Is a co-working space worth the cost?

December 11, 2021

by a searcher from Columbia University - Columbia Business School in Boston, MA, USA

I'll start my search next year and would be interested in hearing people's thoughts on paying for a space or office somewhere like WeWork.
I'm based in Boston and have a good setup at home, but I get the feeling I'll need social interactions. On the flip side you have to pay for these desks/spaces and unless you get a private office there's probably a lot of noise.
What are searchers doing? especially now in Covid times..

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Reply by a professional
from University of Texas at Austin in Houston, TX, USA

I've worked out of coworking spaces in 5-10 different cities and for me, it's absolutely been worth it. After all, $###-###-#### /mo. for a desk is negligible if that means you're far more productive and able to produce a greater output by even 20-30%, though I've found it's often more for me.

Like most people, I have a great setup at home but something about physically "going" to a place really helped put me into work mode. And consequently, I enjoyed my time off more as well at home because I didn't feel guilty relaxing since home.

Perhaps it doesn't affect others as much but I really need to work out of a nice, open space to make me feel the most productive and "inspired" so the type of coworking space you get, at least for me, matters a lot. Lastly, figure out if you'd prefer a hot desk, dedicated desk or office. In the past, I always opted for a dedicated desk so I could setup a monitor but I opted in for a single person office in my last space and surprisingly, it really wasn't for me. I felt boxed in and I realized I'd rather be around other people working and an open space and if it gets a tad bit noisy, I just put on my noise cancellation headphones. Hope this helps!

Reply by a searcher
in Portland, OR, USA

I was hesitant to get a co-work space since I am self-funded searcher but I find that it's worth it. The cost for me is $300/month for a floating desk (I can splurge and get a desk but I like to drift around to different desks). They have extra external monitors that I grab so that isn't an issue. If I search for 20 months, it's a small expense in terms of my overall "fund." I'd say if your on the fence, start at home in your first few weeks. While there, find a couple of co-work spaces to tour, go visit them and try it. $300 - $500 shouldn't tip the scale in your self-funded search.

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