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I was reading through this thread and this caught my eye:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyramidsurf
Ya, it would. But I really don't have the choice. It's either I do it or my wife does. I would rather not have her do it.
Sounds to me like your mind is made up and you just want reassurance that this isn't going to suck.
It will suck. and it sounds like you are willing to deal with it.
And for everyone here that says it will suck, you have a reply to them about why it's worth it.
Why are we discussing this again?
I was reading through this thread and this caught my eye:
Sounds to me like your mind is made up and you just want reassurance that this isn't going to suck.
It will suck. and it sounds like you are willing to deal with it.
And for everyone here that says it will suck, you have a reply to them about why it's worth it.
Why are we discussing this again?
Uhh, because I was asking if any one has done an hour plus commute and what advice they had. No reassurance, I don't need that. Just asking people who have done it what to expect.
I didn't post the thread to have a bunch of people say that they would never want to waste their life or whatever excuses people posted about like getting into a car accident (really?) or how much I am going to spend on gas (gee, never thought of that).
I have two choices, give up a government job, a fast track to management positions and guaranteed promotions, plus job security and a pension because I don't want to drive two hours a day. This will no doubt lead to the unemployment line and hoping I can find something that makes a similar amount that is closer to me within a couple of months (which will still probably require 20-30 min drive). Or, I can accept it and try to make the commute work based on the advice that some people posted.
I'm not going to be one of those people that is unemployed simply because they didn't find exactly what they want. I see them all the time "yah, I got a few offers, but I don't want to wake up earlier than 7 am, and I don't want to have to commute and not see my wife. Something will come along....eventually". How about no.
Being unemployed and having a stalled career will suck a lot more than driving far everyday.
I can't believe so many people think an hour is too long. Almost every job I've had was around about an hour commute. One job was a two hour drive. It was sort of like going on vacation every day but not in a good way. I don't recommend two hours but an hour is fine.
I can't believe so many people think an hour is too long. Almost every job I've had was around about an hour commute. One job was a two hour drive. It was sort of like going on vacation every day but not in a good way. I don't recommend two hours but an hour is fine.
An hour at 65 mph in smooth traffic? If I had to.
An hour at 15 mph in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic? No thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kees
It wasn't 60 miles but still was enough to drive me to moving.
I changed jobs a couple months ago and went from a 10 min commute each way to 45-60 mins. I did it for a couple weeks and that was all I could stand... I moved closer to work and now have a 15 minute drive that doesn't include interstate driving... Very similar to the drive to my old job.
I'm saving an hour in traffic each day... Who knows how much in gas and vehicle wear and tear.
I saw a news story a few weeks ago about the worst cities for daily commuting. D.C. was #1... Seattle was #9. I refuse to be one of those who sits in traffic for hours on end...
An hour at 15 mph in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic? No thanks.
This really does make a difference, as well as your particular preference/skill at driving on different types of roads.
An hour's drive on a highway (like the PA Turnpike) is SO monotonous, it would put me to sleep! Really, I would have trouble keeping my eyes open. An hour on the Schuykill Expressway or I95 in the Philly area would have me SO stressed out I'd arrive at work/home a wreck!*
But I did apply to a job that was 90 minutes each way at a place where the commute was all back roads through beautiful woods and farmland. Yes, it would have taken time out of my day, but it really was a treat to drive there (I had worked there occasionally at my previous job). But the position was never filled. Bummer.
*And while not my preference, I HAVE applied to jobs that would have required these awful commutes.
I can't believe so many people think an hour is too long.
My "commute" is ~50ft from the bedroom to the shop. I don't even need to put on clothes (and often don't). My wife has a 4 minute drive (each way). The climate is great... mild winters and cool summers. Clean high altitude air. The scent of pine trees. Houses are cheap. Traffic is never bad.
I did it for 1.5 years. And that's about as long as I could have gone. Highway all the way. When the weather was good driving was good. When the weather was bad, driving bad. We dont get a lot of ice/snow in my area but spring gets lots of rain. The highway was a major distribution artery so the 18 wheelers wreak havoc in the rain. I would either need to drive 20 mi over the speed limit or significantly slower to keep my little compact car out of their tail winds. When there was an accident, it was at least a 45 min backup. As I said, 1.5 years was all I could take. Spent at least $200 month on gas 20 years ago.
It'd say go for it with the plan to move closer to work in two years when you get the promotion. After a year or so, any objections to moving will have dissipated. You'll be burned out on the drive.
....It'd say go for it with the plan to move closer to work in two years when you get the promotion. After a year or so, any objections to moving will have dissipated. You'll be burned out on the drive....
So true! The OP is a guy and from experience, guys love driving so it may work out for him for a while so he should go for it. But me, I will be honest, even if I was offered one million dollars to drive 2 hours each day for work, I will NOT take it. I despise cars and driving. I am a workoholic like the OP and like having a job I can walk to and come home for lunches, etc. There is a KFC across from me that I would rather work at, instead of driving to another town for more money, but that's just me.
1 hour is fine! do you have any hobbies you can do while driving? I don't have a problem with long drives because i'm a huge fan of music and reading (audio books). I just use the driving time to keep up-to-date with these things. If you're a big reader or music guy, then a 1 hour commute isn't going to seem so bad. If not...well then you'll just have to deal with it. 1 hour is manageable. Yeah, you might have less time to spend at home doing things you life, but it's not so bad where you will never see your significant other or something. Instead of spending 2-3 hours with them, you may only be able to spend 1-2. Not that big of a change.
Been there....done that...would never do it again. It was a nightmare. Everyone tried to convince me I'd get used to it. I never did.....it only got worse and worse. After driving the fifty miles in the morning, I felt like I'd already worked a full day......going home was even worse....evenings I was a zombie. I would literally cry on Sunday knowing I had to do it all over again five more days. I only lasted a year. To me, no job is worth it.....because I had no life. Just my $.02.
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