I am not currently employed, but am finishing my masters in engineering. Instead of getting a definitive call that after this coming exam period ALL courses will go back to on-site, the school has decided to erupt a “free for all” for course admins. Which means, one course I attend did the very final lecture on-site, most other lectures are via zoom, but computer labs are on site, some lessons are on-site and others are hybrids, etc. It's a hot mess.
I started this thing in the midst of the pandemic, and let me tell you, doing Uni from home has been a BLISS! There's no background noise in narrow corridors, I got plenty of screen space because I tend to keep my old monitors, a decent mic, very good speakers, no commute (about 1 hr by bus normally including transfer, ca 35 km), and no crowded classrooms. Not to mention stable internet connection instead of the school's randomly-slow WiFi. No hauling around a backpack full of books. As a non-morning person, waking up ten minutes before lecture starts has been amazing. I opted for a large apartment in a rural area because I really don't wanna live in a city, and it has done wonders for my mental health to have less than a ten minute walk to reach an actual forest.
I still don't understand why we're going back to on-site at all. But most of all, why are we having this weird mix that's gonna have us attend a lecture on-site, then whip up a laptop and find a corridor space quiet enough to be able to hear the remote lecturer for next period. Like… what the fuck? How does this benefit anyone? Not to mention, diesel is closing in on eq. $3 per litre here and it's going to start reflecting bus pass prices too, obviously. And, I drive a diesel car.
When I graduate in (hopefully) one year, I'll be looking for an either fully or almost-fully remote position. If they're even possible to find in a year's time.