How far would you consider commuting (daily) to advance your career?

wj4 · Sep 5, 2011

Hi all,

Just a general question: How far would you consider commuting daily to a job that would advance your career. My current job is about 35 miles each way. Going there takes about 30 mins, but coming home in traffic, it can take anywhere from 1-2 hours.

I think I would consider driving up to 50 miles one way max for a job. I'm looking at a new gig at the moment, and some of the employers are around that range, if not more.

impolyt_one · Sep 5, 2011

Probably better to consider it in terms of actual time, rather than mileage, since you live in LA. Can't get all that commuting time back, nor can you work with it.

ndsleep612 · Sep 5, 2011

wj4 said:
Hi all,

Just a general question: How far would you consider commuting daily to a job that would advance your career. My current job is about 35 miles each way. Going there takes about 30 mins, but coming home in traffic, it can take anywhere from 1-2 hours.

I think I would consider driving up to 50 miles one way max for a job. I'm looking at a new gig at the moment, and some of the employers are around that range, if not more.

Distance is all relative to the amount of time it takes you to get there. My work is about 6 miles across town but I go though inner city traffic to get there. It takes me about the same time getting to work as compared to driving to a city in the suburbs 40 miles away. In regards to career advancement I would only travel up to 1 hour by car each way. You have to factor in the travel expenses along with your sanity time getting to and from work.

wj4 · Sep 5, 2011

impolyt_one said:
Probably better to consider it in terms of actual time, rather than mileage, since you live in LA. Can't get all that commuting time back, nor can you work with it.

This is one of the factors why I started looking for a new place to work. Being stuck during rush hour on one of the nation's worst highway is driving me nuts. I have a gig that is closer to my home lined up. But the interview process is intense, 5 interviews. I just finished the 4th one, I'm hoping to get this gig. Better pay, tuition reimbursement, closer to home..win/win/win.

Other factors are definitely accounted for, ie the miles I'm putting on my car, gas price, cost of my time, etc.

At this point in my life, I'm pretty career driven. I just go to school, and work, and squeeze in gym time every now and then. Social life is on hiatus until Fall of 2012. (That's my estimated time of completion from school).

Gus · Sep 5, 2011

impolyt_one said:
Probably better to consider it in terms of actual time, rather than mileage, since you live in LA. Can't get all that commuting time back, nor can you work with it.

I think this is a good approach. At the same time I see a lot of people making the most of their commute time. If in a car they get a bluetooth speaker and make calls for work. If on a train, bus or car some are very good at downloading interesting pod casts of favorite news and discussions. One friend is fanatical about books on tape. So, if one way is going to be rough, perhaps you can be prepared for the worst and yet enjoy that time by structuring it and not just letting it go by with the radio.

nootje · Sep 5, 2011

bluetooth+carkit=working in your car.. My commute is approx 90min, but I tend to do a lot of calls from the car.. FWIW, the cost of driving is more of a concern to me than the time spent driving, but perhaps that stems from the the 10$ a gallon we pay around here..

Also, what PSG mentioned, learning languages by tape is a good way to ease the time spend in your car.

globetrotter · Sep 5, 2011

it really depends on your position in life and career. now, I go to the office twice a month, at a 1 hour commute. if I had to go every day, I'd move closer to work.
when I was younger, I did an hour each way every way without thinking about it. I needed to promote my career, and I didn't have much of a life aside from my career. I would have done 90 minutes each way, if I had to.

GQgeek · Sep 5, 2011

Call me spoiled but I don't think i could deal with more than the 35 minutes i'm doing right now. As it is, i'd move closer if i knew i was going to be in this job long enough for it to be worthwhile (it would't be). Commuting sucks no matter how you slice it. I remember my dad coming home late at night and how much that sucked out of him and have vowed to never do the same thing.

passingtime · Sep 5, 2011

It depends how you commute. My commute is about an hour but that's on an almost empty train so I have no problems with it. I wouldn't consider driving an hour each way though or being on a packed train.

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How far would you consider commuting (daily) to advance your career?

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