Oh no - it wasn’t the job from this spring, was it?
In addition to asking about the possibility of telecommuting some days, ask if staggered hours are sometimes an option. If you could avoid rush hour traffic by coming in at 11 AM and leaving at 7 PM on some days where the office schedule allowed it, that could make a big difference in how you feel about the commute. Personally, sitting in traffic that is crawling for two hours is exponentially more stressful than cruising along for 1.5 hours. And I like driving.
Also ask about late night expectations … if you are doing this commute and leaving at 5 PM on the dot, that’s one thing. But if many nights turn into 6, 7, 8 PM, (when you arrived at 9 AM), that can make the commute even harder. As this is development, there may be evening events, but that could work to your advantage if you can offset that by coming in later on other, non-event days.
Yeah, that one.
Exactly my thinking. Chances are good that this time next summer I’ll be looking for a job all over again, and at that time I really want to be working in my field of interest.
I’ve been driving 1.5 hours to work each way, every day I’m not traveling or at a conference, so 3 hours a day, for over 14 years now. No, I’m not at all happy with my commute, but it’s not the end of the world either. It’s more like a numbed acceptance.
As far as the radio is concerned, I have to change stations twice each way during my commute to stay within reception range of a local NPR affiliate.
I say go for it.
I think I’d have to take the job and figure out some way to make it work.
It sounds like moving isn’t really an option, because that would just put the commute on hubs, right?
I wouldn’t ask about options until I got an offer, but once I did, the first thing I’d do is talk to them about scheduling possibilities. Telecommuting, offset hours, 4x10 and so on.
If all that failed, I’d most definitely look into renting a cheap room to save on wear and tear - on yourself as well as your car.
I know someone that worked for at least a decade doing Mon-Thurs on-site and home Fri-Sun. She and her family did just fine.
And I agree with MsWhatsit. I like to drive, but 5 hours daily riding vs 4 hours daily driving - I’d probably take the 5 hours. If nothing else, I wouldn’t have to worry as much about falling asleep on the road!
Definitely look into podcasts, there are all kinds out there. A lot of the streaming radio stations do podcast downloads of music, talk, comedy, etc.
It sounds like, from a career standpoint, it’ll be worth giving it a try.
If you don’t get an apartment at the “work end” of the commute, I’d advise coming up with a contingency plan for what to do if weather or bad traffic make coming home in the evening difficult or impossible (e.g., locate a couple of reasonable hotels near your office).
Good luck!
I live 92 miles away from my job. Thankfully (?), I can rely on public transportation; however, I need to drive 45 mins to get to the train. It IS costly, but I am the only one working in my household. I have a 9 year-old who misses me greatly. It is very taxing to commute over 2 hours each day/each way.
I said I’d only do it for a year, but I’m still doing it. Looking now for a job nearer to my house, but that is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Many people have long commutes to work now, is what I’m hearing.
I find long commutes by car much, much more stressful than by public transportation. In a car, you can’t zone off, play games, read, etc. You have to deal with all the stresses of traffic. Obviously it’s doable, but it’s not enjoyable.
Leases can be broken. Do you know the penalty?
Oooh, plus-1 for seeing if 10-hour days are an option. That helps TONS with commute, and sanity! And it doesn’t have to be 3 day weekends; Wednesdays off are my favorite, since you get a chance to get business stuff done, like banking, that may be harder on the weekends.
Yeah, I second this come to think of it. The day would be basically ruined anyway for me, and adding two hours more would be nothing since I’d be too tired to do anything at the end of the day anyway. Plus you’d get to skip the heaviest commute times.
Yep. Depending on the job, odd hours can be a huge help in many ways. The more hours you can work per day, the less cost per commuting mile, if that makes sense. If you only have to work four days, that’s four commuting hours freed up. Working evenings will save you from rush hour. If you’re really determined, I knew some people who used to work 3 13-hour days per week. Obviously, that all depends on what the job is and what they need from you.
I had an 80+ mile commute each way at a job I held for 4 years. Fortunately, the company paid for the gas. But at the end of that, my car died.
No suggestions, just the very best of luck for your interview.
I’ve done an hour and a half each way and that was too much for me. Personally I would turn down a job with that kind of commute.
If you think the benefits outweigh the detriments for you then go for it but start planning now on exactly how you are going to address the time that is being eaten up by your commute. For example, you can shop online and have groceries delivered or drop off laundry and pay to have it done by someone else so you don’t have to spend time worrying about it.
I would also advise to keep applying at local department stores and such even if you take this job. Should something happen and this job doesn’t work out or if you find the commute too taxing then you will have some potential backup possibilities instead of feeling like you are stuck and unable to leave because you need the money.
Best of luck!
I’d try to rent a room to stay at during the week, or do the bus commute and try to bring things along to do on the bus so it wasnt all wasted time. I think driving that much every day would be too much for me
Like ZipperJJ and one or two others have suggested, I’d recommend looking into what it would cost to break your lease or sublet your place.
Whatever you decide, best of luck!
I say do it. A good job in your field seems really worth it. I commuted over an hour each way by bus for over a year and it was hard but I always felt grateful to have a good paying job (even though I hated the job itself).
If you can find this lecture series on the Medieval world I can’t recommend it enough. It’s fascinating, and like 30 hours.
Or flextime, so that when you get there 30 minutes earlier than expected, you can also leave earlier.
Also, what kind of drive is it? I live in NYC, and an hour long drive from Queens to Manhattan (which might be 15 miles) is not the same as an hour long drive upstate ( which might be 60 miles ) in terms of wear and tear on the car or on me.
My second real job was a commute of 89 miles each way on a two lane road, no highway. Many of my co-workers drove further. In addition I frequently worked overtime. So, yeah no life. I did lose 40 pounds, heh, no time to eat. It’s doable but not for a long time. I lasted 6 months and then moved closer.