No, it hasn't harmed my career growth. My career hasn't been that long yet, though. Whether it harms yours depends on what you're optimizing for. It also depends on other career prospects where you want to live.
<my experience as a remote software developer>
I've only worked for one company full-time after graduating and transferred to 100% remote after moving out of state for my spouse's work. In the span of time that I worked remotely, I became something equivalent to a maintainer ("core reviewer") on a decent-sized open source project, got promoted to a senior dev at a fairly large company, and helped launch an internal analytics service. I also have a network of former coworkers and open-source contributors that will help me find another remote job if I need one. My skill set is well-rounded, and I enjoy my job.
In terms of what I've given up, my salary is lower than what it would have been had I worked in a major hub like the SF Bay Area or Seattle. I probably pair program less than I would have otherwise. My soft skills have slightly weakened, but that may just be this profession. Outside of work, I've also had to work really hard to maintain a social life and stay mostly healthy. An extroverted spouse helps a lot. It's very easy to slip into not leaving the house or not exercising, and I've seen quite a few people develop both mental and physical health problems from the lifestyle. It's not for everyone.
However, costs of living where I am are much lower, so I feel very lucky. About 6 weeks time off next year is great, too. I've been fortunate enough to avoid the health problems I described earlier.
</my experience>
In any case, if you want to optimize for:
- Salary, regardless of cost of living
- Larger professional network
- Management track
then working in person in a tech hub is probably better.
If you prefer:
- Lots of freedom / setting your own schedule (mostly)
- Extra time (0 commute, you can use that commute time to work more / improve your skills too)
- Living wherever you want
then working remotely is pretty nice. Like other people mentioned, it's also very important to find a company that does remote well.
<my experience as a remote software developer>
I've only worked for one company full-time after graduating and transferred to 100% remote after moving out of state for my spouse's work. In the span of time that I worked remotely, I became something equivalent to a maintainer ("core reviewer") on a decent-sized open source project, got promoted to a senior dev at a fairly large company, and helped launch an internal analytics service. I also have a network of former coworkers and open-source contributors that will help me find another remote job if I need one. My skill set is well-rounded, and I enjoy my job.
In terms of what I've given up, my salary is lower than what it would have been had I worked in a major hub like the SF Bay Area or Seattle. I probably pair program less than I would have otherwise. My soft skills have slightly weakened, but that may just be this profession. Outside of work, I've also had to work really hard to maintain a social life and stay mostly healthy. An extroverted spouse helps a lot. It's very easy to slip into not leaving the house or not exercising, and I've seen quite a few people develop both mental and physical health problems from the lifestyle. It's not for everyone.
However, costs of living where I am are much lower, so I feel very lucky. About 6 weeks time off next year is great, too. I've been fortunate enough to avoid the health problems I described earlier.
</my experience>
In any case, if you want to optimize for:
- Salary, regardless of cost of living - Larger professional network - Management track
then working in person in a tech hub is probably better.
If you prefer:
- Lots of freedom / setting your own schedule (mostly) - Extra time (0 commute, you can use that commute time to work more / improve your skills too) - Living wherever you want
then working remotely is pretty nice. Like other people mentioned, it's also very important to find a company that does remote well.