Menu
Hey there, I’m Tomas Rowan Jasper, the mastermind (or perhaps the accidental tourist) behind Degitaly. If you’re looking for a polished, corporate “About Me” page, you might want to hit that back button now. This is the raw, unfiltered story of how a clueless kid somehow stumbled into the digital world and ended up running a blog about it. Grab a coffee (or something stronger), and let’s dive in.
I was born in 1988 in a small town outside of Manchester, England. As a kid, I was obsessed with two things: Lego and my dad’s old desktop computer. While other kids were out playing football, I was building elaborate Lego cities and trying to figure out how to make the computer do cool stuff (spoiler alert: I mostly just played Minesweeper).
My parents, bless their hearts, had no idea what to do with a kid who’d rather debate the merits of dial-up vs. broadband than kick a ball around. They signed me up for every sport imaginable, hoping something would stick. Spoiler alert: nothing did. Unless you count “competitive typing” as a sport, in which case I was a bloody champion.
Fast forward to 2006. I somehow managed to get into a decent university to study business. Why business? Well, it seemed like a safe bet, and I figured it’d make my parents happy. Plus, the brochure had pictures of people in suits looking important, and that seemed cool at the time.
University was… an experience. I learned a few things:
But I stuck it out, fueled by a mixture of caffeine, fear of disappointing my parents, and the vague hope that I’d figure it all out eventually.
2010: The Year of Living Dangerously (AKA My First Real Job)
Armed with a shiny new business degree and a suit that didn’t quite fit right, I landed my first “proper” job at a big corporation in London. I was ready to climb that corporate ladder, make my mark, and… oh who am I kidding? I was terrified.
My grand career lasted exactly 3 months and 2 days. Here’s a brief timeline:
Month 1: Excitement! Free coffee! I’m a real adult now! Month 2: Wait, is this what adults do all day? Stare at spreadsheets and have meetings about having meetings? Month 3: I think my soul is slowly dying. Day 2 of Month 4: I quit via a politely worded email to HR. (In my head, it was a dramatic speech followed by flipping a desk, but in reality, I quietly packed up my sad little desk plant and snuck out.)
So there I was, 22 years old, unemployed, and living in my parents’ basement. I could practically feel the disappointment radiating from my dad’s newspaper as he read it across the breakfast table each morning.
But here’s the thing – I had a laptop, decent Wi-Fi, and way too much time on my hands. I started tinkering with freelance gigs online, mostly because it meant I could work in my pajamas and avoid awkward family dinners where everyone asked about my “career plans.”
I tried everything: writing product descriptions for cat toys, managing social media for a dentist (turns out people don’t really want to see root canal procedures on Instagram), even transcribing interviews for a true crime podcast (which gave me nightmares for weeks).
It wasn’t glamorous, and I certainly wasn’t rolling in cash. But slowly, surely, I was figuring out this whole digital work thing.
By 2012, I was making just enough from my hodgepodge of online gigs to move out of my parents’ place. I got a tiny flat in Manchester with a friend, and for a while, life was good. But then I made a crazy decision that would change everything.
I decided to go to Thailand for a month.
Why Thailand? Well, a friend had gone the year before and wouldn’t shut up about it. Plus, I figured I could work from anywhere with Wi-Fi, so why not give it a shot?
That one month turned into three, then six. I bounced around Southeast Asia, working from sketchy hostels and questionable cafes. I learned a few crucial lessons:
But more importantly, I realized something: this digital nomad thing? It wasn’t just possible, it was awesome.
By 2015, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I had steady clients, I was traveling the world, and I even started a blog to document my adventures (spoiler: it was terrible and got about 3 views a month, all from my mum).
Then came the Great Digital Fuck-Up of 2015.
Picture this: I’m in Bali, working on a big project for a client. It’s due in two days, and I’m feeling confident. Then, disaster strikes. My laptop dies. Not just “needs a restart” dies, but “makes a weird sizzling sound and starts smoking” dies.
And here’s the kicker: I hadn’t backed up my files in… well, ever.
What followed was a panicked 48 hours of trying to recover data, pulling an all-nighter to recreate my work, and sending approximately 47 apologetic emails to my client.
I managed to submit the project on time (though I’m pretty sure what I sent was mostly gibberish), but it was a wake-up call. I realized that for all my digital bravado, I still had a lot to learn.
After the Great Fuck-Up, I started taking this digital life more seriously. I learned about cloud storage, invested in better equipment, and actually started reading those “terms and conditions” things.
But more importantly, I started thinking: if I’m struggling with this stuff, other people probably are too. That’s when the idea for Degitaly was born.
I launched the blog in 2023, not as some grand business plan, but as a way to share what I’d learned (mostly through trial and error) about digitalization, remote work, and the digital nomad life.
At first, it was just me ranting about the importance of backing up your files and the best cafes to work from in Chiang Mai. But slowly, people started reading. And commenting. And sharing.
Turns out, there were a lot of people out there trying to figure out this digital lifestyle thing, just like me.
Fast forward to today, and Degitaly has somehow become my full-time gig. I’m not a guru or an expert – I’m just a guy who’s been through the digital trenches and lived to tell the tale.
The blog covers everything from practical advice on remote work tools to stories of digital nomad misadventures (like that time I accidentally joined a cult in Bali because I thought it was a co-working space).
But here’s the thing: I’m still learning every day. The digital world moves fast, and just when I think I’ve got it figured out, something new comes along to humble me. (Looking at you, TikTok. I still don’t get it.)
My goal with Degitaly is simple: to help you navigate this crazy digital world without making all the dumb mistakes I did. Although, let’s be real, a few dumb mistakes can be fun. They make for great stories, at least.
The Future: Digital and Beyond
So what’s next for me and Degitaly? Honestly, I have no idea. And that’s the beauty of this digital life – it’s constantly evolving.
Maybe I’ll finally figure out TikTok and become a dancing sensation (unlikely, given my coordination skills). Maybe I’ll start a digital nomad retreat in the mountains of Peru (slightly more likely, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves).
Whatever happens, I promise to keep it real. To share the ups and downs, the wins and the face-plants. Because that’s what Degitaly is all about – the real, messy, exciting journey of digital living.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You now know more about me than my therapist (just kidding, I can’t afford a therapist – have you seen the Wi-Fi bills in some of these countries?).
But seriously, thank you for being here. Whether you’re a seasoned digital nomad, a remote work newbie, or just someone who accidentally clicked on this page and was too polite to leave, I’m glad you’re here.
Degitaly is more than just a blog – it’s a community. A place where we can share our digital triumphs and commiserate over our tech fails. Where we can debate the best productivity apps and share horror stories about that time we tried to do a video call from a Thai beach (pro tip: sand and laptops don’t mix).
So stick around. Comment on a post. Share your own stories. Let’s figure out this digital life together.
Oh, and if you ever see me working from a beach somewhere, just know there’s probably sand in my laptop and I’m frantically searching for a power outlet. But hey, that’s the digital nomad life for you. Glamorous chaos, one Wi-Fi connection at a time.
Welcome to Degitaly. Let’s get digital.