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Old 09-02-2014, 08:33 PM
 
779 posts, read 877,194 times
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A coworker of mine lives in Clinton. We work in the Financial District and she's done the commute for 10 years. She works from home 1 day/week and tries to work off hours as much as possible (comes in at 10am, leaves after 6pm). She just gave her notice because she said the commute seems to be getting worse and despite really wanting to be at our company, the commute is just too much. Long commutes are draining (when my husband and I first moved to Boston, we had a 90-minute commute each way), but I think if you're young, no kids, etc., then it's an option, even if it's just temporary until you can get into one of the more local companies.
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Old 09-02-2014, 11:02 PM
 
Location: Purgatory
6,387 posts, read 6,277,885 times
Reputation: 9921
Quote:
Originally Posted by traffic_lover View Post
good list. don't forget defense contractors write lots of software: Raytheon (Marlborough, tewks, Andover), BAE (Nashua)

I'm not convinced OP is really a software developer based on background & lack of awareness of major employers & locations.
Because this is a wicked fun topic to troll about.
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Old 09-03-2014, 12:10 AM
 
Location: Homeless
404 posts, read 526,601 times
Reputation: 392
Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian Slums View Post
Because this is a wicked fun topic to troll about.
explain this comment?? she has no software degree and had never heard of EMC. doesn't add up to me. maybe OP could be more specific about previous experience?
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Old 09-03-2014, 07:26 AM
 
Location: 42°22'55.2"N 71°24'46.8"W
4,848 posts, read 11,812,501 times
Reputation: 2962
Quote:
Originally Posted by traffic_lover View Post
explain this comment?? she has no software degree and had never heard of EMC. doesn't add up to me. maybe OP could be more specific about previous experience?
She stated earlier she has an associates degree and has work experience in CT with software support. She's probably customer helpdesk support or if you want to give it a fancy title you can say "technical support engineer." They basically help end users (i.e. large corporations) use her company's specialized software package. Many people in this industry aspire to get into the development side of things, but of course this is all a guess.
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Old 09-05-2014, 11:05 AM
 
11 posts, read 16,897 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by gf2020 View Post
Plenty of people commute from much further than Clinton in to Boston, so it is certainly possible.

Regarding your job search, however, you may need to consider some employment coaching or resume writing advice if you are not having success finding a job. There are many computer related jobs available along the 495 and 95 corridors and in southern NH. Boston is a possibility but the majority of jobs are not located in Boston, they are out in the suburbs.
Yes I was considering that, I did pull together my resume with no assistance or resume coaching. I am getting some hits and have gotten some interviews. However mostly out in Boston.


Quote:
Originally Posted by G-fused View Post
For software development, I would accept a reasonable position even if it were a long commute. And in the meantime, I would keep looking for something more local. If you are out of the market for too long (and especially so for software and other tech associated fields), you risk becoming irrelevant. Or at least not as relevant as your competition.

And I think you like your boyfriend too much, it's bothersome.

Best of luck.
This is exactly why I'm considering going back to school. I'm more "entry level" with strongest background in support. There are a lot of areas I'd like to expand.




Quote:
Originally Posted by 495neighbor View Post
Some area employers of software talent:

Cisco (Boxborough)
RedHat (Westborough)
IBM (Littleton)
Kronos (Chelmsford)
MathWorks (Natick)
TomTom (Concord)
EMC (Hopkinton)
SeaChange (Acton)
Bose (Stow and Framingham)

Then you have non-tech retail giants like BJs Wholesale (HQ, Westborough) and TJMaxx (Framingham and Marlborough) that need talent for building web based applications.
Thanks a lot for this list! I've seen Kronos out this way, would love to check out TomTom, and Bose is definitely worth a look too, this entire list is great! I appreciate your help!



Quote:
Originally Posted by tikaram View Post
I'd say try it. Seriously, try out this commute, especially since you have now time to do so, and judge for yourself. Say you have this imaginary job somehwere in Boston (pick an exact location though, where a potential employer is). Pick a time you normally would have to be there (say 8 am? or 9 am?) but again, no cheating, a regular hour this type of job would start. Pick a weekday, and just do a pretend commute! Get up, get dressed, pack a lunch, and get to Boston, using the car, and then next day using public transport etc. On your way there and back again, do what you think you will be doing (checking iPhone for anything on the train, or listening to audio books in the car). When you get to Boston, note how much time it actually took you, if you were late or early, and if it was exhausting etc. Spend a day in Boston (plan errands or visits or do touristy things ), to make the commute back at the rush hour again.
It may answer your questions better than we will here You may get new ideas or questions, or you may see that this does work. And at the very least you will catch up on all your facebook stuff
Perhaps you could find a job that would require you to be in different offices, say 2 days a week in Boston, and 3 days in another town outside of Boston, that could be an option, and not many people agree to take such a position.
This is an excellent suggestion. I did do the commute (to Alewife/Red Line) for an interview a few weeks ago, and while it wasn't too bad, it was just shy of rush hour too.




Quote:
Originally Posted by traffic_lover View Post
good list. don't forget defense contractors write lots of software: Raytheon (Marlborough, tewks, Andover), BAE (Nashua)

I'm not convinced OP is really a software developer based on background & lack of awareness of major employers & locations.
Thank you for your suggestions. You are right in that I'm not a formal developer per se, I'm more front end customer support, testing/QA, some web design and as far as programming, mainly interpretive programming language, specialized for the software I supported, also basic SQL. Definitely not a Programmer.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston_Burbs View Post
Boston scientific, auto desk, oracle, adobe, thermo Fischer, Lincoln labs, mitre,
Thank you!! I appreciate it! My one challenge has been researching companies out this way, so this certainly helps!


Quote:
Originally Posted by NewfieMama View Post
A coworker of mine lives in Clinton. We work in the Financial District and she's done the commute for 10 years. She works from home 1 day/week and tries to work off hours as much as possible (comes in at 10am, leaves after 6pm). She just gave her notice because she said the commute seems to be getting worse and despite really wanting to be at our company, the commute is just too much. Long commutes are draining (when my husband and I first moved to Boston, we had a 90-minute commute each way), but I think if you're young, no kids, etc., then it's an option, even if it's just temporary until you can get into one of the more local companies.
Thank you for your input. This is what I'm afraid of

Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian Slums View Post
Because this is a wicked fun topic to troll about.
Yeah, no kidding!

Quote:
Originally Posted by traffic_lover View Post
explain this comment?? she has no software degree and had never heard of EMC. doesn't add up to me. maybe OP could be more specific about previous experience?
Well this OT is mainly to get input about the commute to Boston from central MA and I wasn't really planning on career specifics, but I'm more in the support/services area of software, no formal programming degree.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Parsec View Post
She stated earlier she has an associates degree and has work experience in CT with software support. She's probably customer helpdesk support or if you want to give it a fancy title you can say "technical support engineer." They basically help end users (i.e. large corporations) use her company's specialized software package. Many people in this industry aspire to get into the development side of things, but of course this is all a guess.
Yes, you got it, that's exactly it! Thanks for clarifying .
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Old 09-05-2014, 12:20 PM
 
Location: 42°22'55.2"N 71°24'46.8"W
4,848 posts, read 11,812,501 times
Reputation: 2962
Quote:
Originally Posted by 495neighbor View Post
Some area employers of software talent:

Cisco (Boxborough)
RedHat (Westborough)
IBM (Littleton)
Kronos (Chelmsford)
MathWorks (Natick)
TomTom (Concord)
EMC (Hopkinton)
SeaChange (Acton)
Bose (Stow and Framingham)

Then you have non-tech retail giants like BJs Wholesale (HQ, Westborough) and TJMaxx (Framingham and Marlborough) that need talent for building web based applications.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CuriousGeorgina View Post

Thank you for your suggestions. You are right in that I'm not a formal developer per se, I'm more front end customer support, testing/QA, some web design and as far as programming, mainly interpretive programming language, specialized for the software I supported, also basic SQL. Definitely not a Programmer.
In that case I would highly recommend looking into SeaChange (great suggestion 495neighbor!) if you're looking to get your foot into the door in the Boston area. They are always hiring because there's a lot of turnover. A lot of people in your field work there a couple years and then move on.
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Old 09-05-2014, 08:40 PM
 
11 posts, read 16,897 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parsec View Post
In that case I would highly recommend looking into SeaChange (great suggestion 495neighbor!) if you're looking to get your foot into the door in the Boston area. They are always hiring because there's a lot of turnover. A lot of people in your field work there a couple years and then move on.
Oh ok, I will definitely look them up then! Thanks!

I don't know whether I'm delusional or just ready to take on the commute happily to Boston/Boston area, for a job that I will really love. Maybe it'll take me a few years to get burnt out on the commute but changing careers altogether and/or working a mindless job just to take anything so that I can be working, and without much of a commute, is far more tiresome... just the thought.

Thanks so much everyone, for all your help and suggestions! A lot of nice helpful people here.
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Old 09-06-2014, 10:25 PM
 
42 posts, read 90,151 times
Reputation: 121
Quote:
Originally Posted by CuriousGeorgina View Post
I don't know whether I'm delusional or just ready to take on the commute happily to Boston/Boston area, for a job that I will really love. Maybe it'll take me a few years to get burnt out on the commute but changing careers altogether and/or working a mindless job just to take anything so that I can be working, and without much of a commute, is far more tiresome... just the thought.
I worked at a company in Boston for a few years. At the time, one of my co-workers got married and decided to move to Berlin, MA with his wife. He was originally commuting from Arlington. I bet him that he would quit within six months. He said he was used to commuting and it would probably take him a long time before he burned out.

He quit two months later without even having another job lined up, lol. The 3-4 hours of commuting per day (car or train) was making him miserable and his wife obviously missed him. Luckily, he found another job in Marlborough a few months later. I highly suggest you look there. There are many companies and office parks in that area. Your background also suggests that you might be a good candidate for a telecommuting job. I would go to Indeed.com and type in "Remote" where it lists location. You can do the same thing on dice.com by selecting "Telecommuting jobs only" under advanced search.

Commuting to Boston from anywhere has never been great. It might be me, but I think it's actually worse now than before the big dig was completed. I've been offered several jobs in Boston, but I'm fortunate enough that I can easily find work with equal pay in the suburbs. I'm less than 15 miles away and I absolutely refuse to deal with commuting into Boston again under almost any circumstances, but that's just me.

Good luck in your search.
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Old 09-07-2014, 09:14 AM
 
9,093 posts, read 6,317,546 times
Reputation: 12324
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mordi View Post
...i cant speak for you personally, but 3 hours a day would drive me crazy, not to mention alienate my wife.
When I lived in Lowell and worked in Boston my commute was 3 hours a day and I admit it sucked. I did for about two years and then gave up. I got a job in the suburbs.
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Old 09-07-2014, 09:28 AM
 
9,093 posts, read 6,317,546 times
Reputation: 12324
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bamtown View Post
Commuting to Boston from anywhere has never been great. It might be me, but I think it's actually worse now than before the big dig was completed. I've been offered several jobs in Boston, but I'm fortunate enough that I can easily find work with equal pay in the suburbs. I'm less than 15 miles away and I absolutely refuse to deal with commuting into Boston again under almost any circumstances, but that's just me.
I have the same opinions. I think commuting to Boston from anywhere outside the 95/128 loop to be not worth the hassle.
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