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My parents think my 'digital nomad' life is just being unemployed
I was back home in Cincinnati for Thanksgiving last week, and my dad asked me point blank how my 'little internet job' was going. I tried to explain that I manage social media for three small businesses remotely, which pays my rent in Lisbon. He just shook his head and said, 'A real job has a desk and a boss you can see.' My mom chimed in about how at my age, she already had a pension plan from the factory. I showed them my bank app to prove I'm making about $4,200 a month, but they just saw me working from my laptop on their couch and couldn't get past it. It turned into a whole thing about stability and 'what happens when the Wi-Fi goes out.' Has anyone else had to basically justify their entire career model to their parents?
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olivia_harris191mo ago
Honestly my dad said the same thing when I was doing freelance graphic design. He came over, saw me working in sweatpants, and asked when I was getting a real office job. Tbh it only stopped when I bought a house and he realized my "internet money" was paying a mortgage. Sometimes they just need to see the results to get it.
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joelwells1mo ago
Parents from that generation just see a different world. My uncle still asks if my website work is safe from hackers every holiday. He watched a news segment once and now thinks I'm one click away from bank fraud. Took showing him my tax returns to prove it was a real job. They have these fixed ideas about what work looks like. A paycheck from a building means more than a bigger deposit from your laptop.
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blake_bell291mo ago
Man that hits home. My grandma still asks if my online store is legal every time we talk, like I'm running some back alley scam. She saw a thing on TV about data leaks and now thinks all online money disappears overnight. Took me buying a car with my "fake job money" for her to even start believing it. They really do need to see the physical stuff before it clicks for them.
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