Telecommuting, a.k.a. working from home; a.k.a. rolling out of bed and into your desk chair, within reach of the coffee maker.
Can you telecommute as a grad-student? Is it a good idea?
That all depends. Like any job, life as a graduate student is dictated by your relationship with your boss, so my adviser, and the work that I'm doing. Mine is one based on trust and results.
If I need to be in the lab running an experiment, I can't telecommute. If I need to be in class, no telecommuting. Meetings, presentations, and group work also require my presence in the flesh, on campus. However, on days when I'm running Matlab programs, making plots and sending emails, the wonders of technology mean I can be anywhere. And if I'm bringing results to the table week after week. The "where" is not a problem.
Wander down to the coffee shop? Sure. But I never do. I find my little folding table under the window is sufficiently isolated, and stimulating to provide for a full day of productivity. Certainly, it's far superior to hours spent under the vent blowing bad air into the cinder-block cave that is my office on campus.
On the other side of an improved state of being and productivity, louder music and a zero-emission commute there are the pitfalls and hazards. Most notable, is that by not being on campus I miss stuff. Events, seminars, lingering conversations in the hallway, or time commiserating with my group mates about the daily tribulations of graduate school. Considering the usual graduate M.O. is working until 5 AM, caffeine binges, and late night fast food, this can be serious missed bonding time. On second thought, that's not my typical schedule regardless of work location...
Anyway, the point is that balance is the key for anyone considering and able to telecommute. I can't, and won't do it every day of the week, and I shouldn't. But on some days, like today, it's great to stay out of the pollen while getting just as much done as I would anywhere else.
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