offer the world. I am interested in developing ways to grow the Montana economy while preserving the lifestyles that make it so appealing. I think entrepreneurship is key in that effort. So, though I’m not telecommuting, I’m using the same technology and concepts to run a business here. This is another way to live and work in this great state!
Thank you for all you’re doing to help Montana’s kids that want to stay here in the future.