Rural & Remote is about connecting people in rural communities to remote jobs as a way of creating pathways back home and opportunities for those who want to stay in their communities! Below you will find two success stories, from Shelbi and Niki, who are now happily employed with remote jobs in beautiful Northwest Kansas.
Shelbi Wiles
Ask Shelbi Wiles to put a pin on the map for every place she’s traveled/lived, and she’s going to need a lot of pins. Thus, the remote working lifestyle offered by the Rural & Remote program fits perfectly into her adventure-filled, creative life path.
Kansas-born and raised, with a passion for traveling and a zest for adventure, Wiles describes her career path as “a little unorthodox for rural Kansas”, but her adventures ultimately led her to the Rural & Remote program, which she completed in November of 2021.
Wiles grew up on a farm southwest of Beloit, Kansas and later attended Fort Hays State University, graduating with a degree in Tourism & Hospitality Management and Organizational Leadership. She has lived and worked in Chicago, Kansas City, Baltimore, and most recently Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
When the pandemic struck, Wiles’s downtown Baltimore job position was forced to become remote. However, after a summer of remote work, she realized she really enjoyed the work-from-home lifestyle, as it offered her the freedom of movement she craves. “I came back to rural Kansas to spend some much-needed time with my family. I realized then that I wanted a remote work lifestyle full-time and pursued the Rural & Remote program,” Wiles stated.
The decision to pursue full-time remote work was ultimately driven by Wiles’s desire to use her creative genius as well as to see the world. “I have a passion for travel and experiencing new cultures and can’t seem to keep my feet on the ground for too long. I decided it would allow me the best of both, seeing my family more often while still being able to experience the world,” she explained.
It just so happened that Gretchin Staples, who is the program coordinator for Rural & Remote, lived in Wiles’s hometown, so the two were able to connect and thus began Wiles’s official journey into the world of remote working.
The program has fit into Wiles’s lifestyle perfectly. After completing the R&R program in November 2021, and beginning a position with 33 North Strategies as a project manager, she was able to spend the winter season in Colorado learning new hobbies such as snowboarding. She is now back in Hays, Kansas, and then plans to travel most of the summer, “always keeping Kansas as my anchor”, she says.
Wiles describes the R & R program as “incredibly user-friendly” from start to finish. She appreciates that the program understands and values the lives of those in the program and that it gives them the opportunity to make it work and fits them as an individual.
The program has provided Wiles with the necessary connections needed to both maintain employment and also be fully remote. “I’ve been self-employed doing contracted marketing project management work for their company as well as working with a few other small businesses! I love being able to travel while helping rural Kansas businesses grow!” said Wiles.
Wiles would encourage anyone and everyone who is on the fence about remote learning to give it a try. “Absolutely do it!” she urged. “It doesn’t hurt to see what’s out there and continued education is always a good thing!
The remote working lifestyle is working nicely for Wiles. “I enjoy the flexibility of remote work life. I wanted to move closer to my family while still being able to travel the world and remote work allows me to support that lifestyle,” she said.
So, hand Wiles the push-pins; she’s got more places to see and more to do, and she can do it all, thanks to Rural & Remote!
Niki Kinderknecht
“Mom-guilt.” You won’t find the term in the dictionary, but ask any working mom (or dad!) and they will be very familiar with the concept. Managing both a family and a job can be incredibly difficult, often leading to feelings of guilt about missing kids’ events, ball games, or not being able to stay home with a sick child.
It was the desire for a healthy and positive work-life balance and the desire to not miss anything with her children that led Niki Kinderknecht to the Rural & Remote program. ”As a mom it is hard to find a work-home-personal life balance, so I was looking for something that allowed me to choose to be there for my family when I could. Kids only grow up once, and I don’t want to miss out on any of it!”
Previous job positions held by Kinderknecht had not had a work-from-home option, and she explains that they were also not adequately staffed to allow her time off for kids’ activities or events.
On her quest to be the best and happiest working mom possible, Kinderknecht began the Rural & Remote program in August of 2021. She had heard about the program via word of mouth and firsthand experiences of some who had already completed it, and decided to give it a try to see if it could work for her, too. She successfully completed the program and was placed with Adams Brown Accounting.
Kinderknecht states that she felt supported throughout the duration of the program, “Gretchin Staples was awesome. She was very good at helping all of us in the class recognize the work opportunities we were interested in finding.”
Additionally, she explained that the R & R program provided other very useful guidance and information, such as how to exactly recognize what one is looking for in a career, and the differences between remote positions and hybrid positions. “Without this program introducing me to the various types of remote and hybrid work available, I would not have understood the ad for Adams Brown, LLC when it advertised a Hays based-hybrid position in their client services department. Because of the Rural & Remote program I knew this meant the job would offer flexibility to work from home when needed, and it has offered that exact opportunity,” said Kinderknecht.
Since beginning her new job, Kinderknecht has felt a lessened load of the afore-mentioned “mom-guilt”, which was the goal all along. “For me, having the opportunity to work remotely when I need to helps lessen the guilt I have as a working mom. I don’t stress over not getting to a ballgame, not being able to leave until the last minute to travel six hours to a three day rodeo, I can snuggle grandkids if my daughter is sick, if a snowstorm is coming I can stay home and help haul water to cows or give the guys a much needed break on the heifer checks. It’s also as simple as the fact that I can throw a load of laundry in or start dinner between payrolls, and not feel like I am getting behind at work or at home, it is a great mix for me!”
She is appreciative that the program not only provided useful tools for job placement, but that it provided other important guidance such as time-structuring guidance. “Rural & Remote also made me aware of the importance of, and the tools available for me to organize the time used at home in order to best structure my work day. I can honestly say, I could not be happier with my new job! It’s not just the flexibility, it is also a great work culture and professional environment that promotes individual growth and advancement opportunities”
Kinderknecht provided encouragement for those who may be in the same position she was in. “For those considering the program, I would say trust the process and the people involved. I was surprised at the variety of jobs available through the program, at the generous and competitive pay and benefits available and for me-the most important-the flexibility. I am wholeheartedly thankful for the opportunity I have to work at Adams Brown, and I have Rural & Remote to thank for it!”
