A few years ago, I was renting a room in a house filled with students who were studying at the German university where I was first paid to study my Master’s degree and then later employed as a researcher.

Because of some bureaucratic rules for switching between a student and a work visa, I had to delay my thesis defense date until the end of that summer. With my thesis research complete, I realized that neither it nor the paid work that I was doing for another lab, technically required me to be physically present during the proceeding months. Due to my record of having performed good work in the past, I was able to persuade the professor who employed me to let me work remotely. Continue reading →