Once upon a time, for every ambitious Indian developer, there was only one golden ticket to tech success — the mighty H1B visa. The dream was simple: crack DSA, grind LeetCode, get into FAANG, and fly off to the land of opportunity. But for me, Kartik Mehta (a.k.a. Mehta for the cool ones), the dream wasn’t about crossing oceans. It was about crossing WiFi routers.

Honestly, I never had the H1B dream. Not because I didn’t want the dollars, but because I knew that the internet made geography irrelevant. Remote work promised global pay, flexible hours, and zero commute, all while keeping me close to my family and friends!

Hi! I’m a Software Engineer at rtCamp, currently living in Ghaziabad (NCR), UP, but for a good chunk of the year, you’ll find me sipping chai in Manali at my maternal grandparents' home — working remotely with the mountains as my backdrop. I’ll share more about my journey as a nomad programmer as you continue reading this blog. But for now, I don’t want to overwhelm you with my professional story. Instead, let me take you back to where it all began — my early days of programming.

How It All Began

Like every other Class 11 student who chose Computer Science, I was handed the legendary book —Computer Science with C++ by Sumita Arora. Thick, intimidating, and filled with code snippets that looked like ancient spells, it was my first real introduction to C++. At first, I wasn’t sure why we were torturing ourselves with semicolons and curly braces when Excel already existed. But then came pattern printing programs, and everything changed. (I don’t know why, but I still like pattern printing, haha) There was something oddly satisfying about making stars appear in the shape of a triangle, a square, or even a pyramid—all with just a few lines of code.

The moment I saw my first "Hello, World!" program run successfully, I knew there was no turning back. Programming wasn’t just a subject anymore — it was a puzzle, a challenge, and honestly, a little bit of magic.

And just like that, I was hooked.

Fast-forwarding to college, which I attended at KIET Group of Institutions, Ghaziabad, I found myself surrounded by people who weren’t as ambitious about their goals as I was (though, of course, there were exceptions). I still tried to engage in college activities and get involved in the coding culture on campus.

By the time I hit my second year of college, while many were religiously grinding Data Structures & Algorithms, dreaming of FAANG jobs, I found myself on a different path. Sure, I gave DSA a shot, but soon, development caught my eye, and that was it. I dived headfirst into everything I could get my hands on: Web Development, Mobile Development, Blockchain, Cloud, DevOps — you name it. While most of my peers stuck to a single tech stack throughout college, I had a different approach: why settle for one when you can explore it all? And honestly, I still do! (Just check my X [a.k.a Twitter], where I randomly post about whatever new tech fascinates me.)

Back then, I had this grand dream of launching my own firm, but well… college life had its own plans. I couldn’t make it happen then, but guess what? Now I have one. (More on that in the next section—stay tuned!)

Until I Landed My First Remote Job

The Grind

The early days of job hunting? Brutal! Imagine this - every week in my 3rd year of college, I was applying for 20-25 jobs, hoping to land a remote role. And no, I’m not exaggerating!

I must’ve crossed 100+ applications, yet most of them didn’t even make it past the automated rejection wall. Some companies rejected me so fast that I’m convinced they had my name on a blacklist, haha. Even today, my resume doesn’t make it past certain “renowned” hiring platforms. (Seriously, if anyone reading this knows why, please hit me up!)

I tried everything,

• Twitter / LinkedIn direct messages, Cold emails

• Referrals (didn’t get many)

• Company websites & portals (where job applications go to die)

• Wellfound (because startups have vibes)

The One That Hurt the Most

Ah, January 2023, the time when I almost had a dream part-time gig. A company that shall not be named had taken me through all their interview rounds. It is a US-based startup that works on creating Alexa skills for their clients. The pay was set at $20/hr — not bad for my experience at the time. I was this close to signing the contract. And then?

GHOSTED

Just like that. One minute I was discussing salary details, the next, I was left on “read” because they had a sudden hiring freeze. I was shattered, but giving up was never an option. I knew my worth, and I knew my time was coming.

You know the worst thing here? Cracking an interview? Easy. Getting an interview? A nightmare. For every 50 applications, I’d get maybe one interview call. And no matter how confident I was, the constant rejections and ghosting started messing with my mind.

Did I ever think of giving up on remote jobs? Never. One big reason? Waking up five minutes before standup syncs. The thought of waking up at 7 AM to commute to an office? Absolutely not happening.

My First Remote Job at Push Protocol

Finally, my breakthrough moment. I came across Push Protocol (Push Chain) while browsing Wellfound (formerly AngelList). They had a Rockstar Intern opening, and something told me — this is it. I applied and, to my surprise, got a response. My interview was taken by Pranshu Rastogi, Head of Ecosystem & Integrations at Push Chain. It was one of those conversations where everything just clicked. He saw my potential, and before I knew it, I was offered an internship as "Intern – Ecosystem & Growth."

This wasn’t just another internship, it was a life-changing experience where I learned:

• Support the growth and expansion of ecosystem, leveraging the understanding of the web3 culture and landscape.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify, design, and implement process improvements and new features.

• Onboarding people smarter than me to Push's Ecosystem - took around 35 interviews.

• Managing Push Ambassador India program (1st iteration).

After countless rejections, ghostings, and second-guessing myself, getting that offer email was pure validation. I had officially entered the remote work world, proving to myself that I belonged here.

After Push Protocol, my career kept evolving:

1. Part-time Full-Stack Developer at Social3

2. Currently a Software Engineer at rtCamp

Looking back, the journey was messy, unpredictable, and exhausting, but worth every bit of effort. If you’re an aspiring developer looking to break into remote work, trust me, it’s possible. Keep learning, keep applying, and never let rejections define you.

A Day in My Life

I technically start my workday at 10:30 AM, but let’s be honest — I wake up at 10:20 AM. That means exactly 10 minutes to go from “half-asleep zombie” to “fully functional software engineer.”

First things first, I check Slack. Not for work, though, I just want to see who’s online and who isn’t. If my project manager is missing, I know I have a grace period. If my favourite people are online, I drop a casual good morning.

Then comes the daily standup. While some people prepare reports and task updates, my approach is simple:

• Yeah, I’m working on stuff.

• Stuff that I may or may not have already completed but haven't pushed yet.

• Stuff that sounds technical enough so no one questions me.

After successfully surviving standup, it's time to get serious. Or at least, try.

I sit at my dedicated desk setup, which isn’t exactly "Pinterest aesthetic." (below)

• Messy cables everywhere.

• A wall rug of an NFT (because why not).

• Another laptop playing Beyblade episodes.

I start coding while listening to Punjabi songs (for me, its Karan Aujla & Shubh), eating constantly, and switching tabs between Slack, Twitter, and GitHub. Am I a focused single-tasker? Absolutely not. Everything is open at once — Slack, VS Code, YouTube, GitHub, and a random Jira page that I opened but never actually use.

Post-work, I dive into my side projects and my software agency, Tailwine. Whether it's coding something new, collaborating with other devs, or just pushing commits to make my GitHub graph look cool, I try to maximize this time. Even after "official" work hours, I sometimes end up coding late into the night — either for side projects, open-source contributions, or just random experiments that I may or may not finish.

But you know what the best part of a remote job is? You can always pretend you're working even when you aren't! I'm on a spree to visit and explore different states. So far, I've visited Jaipur, Ladakh, Manali, Amritsar, Ahemdabad, and various other places without taking any official leave. You just work at night and travel during the day.

Don't you think it's super cool?

The Struggles No One Talks About

When Work Steals Your Night

Working remotely for a US client means my schedule isn’t always in my control. Late-night meetings at 10:30 or 11 PM (IST) are pretty normal, and let’s just say, they’ve ruined my sleep schedule beyond repair.

Some nights, I tell myself, "I'll take a quick nap before the meeting."
Reality? I wake up in panic mode at 10:32 PM, scrambling to open my laptop while still half-asleep.

The worst part? Looking at my colleagues on Zoom, fresh, bright, and full of energy (because it’s daytime for them). Meanwhile, I’m there, trying not to yawn, sipping coffee like it’s an energy drink, and pretending I understand the discussion when, in reality, my brain stopped functioning an hour ago.

And let’s be real, there is no sleep cycle in remote work. It’s a never-ending loop of waking up, opening the laptop, and working.

The Cost of Freedom

One of the biggest perks of remote work is freedom — I can work from anywhere, travel whenever I want, and escape the boring 9-5 office grind. But the downside? Less social interaction.

There are times when I miss the casual office gossip, the random tea breaks with colleagues, and just having real human interaction beyond Slack messages. But at the same time, remote work also means I can party every weekend and not worry about waking up early for office the next day. (Best of both worlds? Maybe.)

We belong to an Indian Family

If you work remotely in an Indian household, you already know — family members don’t believe you’re actually working :).

One time, I was on a serious meeting with my Project Manager, discussing timelines and deliverables, when my mom casually walked in and said:
"Kartik, lunch ready hai!" (Kartik, the lunch is ready!)

I tried signaling her that I was in a meeting, but nope — she stood there waiting, like this was my top priority. So now, I had two choices:

1. Mute my mic, rush to the kitchen, and return before anyone noticed.

2. Pretend I didn’t hear her and face the consequences later.

Spoiler: I chose Option 2. And let’s just say, my mom was not pleased afterward, haha.

Expectation vs. Reality

Remote work isn’t just chilling in pajamas, working from beaches, and sipping coffee in a fancy cafe. It comes with its own set of struggles. But at the end of the day? It’s still worth it. The flexibility, the global opportunities, and the ability to build my career on my own terms outweigh the occasional WiFi disasters.

The list is not exhaustive and varies from company to company. Would you trade it for a 9-to-5 office job?

Final Thoughts (And Tips)

Show, Don’t Just Tell

Breaking into the remote work world isn’t just about having great technical skills—it’s about putting yourself out there and making sure the right people notice you.

The biggest mistake most developers make? They build projects but never talk about them. If your resume is just a list of skills, it won’t stand out. But if you’re constantly sharing your work, progress, and insights on Twitter, LinkedIn, or GitHub, you automatically get noticed.

• Tweet about your projects, what you're learning, and technical challenges you solved.

• Write blog posts or threads explaining your work—it shows depth & communication skills.

• Engage with industry leaders and hiring managers on Twitter & LinkedIn.

When recruiters see that you’re actively building in public, it makes them confident that you’re not just another developer—you’re a problem solver, a thinker, and someone who takes initiative.

The Real Resume

Forget fancy CV templates—your real resume is your GitHub, side projects, and hackathons.

• Hackathons – Winning (or even participating in) hackathons proves that you can build under pressure, collaborate with a team, and solve real-world problems.

• Open-Source Contributions – Engaging in open-source projects shows that you can work with large codebases and contribute to the global developer ecosystem.

• Side Projects – A well-executed side project can be better than an internship. If it solves a problem, people will notice. Grab bounties and grants.

Thank You for Reading!

If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking around! 🎉

I hope this blog gave you some insights, laughs, and maybe even the motivation to start your own remote work journey. If you’re an aspiring Indian developer, trust me—remote work is not just a trend, it’s the future. Keep learning, keep applying, and keep putting yourself out there.

And if you ever need advice or just want to chat, DM me on Twitter / X. Let’s build the future, one remote job at a time!

Kartik Mehta

X / LinkedIn