{"id":50208,"date":"2023-10-05T12:11:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T19:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/?p=50208"},"modified":"2023-10-11T10:12:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T17:12:30","slug":"how-to-become-digital-nomad-karla-fernandes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/career-advice\/how-to-become-digital-nomad-karla-fernandes\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Become a Digital Nomad In 2024, According to Springboard Mentor Karla Fernandes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meet Karla Fernandes, a mentor for Springboard\u2019s UI\/UX Design Bootcamp. <\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With more than two decades of experience as a designer, focusing on UX\/UI design & digital product design<\/a>, Karla Fernandes is a quintessential remote worker or digital nomad. She speaks four languages, has lived in 11 countries, and worked with over 150 small businesses worldwide through her design consultancy, Vitamina K<\/a>. She specializes in helping clients launch fully functional MVP (minimum viable product) applications in just eight weeks using no-code tools<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After deciding Switzerland was her dream country, she sold all her belongings and left her hometown in Brazil. Even now, she says she can still fit all her belongings into two suitcases, excluding the furniture in her apartment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karla
Karla fits all her belongings into two suitcases<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the best things about traveling while working remotely, she says, is learning about design standards and how they vary from one country to the next. Cross-cultural UX design accounts for how cultural attitudes influence users\u2019 motivations. For example, attitudes towards individualism versus collectivism, or the degree to which societies have a \u201clong-term orientation\u201d (planning for the future\u201d) versus indulgence (instant gratification). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karla has explored much of Europe and South America and plans to travel to Asia for the first time this year, starting with Thailand. She has been a Springboard mentor<\/a> for nearly four years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve lived in so many countries and speak four languages. How did you become such a global citizen?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After leaving my last full-time job, I started my own design business. In 2011, I lived in Brazil and realized none of my clients were local. We communicated using Skype and email. So, I took a 40-day trip to Europe, and during that trip, I met my clients in Switzerland and France. That\u2019s when I realized it was time to leave Brazil and explore. I spent some time in Buenos Aires, then came back to Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you decided it was time to leave, how did you determine where to go?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Switzerland was always my final destination. Generally, when I travel, I\u2019m always excited to go back home to Brazil after a couple of weeks. But when I went to Switzerland, I didn\u2019t have that homesick feeling. I thought, oh gosh, what do I do now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went to Buenos Aires because I didn\u2019t have a visa to live in Europe; I could only stay for 180 days at a time. So I sold everything I owned\u2013my car, my furniture\u2013donated my clothes, put everything in two suitcases, and left.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karla<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once you decided it was time to leave, how did you determine where to go?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Deciding which town to go to next was always easy because there were so many opportunities. Once you\u2019re on the road, you just keep going. When I was in Argentina, my client in France told me, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come to Paris?\u201d Then I went to Turkey, even though I don\u2019t have clients there, and Montenegro. One of my dearest memories there was spending time near the beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some practical considerations you made before deciding to travel somewhere?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I would consider the cost of living and whether or not I speak the local language. I speak English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, which are not spoken everywhere. When I went to Turkey and Istanbul, I knew there were a few international towns where everyone spoke English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karla
Karla in Berlin, Germany<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some digital nomads travel constantly, while others establish a home base in a foreign country and travel regionally. What made you decide to do that?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I just knew I didn\u2019t want to stay in Brazil anymore, and I was ready to do whatever it took. I knew that if something went wrong, I could return to my parents\u2019 house, so why would I keep my old apartment? I already have bills to pay wherever I go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has being a digital nomad turned you into a minimalist? How has it changed you existentially or spiritually?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s freedom in knowing all you have are two suitcases. Wherever you go, all your belongings go with you. You realize you don\u2019t need many things. For example, I realized I needed a good knife to cut and prepare food. All the other things are just extras. All my digital files are stored on my tablet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a different lifestyle. I stopped buying clothes because I realized my style was constantly evolving. As a designer, you also see this evolution in yourself. When you start as a junior designer, you have particular tastes and grow out of them. It\u2019s natural. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karla
Karla’s home office in Switzerland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What opportunities have you gained as a designer by becoming a digital nomad?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main opportunity is understanding different cultures and working with clients worldwide. When you interact with diverse people, you see how they relate to design differently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In China, they have these super-sized apps that are filled with information. They\u2019re not minimalist or focused on white space. The app is crowded, but that\u2019s considered normal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design standards vary widely across the world. Have you learned anything recently that surprised you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Colors make an impact in different ways. In Brazil and Turkey, colors are used to grab attention. Here in Switzerland, they mainly use black, red, and white, and the design is very clean. I remember reading a case study about how Moroccans don\u2019t use the color yellow on websites because it\u2019s considered ugly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrast your last in-office role with your current role. What are the most significant differences in job satisfaction and overall life satisfaction?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I had so many jobs before I became a freelancer. The most significant benefit is freedom. However, that is also my biggest problem. If you don\u2019t know how to manage your time well, you cannot be self-employed. You must track how many hours you spend on projects or how long it takes to draft a proposal for a customer. You don\u2019t have paid vacations, but you can make your own free time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second advantage is the variety of work. When you work for a company, you mostly do the same thing again and again\u2013retouching designs or adding new features at a slow pace. As a freelancer, you can choose projects.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karla's<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many folks are interested in landing a remote job but worry they might be called back to the office in the future. How do you ensure that when you apply for a remote job, it\u2019s genuinely remote?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This happened to me once. You can always quit. That’s my main advice. Many people think that when they get a full-time job, it’s forever. You must grow and learn every day. Maybe you start as a UX designer and move into motion design. Or you change industries until you find one you\u2019re passionate about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People often forget that when they interview for a job, they should be interviewing the company to see if it\u2019s the right fit for them<\/em>. Decide if you want to work there, if the product excites you. If not, what\u2019s the point?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some questions job applicants should ask during the interview process for a remote job?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you want to become a digital nomad, there are some crucial questions you should ask. Is there a daily meeting? Is communication synchronous, or can I respond later? Do I have project deadlines? Be very clear. GitLab is a 100% remote company and even provides a course on remote collaboration before you join the team, which is fantastic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask about the rules of working remotely from different time zones. Be upfront. Tell them if you plan to move to a different country every three months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karla<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re planning to travel and work remotely on a temporary basis, should you tell your employer?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s not written in your contract, you don\u2019t need to say anything. The point is you are delivering what is required of you. If you\u2019re meeting deadlines, in most cases, nobody will ask where you\u2019re working from. As a Springboard mentor, I\u2019ll often tell my mentees if I\u2019m traveling, but it doesn\u2019t change how I deliver my work or impact my students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has being a digital nomad made you a better mentor?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People get very excited when they hear about my travels. I get to share my experiences and advise them on how to think about their budgets. People think it\u2019s costly to travel and work remotely; I would say it\u2019s the opposite. You just need to choose wisely. Some countries have a very cheap cost of living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exposure to different cultures has also made me more empathetic to my mentees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that note, how do you become a digital nomad on a budget?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve spent the last seven years moving from place to place. In that time, I\u2019ve never spent more than $1,500 a month, including travel costs and accommodation. You can decide whether to eat at a fancy restaurant or cook for yourself. Traveling by bus is usually cheaper than flying. If you don\u2019t need to live like a king, you can live well on a budget.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet Karla Fernandes, a mentor for Springboard\u2019s UI\/UX Design Bootcamp.  With more than two decades of experience as a designer, focusing on UX\/UI design & digital product design, Karla Fernandes is a quintessential remote worker or digital nomad. She speaks four languages, has lived in 11 countries, and worked with over 150 small businesses worldwide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":50210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"marketing_tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-50208","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-career-advice"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50208"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50208"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50369,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50208\/revisions\/50369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50208"},{"taxonomy":"marketing_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/marketing_tags?post=50208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}