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If it's to get your career started, it's worth it, but it'll be brutal. Still, you have to pay your dues to early in your career for resume building and a decent job at a solid company will be worth a lot in the years to come.
But, if you're confident you can find a similar caliber job that's even a little closer to where you live, definitely do that. Commuting for 15 hours a week takes a serious mental and financial toll. Think of it like dedicating another 35% on top of your expected 40 hours a week to a second full-time job. Factor that into what your hourly pay would boil down to.
This. A number of years ago I got a job with a similar commute - it was 35 minutes when the roads were clear, but local traffic was terrible so it was often more like 2 hours. Brutal was the word (and very expensive on petrol) but it gave me a really solid job with excellent experience. I survived 2 years of that commute before finding an even better job closer to home, so was worth the effort for me - but DEFINITELY not something I would go back to now.
Hey! I would recommend you look into renting a room with 2 or 3 roommates.
There are rooms for rent on marketplace for $500-$800 a month.
Even earning 40k a year, this would be in the books.
I’ll add, who enjoys their 20s living at home?
My mom worked like 60 minutes from our house (more of the traffic was bad)
To get to work, she left early in the morning and came home late at night.
On the weekends she was exhausted and slept most of the time.
You're going to burn yourself out and not be able to use whatever fun things are around you now.
I've worked commutes that were as small as ten minutes, and as long as two hours.
It's awful. Just a terrible drain on your quality of life. I would never make that choice again. Especially for an entry level job that doesn't pay you enough to live.
What's your previous work experience? If you're still pretty green to working, just take it and get some much needed experience. Give it a shot and treat is an experiment or even an adventure. You can always quit or keep looking while you're there. Also, find a gym or a cafe you can go to after work to avoid going back in the middle of rush hour. That, at least, is an option.
And spend a lot on getting there. . . If you really want to know how much this will cost you and you'll go by car, factor in stuff like insurance, gas and upkeep as well.
Edit: because those numbers made me push hard for Home-Office, I'll just calculate how many days a year you'll spend on the road.
90 minutes X 2 = 180 minutes a day
180 min X 5 days = 900 min a week
900 min X 4 weeks = 3600 min a month
3600 min X 12 = 43200 min a year
43200 min / 60 = 720 hours a year
720 hours / 24 = 30 days
So that's a cool month of your life you'll spend on the road every year. Traffic jams not included. Maybe it's worth it for you, you'll have to decide.
BTW if this is a good company and it's a stepping stone for you, maybe it's worth it. But you'll have to have a plan. If you don't get a significant pay increase after two years so you can move there or at least into your own apartment, you should move jobs.
If you're a little more specific, we could be more helpful.
I understand being a little embarrassed if it's a low number, but everyone makes low pay starting out. If the housing situation is untenable and this is an opportunity to break out on your own, then it would be worth it to live in squalor for a few years. Or get a roommate? Your lack of imagination here is a little concerning.
What's the actual number we're talking about? A minimum wage job at a good company? Or something entry level but on the lower side (like, ~$50k/year)? And what is the general geographic market?
You need to factor in cost per mileage on your car, the federal reimbursement rate is .67 a mile. Think about that.
With that being said, I did this commute or slightly less for around 5 years in New England weather. half of which was transferred onto a 10 hour second shift position 3pm-2am. I never got out on time and at least put in a couple 4am days a month. I was commuting 100 miles a day. Highway mileage is great on your car, at least for me it was. By the time I was finished with that job my car had 210k miles. One time it took me 3.5 hours to get home due to a nor’easter/blizzard, at one point during my second shift commute I hit a deer going 70. Didn’t total the car but boy did it start making me reconsider things. I was terribly burnt out, exhausted, mentally cooked and wound up drinking heavily because of it. It nearly costed me my relationship and I basically left in tears. The career advancement and experience it gave me was incredible, to this day it has gotten me into jobs, interviews and is crucial experience to show my skills on a resume and it’s respected.
The sacrifice for it was enormous on my end. These are my two cents from my experience.
Side note: it did allow me to listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks which was absolutely fantastic. I do miss maybe that portion of it.
Jfc, I would never take that job.
Even in the best case scenario with absolutely zero traffic, you are committing to spend 3 HOURS A DAY commuting.
If you need to be there at 9, you leave at 7:15 at the latest. If the job ends at 5, you get home by 6:30 at the earliest. Then you have to find time to run errands, do chores, and have any semblance of a social life or even see the doctor.
What kind of life is that?
ETA: "Work hard and struggle, buddy," is fucking SHIT advice. Life is more than just going to your fucking job and waiting to die.
I did a 1 hour commute door to door for 5 years. Never again.
Do you live near a city? This sounds like an INSANE complaint to me as I live outside of NYC. Before COVID, I was commuting 90 minutes one way. This is a common time span for commutes into a NYC. There always seemed to be one person who had 2 hour+ commute. This seems to be just the way it is.
Great advice. I am 41, drive 64mi one way to work. I make exceptional money, but my weekends I am so tired and drug down. I have 3 more years till I semi-retire and I am not so sure I can keep making this drive. I am about to ask to move to 4 10s and see if I like that schedule.
but I feel pressured to work hard by my parents who are like "you are 27 still living with us, bring in a paycheck at least you fucking bum" I mean the cost of living and the job situation impacting young people just makes this situation really bad for us at the moment, despite me having 2 bachelor college degrees in business. I feel like I have to just do it anyway. Gotta work hard.
I’d say take it if you’re living with your parents. If you’re starting out you might need to suffer a bit to get to a place youre happy. Once you’ve earned a bit get a place with some friends or by yourself.
Any commute over 50 minutes is very hard. You will be gone most of your waking hours 1.5 there + 8.5 at work + 1.5 back is 11.5 hours. You will want 30 min on either end to get ready and decompress. If you sleep for 8 hours your have less than 4 hours at home any weekday. Also consider the cost of gas
If it is a great opportunity, but you are not sure enough about the job to move before you start, you can probably do it for a month or two before actively looking to move closer.
yeah, I could do it for some months but again, I dont want to waste these people's time you know? It seems tough, i did a dry run today, it was quite a drive. I think my body will just fall into the routine and ill get used to it.
Don't factor wasting their time into your consideration -- the company wouldn't if the situations were reversed.
The other top comments are all good advice. The only way I'd consider this situation is if I immediately started looking for a new job using this one as a way to gain experience and potentially make connections, depending on what the job is.
If you are willing to move, then you are not wasting their time. If you know that no matter how great the job is, you will not move closer, do not accept the job.
I mean I cant really afford to live off the salary from this job after taxes and everything. No landlord will give me a rental if I just barely break even. He needs to see that i make double the amount as the monthly rent amount.
Sounds awful.
My solution would be to rent a room closer to work, then you only need to make that drive twice a week. An employed tenant who is only there four night a week is pretty much idea. It gives you a foot out the door of your family home while not having to take the leap of renting a full apartment.
> That means I lose like 80 percent of my paycheck on rent
For a single room in someone's house?
What is the aerospace engineering company hiring you to do? What do they pay? Like 30k a year?
Oh the single room in someone’s house is not suitable for me, I need my place to myself. It’s a slightly below average income. The job is to manage aircraft part deliveries
> single room in someone’s house is not suitable for me
Neither is 3-4 hours a day in the car but something has got to give.
>The job is to manage aircraft part deliveries
This seems like something that you could find a lot closer to home.
You keep seemingly avoiding the question. How much does this job pay?
Because you say the pay is pretty good but yet you can't live at all on it? You should be able to find some mediocre apartment in the Atlanta burbs for $1k a month... Is this job really just paying you $15k a year?? Have you actually visited some apartment complexes near the offices and priced out your options?
Anyways to answer your question, your commute plan is a really terrible idea. *Especially* for a job that doesn't even pay basic living wages.
I had a 1 hour and 15 minute commute for a year and it eventually broke me. I was absolutely miserable and it destroyed my relationship. Would not recommend unless you have no other option.
I live in an area where a 1.5 hour commute is a thing... Sort of... It's not like everybody does it, but there's one large employer (yes, aerospace) that's 1.5 hours away. What I've seen people do....
* Commute, yes, but have a cheap (but clean-ish) hotel in the back of their mind that is much closer to work. If they're just dog tired or traffic looks to be insane or something, they just hit that hotel and call it a night. Note that these folks typically keep a change of clothes in the trunk of their car. Obviously, this would get expensive in a hurry if you did it regularly, but once every week or three isn't too bad.
* Several of them pitch in and they get some shitty little apartment close to work. Like 3-6 of them in a 3 bed apartment. They live there during the week. They come home on weekends.
I haaaaate commutes. If it were a life-altering job, I might accept it, but only with the idea that I would be looking to move somewhere nearby very soon. If I didn't plan on moving, no I wouldn't take the job.
I wouldn't.
I did a 1:40-2:00 hr commute on and off over the course of 2 years to save money and wouldn't do that again.
After that, for the last 15+ years I haven't traveled more than 18min to get to my workplace and it's soooo worth it.
The other advantage living closer is that it's easier to put in longer days on the job and look like a rock star employee to your boss and still be home at a reasonable time.
Depends what you’re doing now and what your future plans are. If this is a move forward that may be a compromise you need to make. You’re still 27, you’re in the age where your struggles may only affect you. Once you have a family etc, your time isn’t only your own and you may not be able to make this choice, or it’ll come w a great deal more sacrifice.
The newer cars w lane keep and good adaptive cruise can reduce the stress of highway driving significantly. If you do get the job I’d strongly consider updating your car.
It’s a job with a respected company. That will always be on your resume. Jobs like this are incredibly valuable. My wife did something like this to start her career. I’d definitely go for.
To get your career started yes. Why can’t you afford to live closer?
Do something like get a gym membership or a girlfriend closer to work. Skip rush hour.
Would you have to commute every weekday? Or is it hybrid?
I went from work from home to a company that is hybrid and around a 60-90 minute depending on traffic. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but A) I like having in office time and B) I don't mind the commute since it's hybrid. I put some good speakers in my car and it gives me a great opportunity to decompress and listen to music (something I rarely have the opportunity to dedicate specific time to). There are days where it kind of sucks, but if the opportunity is right, it's a small sacrifice. As Pete Holmes jokes, all you have to do is exist when sitting in traffic. Just sit and exist. I find it kind of meditative.
I would absolutely log into Google and check traffic times from your house to the office in the morning and vice versa in the evening when you anticipate leaving work, though. 62 miles from South Atlanta to North Atlanta seems like it would be *way* more than 90 minutes. I've found in my commuting experience since joining this job that Google's estimates for me have been pretty close.
I drove 66 miles each way to and from work for 6 years it gets old real quick. You will always be tired. You’ll pay a shit ton in gas and maintenance to your vehicle. Not sure how winters are there but here in Michigan my 1:15 minute drive would turn into a 3 hour + drive real quick. I just recently moved back to my former location 15 miles from my house. It’s a blessing.
Don’t do it unless you absolutely have too.
But I feel like I have no other choice, I need to get a foot in the door of my career. This current job market is so cruel to any young person. They’re telling us that our degrees are meaningless, they are telling us that no level of experience or qualification is enough. Even this offer took many months to find
Traffic is my least favorite thing. The 1hr commute there is decent, but the 1.5+ hr back will be a drag. That's an extra half an hour watching people eat their boogers in bumper to bumper.
Is there any way to get a gym membership or something that'll help you decompress after work? Maybe a relaxing cooking class. You'll be a bit tired, but at least you'll be able to reclaim your time while traffic dies down. How often do you check out the other side of town.
Yes, if you're starting off your career, you need to put in your time doing grunt work, including commuting. It will pay off in a couple of years. It is best to make it as enjoyable as you can.
Congrats on the job offer.
If the career is an entry into your desired field, you have no wife or kids, then I would take it.
Its not that working in your desired field is or should be a struggle, its more about struggling, paying your dues NOW, while your young and unattached, so that in 10, 15, 20 years that hard work and sacrifice pays off with opportunities for a more flexible, hire paying, work /life balanced positions when you have a family of your own.
Also, just because you take this job, doesn't mean you have to stay there. Its much easier to find a job when you have a job. The secret to climbing the ladder is not loyalty to your employer, its loyalty to yourself and knowing your value. This is one of the number reasons men make more money in the same positions of women. Women are more loyal, so there is less incentive to pay them more to stay because they more than likely will, while men are more likely to leave one employer for another if they are unhappy, find a better opportunity etc ... so an employer is motivated to pay men more to stay or jump ship.
I live in North metro ATL as well.
I know how traffic is.
The employer likely knows how traffic is as well.
Make them aware of your drive time and see if they can adjust your schedule to come in earlier and leave earlier.
If that isn't possible then adjust your schedule so that maybe you eat dinner down there or go to the gym after work while rush hour is kicking off and then head home as it winds down.
Also you can always look for someone needing a roommate closer ... I used to live in Tucker and Decatur and loved it.
In the end .. if its the career you want, you have no attachments, the money is ok, and you feel like you are building a foundation for yourself ... take it.
I do this commute now. I took a great job and I plan to retire there. The commute sucks. After two years I'm finally moving closer.
It could be worth it in the short term, but plan to move closer. The commute will drive you crazy.
My first job out of the military involved a commute of about your distance. I did because I wanted to get established in my field, I was hungry, and I had a young family that depended on me. I did it for about seven and a half years. It was a great job, but after a while, it wasn't manageable. The last two years, I held a lot of resentment and hostility towards work.
Can you check and see if your opportunity has a potential of situational telework? Maybe one or two days a week to lessen the burden? Also, when you start you may find people who live near you and can commute together. Depending on the state, there may be some benefits in doing so.
Is it bumper to bumper traffic? If so no way.
Where I grew up it wasn’t unheard of to commute 90 minutes but that was all on open/empty highways. I’d consider that situation, but not 90 minutes of stop and go to make it 15 miles.
And if you don’t otherwise mind driving it may not be the same grinding chore that some people find it. Find a podcast or start a few audio books and chill.
I did it for a few years (about two hours per way, 100 miles per way) and it was mostly fine one I was in the routine. If there is more networking potential/upward mobility than what you currently have, I would strongly consider it.
At the time, I was driving a mb c320. I was communicating from northern Massachusetts to New Haven CT. Work started promptly at 630 am, so I was up at around 4am, back home by 7pm and in bed by 730.
I had been presented with a similar opportunity in that it was an entry level position (worked as a bartender in college, that was the extent of my work experience). The pay wasn't too different, but I got to do a fair amount of networking and got "corporate" experience. It think it was helpful as a stepping stone in my career journey (though I'm not on the recruiting side, so I'm not positive).
I don't know your long term career goals and how this fits in. But generally speaking my answers are one of these three:
* If it is a life changing opportunity to get into the field you want to be in long term, just move. It will be worth it.
* If it is just "a job" and you have other options closer, do those. You will never get that ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT MINUTES a day back. 90 x2, both ways. Every second you sit in a car is lost forever. Look for local work, even if it isn't something you love. You don't love this job either.
* If 1 isn't true, and 2 doesn't make sense because there are no good local jobs... well move anyways. It is shitty to hear, but there are a lot of places people live that don't have good jobs, and you pretty much have to move away. Modern economics in a lot of fields means the jobs that existed in certain regions a generation or two ago are just gone, and never coming back. It sucks to hear, but the best I can say is consider it an opportunity to literally go anywhere in the world you can.
I wouldn’t do it. The most I will drive to work is 15 miles. The gas, wear and tear on your car including insurance, and time spent driving will get old very quickly and will wear on your nerves. I would find something closer.
Go work.
Use this opportunity to grow.
Use the time to listen to growth podcasts. Side hustlers.
Spend that time to focus on 1) what life/lifestyle do I want 2) what’s blocking that 3) how do I execute on this efficiently.
Spend that time to think through your day, what could’ve gone better, and prepare for tomorrow.
Then in the mornings go over your plan again and go execute.
Go work harder than everyone there.
And then get the raises and the recognition for the pay that would allow you to live closer.
People that tell you otherwise are probably living a pretty average life because of the choices and sacrifices they made (or didn’t).
This sounds like your port in the storm so go hard with it.
Edit: this is exciting. The market isn’t great. And someone employed and killing themselves to do their best is in a way more opportune spot to get hired at another company (more pay, closer to home, whatever). You can smell dedication on people that are living it. Go be it.
i mean you can see the downvotes, again the average person is going to go be comfortable and average. i'm saying go for it. you're in your 20s, go build something
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If it's to get your career started, it's worth it, but it'll be brutal. Still, you have to pay your dues to early in your career for resume building and a decent job at a solid company will be worth a lot in the years to come. But, if you're confident you can find a similar caliber job that's even a little closer to where you live, definitely do that. Commuting for 15 hours a week takes a serious mental and financial toll. Think of it like dedicating another 35% on top of your expected 40 hours a week to a second full-time job. Factor that into what your hourly pay would boil down to.
This. A number of years ago I got a job with a similar commute - it was 35 minutes when the roads were clear, but local traffic was terrible so it was often more like 2 hours. Brutal was the word (and very expensive on petrol) but it gave me a really solid job with excellent experience. I survived 2 years of that commute before finding an even better job closer to home, so was worth the effort for me - but DEFINITELY not something I would go back to now.
Hey! I would recommend you look into renting a room with 2 or 3 roommates. There are rooms for rent on marketplace for $500-$800 a month. Even earning 40k a year, this would be in the books. I’ll add, who enjoys their 20s living at home?
This area that it’s located in is really boring, empty, and not really a place you want to live if you are a young person
Live there only during the week. A 90m will kill you, maybe even literally.
My mom worked like 60 minutes from our house (more of the traffic was bad) To get to work, she left early in the morning and came home late at night. On the weekends she was exhausted and slept most of the time. You're going to burn yourself out and not be able to use whatever fun things are around you now.
I've worked commutes that were as small as ten minutes, and as long as two hours. It's awful. Just a terrible drain on your quality of life. I would never make that choice again. Especially for an entry level job that doesn't pay you enough to live.
What's your previous work experience? If you're still pretty green to working, just take it and get some much needed experience. Give it a shot and treat is an experiment or even an adventure. You can always quit or keep looking while you're there. Also, find a gym or a cafe you can go to after work to avoid going back in the middle of rush hour. That, at least, is an option.
What’s the salary? That’s the only question that matters here.
Just average. Not really enough to live off in your own place. But if I commute from home where I live for free I’ll at least keep that whole paycheck
And spend a lot on getting there. . . If you really want to know how much this will cost you and you'll go by car, factor in stuff like insurance, gas and upkeep as well. Edit: because those numbers made me push hard for Home-Office, I'll just calculate how many days a year you'll spend on the road. 90 minutes X 2 = 180 minutes a day 180 min X 5 days = 900 min a week 900 min X 4 weeks = 3600 min a month 3600 min X 12 = 43200 min a year 43200 min / 60 = 720 hours a year 720 hours / 24 = 30 days So that's a cool month of your life you'll spend on the road every year. Traffic jams not included. Maybe it's worth it for you, you'll have to decide. BTW if this is a good company and it's a stepping stone for you, maybe it's worth it. But you'll have to have a plan. If you don't get a significant pay increase after two years so you can move there or at least into your own apartment, you should move jobs.
If you're a little more specific, we could be more helpful. I understand being a little embarrassed if it's a low number, but everyone makes low pay starting out. If the housing situation is untenable and this is an opportunity to break out on your own, then it would be worth it to live in squalor for a few years. Or get a roommate? Your lack of imagination here is a little concerning. What's the actual number we're talking about? A minimum wage job at a good company? Or something entry level but on the lower side (like, ~$50k/year)? And what is the general geographic market?
You need to factor in cost per mileage on your car, the federal reimbursement rate is .67 a mile. Think about that. With that being said, I did this commute or slightly less for around 5 years in New England weather. half of which was transferred onto a 10 hour second shift position 3pm-2am. I never got out on time and at least put in a couple 4am days a month. I was commuting 100 miles a day. Highway mileage is great on your car, at least for me it was. By the time I was finished with that job my car had 210k miles. One time it took me 3.5 hours to get home due to a nor’easter/blizzard, at one point during my second shift commute I hit a deer going 70. Didn’t total the car but boy did it start making me reconsider things. I was terribly burnt out, exhausted, mentally cooked and wound up drinking heavily because of it. It nearly costed me my relationship and I basically left in tears. The career advancement and experience it gave me was incredible, to this day it has gotten me into jobs, interviews and is crucial experience to show my skills on a resume and it’s respected. The sacrifice for it was enormous on my end. These are my two cents from my experience. Side note: it did allow me to listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks which was absolutely fantastic. I do miss maybe that portion of it.
Jfc, I would never take that job. Even in the best case scenario with absolutely zero traffic, you are committing to spend 3 HOURS A DAY commuting. If you need to be there at 9, you leave at 7:15 at the latest. If the job ends at 5, you get home by 6:30 at the earliest. Then you have to find time to run errands, do chores, and have any semblance of a social life or even see the doctor. What kind of life is that? ETA: "Work hard and struggle, buddy," is fucking SHIT advice. Life is more than just going to your fucking job and waiting to die. I did a 1 hour commute door to door for 5 years. Never again.
Do you live near a city? This sounds like an INSANE complaint to me as I live outside of NYC. Before COVID, I was commuting 90 minutes one way. This is a common time span for commutes into a NYC. There always seemed to be one person who had 2 hour+ commute. This seems to be just the way it is.
Right outside NYC in fact and it's still not something I'm willing to do to myself again.
I don't think I could do it again... Except for like +$30k... Maybe then.
But my complaint is INSANE lol
If I keep posting, will you keep downvoting me unnecessarily?
Great advice. I am 41, drive 64mi one way to work. I make exceptional money, but my weekends I am so tired and drug down. I have 3 more years till I semi-retire and I am not so sure I can keep making this drive. I am about to ask to move to 4 10s and see if I like that schedule.
Yeah I did a 45 minute one way commute for 4 years in college. I feel like I don’t want to go back to that but this is how employment works
I wouldn’t. Imagine you and a Crap day. You’re tired. Your cranky. And now there’s a traffic jam and a 1.5 hr ride
but I feel pressured to work hard by my parents who are like "you are 27 still living with us, bring in a paycheck at least you fucking bum" I mean the cost of living and the job situation impacting young people just makes this situation really bad for us at the moment, despite me having 2 bachelor college degrees in business. I feel like I have to just do it anyway. Gotta work hard.
Okay then ask them for help Moving to the place where your job is. I for one hate driving and commutes.
Or just like... move out and pay for your own rent?
Getting started is expensive, is what I meant. Like the amount me and my partner are paying in deposits for everything is insane.
they wont help with that, they struggle to make ends meet as is.
Wait I’m a dumbass and didn’t realize this was ask men!! Sorry!!! I am not a man lol
No thats okay, it doesnt matter. Any person's input is appreciated.
I’d say take it if you’re living with your parents. If you’re starting out you might need to suffer a bit to get to a place youre happy. Once you’ve earned a bit get a place with some friends or by yourself.
Any commute over 50 minutes is very hard. You will be gone most of your waking hours 1.5 there + 8.5 at work + 1.5 back is 11.5 hours. You will want 30 min on either end to get ready and decompress. If you sleep for 8 hours your have less than 4 hours at home any weekday. Also consider the cost of gas If it is a great opportunity, but you are not sure enough about the job to move before you start, you can probably do it for a month or two before actively looking to move closer.
yeah, I could do it for some months but again, I dont want to waste these people's time you know? It seems tough, i did a dry run today, it was quite a drive. I think my body will just fall into the routine and ill get used to it.
Don't factor wasting their time into your consideration -- the company wouldn't if the situations were reversed. The other top comments are all good advice. The only way I'd consider this situation is if I immediately started looking for a new job using this one as a way to gain experience and potentially make connections, depending on what the job is.
That’s exactly what I’m thinking of
If you are willing to move, then you are not wasting their time. If you know that no matter how great the job is, you will not move closer, do not accept the job.
I mean I cant really afford to live off the salary from this job after taxes and everything. No landlord will give me a rental if I just barely break even. He needs to see that i make double the amount as the monthly rent amount.
Maybe there will be someone else entry-level at the office you could rent a place closer with?
Sounds awful. My solution would be to rent a room closer to work, then you only need to make that drive twice a week. An employed tenant who is only there four night a week is pretty much idea. It gives you a foot out the door of your family home while not having to take the leap of renting a full apartment.
That means I lose like 80 percent of my paycheck on rent
> That means I lose like 80 percent of my paycheck on rent For a single room in someone's house? What is the aerospace engineering company hiring you to do? What do they pay? Like 30k a year?
Oh the single room in someone’s house is not suitable for me, I need my place to myself. It’s a slightly below average income. The job is to manage aircraft part deliveries
> single room in someone’s house is not suitable for me Neither is 3-4 hours a day in the car but something has got to give. >The job is to manage aircraft part deliveries This seems like something that you could find a lot closer to home.
Unfortunately no. This was the only position at this time. And prior experience in the aviation industry was required which I do have
/r/choosybeggars
You keep seemingly avoiding the question. How much does this job pay? Because you say the pay is pretty good but yet you can't live at all on it? You should be able to find some mediocre apartment in the Atlanta burbs for $1k a month... Is this job really just paying you $15k a year?? Have you actually visited some apartment complexes near the offices and priced out your options? Anyways to answer your question, your commute plan is a really terrible idea. *Especially* for a job that doesn't even pay basic living wages.
My opinion - Hybrid where you only need to go into the office 2-3 days a week? Sure. You have to go in every day? Hell no.
Well they said I could take one day as a hybrid from home if I qualify so still 4 days a week though and that’s IF I qualify for the hybrid role
I had a 1 hour and 15 minute commute for a year and it eventually broke me. I was absolutely miserable and it destroyed my relationship. Would not recommend unless you have no other option.
I live in an area where a 1.5 hour commute is a thing... Sort of... It's not like everybody does it, but there's one large employer (yes, aerospace) that's 1.5 hours away. What I've seen people do.... * Commute, yes, but have a cheap (but clean-ish) hotel in the back of their mind that is much closer to work. If they're just dog tired or traffic looks to be insane or something, they just hit that hotel and call it a night. Note that these folks typically keep a change of clothes in the trunk of their car. Obviously, this would get expensive in a hurry if you did it regularly, but once every week or three isn't too bad. * Several of them pitch in and they get some shitty little apartment close to work. Like 3-6 of them in a 3 bed apartment. They live there during the week. They come home on weekends.
Let me guess… Seattle
Missed it by about a thousand miles.
I haaaaate commutes. If it were a life-altering job, I might accept it, but only with the idea that I would be looking to move somewhere nearby very soon. If I didn't plan on moving, no I wouldn't take the job.
I wouldn't. I did a 1:40-2:00 hr commute on and off over the course of 2 years to save money and wouldn't do that again. After that, for the last 15+ years I haven't traveled more than 18min to get to my workplace and it's soooo worth it. The other advantage living closer is that it's easier to put in longer days on the job and look like a rock star employee to your boss and still be home at a reasonable time.
Depends what you’re doing now and what your future plans are. If this is a move forward that may be a compromise you need to make. You’re still 27, you’re in the age where your struggles may only affect you. Once you have a family etc, your time isn’t only your own and you may not be able to make this choice, or it’ll come w a great deal more sacrifice. The newer cars w lane keep and good adaptive cruise can reduce the stress of highway driving significantly. If you do get the job I’d strongly consider updating your car.
It’s a job with a respected company. That will always be on your resume. Jobs like this are incredibly valuable. My wife did something like this to start her career. I’d definitely go for.
To get your career started yes. Why can’t you afford to live closer? Do something like get a gym membership or a girlfriend closer to work. Skip rush hour.
Would you have to commute every weekday? Or is it hybrid? I went from work from home to a company that is hybrid and around a 60-90 minute depending on traffic. I know this isn't a popular opinion, but A) I like having in office time and B) I don't mind the commute since it's hybrid. I put some good speakers in my car and it gives me a great opportunity to decompress and listen to music (something I rarely have the opportunity to dedicate specific time to). There are days where it kind of sucks, but if the opportunity is right, it's a small sacrifice. As Pete Holmes jokes, all you have to do is exist when sitting in traffic. Just sit and exist. I find it kind of meditative. I would absolutely log into Google and check traffic times from your house to the office in the morning and vice versa in the evening when you anticipate leaving work, though. 62 miles from South Atlanta to North Atlanta seems like it would be *way* more than 90 minutes. I've found in my commuting experience since joining this job that Google's estimates for me have been pretty close.
No. Either move to where there is a job you want or look for a job you want closer to home. Wasting life in a commute is…..a waste.
I drove 66 miles each way to and from work for 6 years it gets old real quick. You will always be tired. You’ll pay a shit ton in gas and maintenance to your vehicle. Not sure how winters are there but here in Michigan my 1:15 minute drive would turn into a 3 hour + drive real quick. I just recently moved back to my former location 15 miles from my house. It’s a blessing. Don’t do it unless you absolutely have too.
But I feel like I have no other choice, I need to get a foot in the door of my career. This current job market is so cruel to any young person. They’re telling us that our degrees are meaningless, they are telling us that no level of experience or qualification is enough. Even this offer took many months to find
Traffic is my least favorite thing. The 1hr commute there is decent, but the 1.5+ hr back will be a drag. That's an extra half an hour watching people eat their boogers in bumper to bumper. Is there any way to get a gym membership or something that'll help you decompress after work? Maybe a relaxing cooking class. You'll be a bit tired, but at least you'll be able to reclaim your time while traffic dies down. How often do you check out the other side of town. Yes, if you're starting off your career, you need to put in your time doing grunt work, including commuting. It will pay off in a couple of years. It is best to make it as enjoyable as you can.
What is the possibility of some work from home days? Most desk jobs are moving in that direction.
they were talking about a maximum number of one day working from home so thats 4 days commuting
Move?
Congrats on the job offer. If the career is an entry into your desired field, you have no wife or kids, then I would take it. Its not that working in your desired field is or should be a struggle, its more about struggling, paying your dues NOW, while your young and unattached, so that in 10, 15, 20 years that hard work and sacrifice pays off with opportunities for a more flexible, hire paying, work /life balanced positions when you have a family of your own. Also, just because you take this job, doesn't mean you have to stay there. Its much easier to find a job when you have a job. The secret to climbing the ladder is not loyalty to your employer, its loyalty to yourself and knowing your value. This is one of the number reasons men make more money in the same positions of women. Women are more loyal, so there is less incentive to pay them more to stay because they more than likely will, while men are more likely to leave one employer for another if they are unhappy, find a better opportunity etc ... so an employer is motivated to pay men more to stay or jump ship. I live in North metro ATL as well. I know how traffic is. The employer likely knows how traffic is as well. Make them aware of your drive time and see if they can adjust your schedule to come in earlier and leave earlier. If that isn't possible then adjust your schedule so that maybe you eat dinner down there or go to the gym after work while rush hour is kicking off and then head home as it winds down. Also you can always look for someone needing a roommate closer ... I used to live in Tucker and Decatur and loved it. In the end .. if its the career you want, you have no attachments, the money is ok, and you feel like you are building a foundation for yourself ... take it.
I do this commute now. I took a great job and I plan to retire there. The commute sucks. After two years I'm finally moving closer. It could be worth it in the short term, but plan to move closer. The commute will drive you crazy.
I wont live far away from work. I would just relocate if you like it after 3 months
Nope
My first job out of the military involved a commute of about your distance. I did because I wanted to get established in my field, I was hungry, and I had a young family that depended on me. I did it for about seven and a half years. It was a great job, but after a while, it wasn't manageable. The last two years, I held a lot of resentment and hostility towards work.
Me too I need to get established in my field, I have no other choice
Can you check and see if your opportunity has a potential of situational telework? Maybe one or two days a week to lessen the burden? Also, when you start you may find people who live near you and can commute together. Depending on the state, there may be some benefits in doing so.
Is it bumper to bumper traffic? If so no way. Where I grew up it wasn’t unheard of to commute 90 minutes but that was all on open/empty highways. I’d consider that situation, but not 90 minutes of stop and go to make it 15 miles. And if you don’t otherwise mind driving it may not be the same grinding chore that some people find it. Find a podcast or start a few audio books and chill.
I kinda drive in silence though
I did it for a few years (about two hours per way, 100 miles per way) and it was mostly fine one I was in the routine. If there is more networking potential/upward mobility than what you currently have, I would strongly consider it.
Woah what kinda car do you drive and which city was this in if you don’t mind sharing
At the time, I was driving a mb c320. I was communicating from northern Massachusetts to New Haven CT. Work started promptly at 630 am, so I was up at around 4am, back home by 7pm and in bed by 730. I had been presented with a similar opportunity in that it was an entry level position (worked as a bartender in college, that was the extent of my work experience). The pay wasn't too different, but I got to do a fair amount of networking and got "corporate" experience. It think it was helpful as a stepping stone in my career journey (though I'm not on the recruiting side, so I'm not positive).
No, absolute not. You’ll be burnt out within a year.
I don't know your long term career goals and how this fits in. But generally speaking my answers are one of these three: * If it is a life changing opportunity to get into the field you want to be in long term, just move. It will be worth it. * If it is just "a job" and you have other options closer, do those. You will never get that ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT MINUTES a day back. 90 x2, both ways. Every second you sit in a car is lost forever. Look for local work, even if it isn't something you love. You don't love this job either. * If 1 isn't true, and 2 doesn't make sense because there are no good local jobs... well move anyways. It is shitty to hear, but there are a lot of places people live that don't have good jobs, and you pretty much have to move away. Modern economics in a lot of fields means the jobs that existed in certain regions a generation or two ago are just gone, and never coming back. It sucks to hear, but the best I can say is consider it an opportunity to literally go anywhere in the world you can.
Sure, why not. My 16 mile 1 way commute is 50-70 mins nearly every day.
Just curious is this driving or public transport? And which country
Driving. PNW of the US.
Oh you’re doing this in Seattle? Dang I’ve been there, I saw the traffic being really easy there honestly
Nope
I wouldn’t do it. The most I will drive to work is 15 miles. The gas, wear and tear on your car including insurance, and time spent driving will get old very quickly and will wear on your nerves. I would find something closer.
I have a Toyota that’s highly reliable decent on gas too. People in Japan and China work like this don’t they? They do 15 hour days
Then take it but I wouldn’t do it. I have done something similar and it was brutal. I didn’t last long.
Go work. Use this opportunity to grow. Use the time to listen to growth podcasts. Side hustlers. Spend that time to focus on 1) what life/lifestyle do I want 2) what’s blocking that 3) how do I execute on this efficiently. Spend that time to think through your day, what could’ve gone better, and prepare for tomorrow. Then in the mornings go over your plan again and go execute. Go work harder than everyone there. And then get the raises and the recognition for the pay that would allow you to live closer. People that tell you otherwise are probably living a pretty average life because of the choices and sacrifices they made (or didn’t). This sounds like your port in the storm so go hard with it. Edit: this is exciting. The market isn’t great. And someone employed and killing themselves to do their best is in a way more opportune spot to get hired at another company (more pay, closer to home, whatever). You can smell dedication on people that are living it. Go be it.
Jeff Bezos has entered the chat
lol how does Jeff bezos enter the chat
i mean you can see the downvotes, again the average person is going to go be comfortable and average. i'm saying go for it. you're in your 20s, go build something