Current Events > would you take a job with a 1hr+ commute?

(+) Yeah! (+)

the commute, according to google maps, is 54 minutes (46.3 miles). I don't know if this factors in traffic as well, but I figure this is going to be probably a little over an hour with traffic, maybe an hour and 15 with some typical NJ traffic.

would you guys take the job based on this commute? it looks like a good position, however my dad did a commute like this for most of my childhood (hour and a half each way) and he always told me how much that sucked
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After doing it for a period of time I would not do it again unless the money was unreal. Even then, I would move closer at some point after taking the job.
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as long as the money is good Id take it. thats a hell of a drive tho
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whitelytning posted...

After doing it for a period of time I would not do it again unless the money was unreal. Even then, I would move closer at some point after taking the job.

in my situation i can't move closer since i just signed a lease on a new place a couple weeks ago. the irony here is that i moved to the new place partially for better job options, and then this job opportunity fell into my lap and it's like two towns over from where i used to live lol
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Not until we have self-driving Uber.

All the money in the world isn't worth the majority of my free time.
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Everyone I know that has a 2 hour a day total commute is miserable.
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Nope. Had a commute like that early in my career. Would not do again.

That's the standard commute time in the northern VA area. Takes me about 45 minutes to get to work and an hour plus to get back with traffic.

I did that once only because I knew it wouldn't last longer than a year and it came with a good raise.

Never again.

If I really really wanted the job, I'd probably move to a place that's closer.
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i did this for about 3 years through brutal, grinding houston traffic
1.5 hours each way pretty standard
50 minutes if a magic wand situation and no traffic / construction hangups
driving from galleria area to suburbs
it is truly soul-devouring and will sap a lot of happiness from you
is it worth it?
i did it for about ~85k/year for three years, which enabled me to springboard into another company/position which got me to my current job where i make well over six figures and have a 20 minute commute
i would say it depends on your situation
i did it because i had a wife and newborn baby girl, and i missed a ton of time with her because i wouldn't get home until like 7 pm most nights
if i was a single guy it would largely depend on pay and optionality...but probably yes anyway for money
that got longer than i intended
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Fuck no
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Been there, done that.

No. I'm so thankful I'm back to a normal half hour commute again.
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No. I mean, theoretically I could receive a job offer for a position I really love with pay I couldn't refuse, but in general no
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treewojima posted...

That's the standard commute time in the northern VA area. Takes me about 45 minutes to get to work and an hour plus to get back with traffic.

my commute for the last year was about 45 minutes to 1hr (depending on traffic) going there and about 45 min back, although i just moved a little closer to my current job so now it's about 35 min. wasn't too bad tbh

honestly i am used to long commutes because this is kind of the norm in NJ, but a possible 75 - 90 min commute is pushing it imo

The Trent posted...

i would say it depends on your situation
i did it because i had a wife and newborn baby girl, and i missed a ton of time with her because i wouldn't get home until like 7 pm most nights

i am married but i don't have any kids now, so the reason i'm considering this is so i can make the sacrifices now to set myself up for future success when i have kids and dont have to do shit like this when i am a father
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hell no. not even if the money was great. too much of your life wasted in the car.
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The Trent posted...

1.5 hours each way pretty standard
50 minutes if a magic wand situation and no traffic / construction hangups

Having standard business hours should be illegal.

Every business entering the area should be required to look at traffic trends and pick hours of operation that distribute traffic more evenly instead of reinforcing rush hour.

For example, if rush hours are 7-8am and 5-6pm, it should be illegal for a new business to open at 8 or close at 5.
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If the pay was good enough to afford a chauffeur, yes.

yes, that would be pretty cool
however, this is the real world, which is almost exclusively totally uncool
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DevsBro posted...

The Trent posted...

1.5 hours each way pretty standard
50 minutes if a magic wand situation and no traffic / construction hangups

Having standard business hours should be illegal.

Every business entering the area should be required to look at traffic trends and pick hours of operation that distribute traffic more evenly instead of reinforcing rush hour.

Fore example, if rush hours are 7-8am and 5-6pm, it should be illegal for a new business to open at 8 or close at 5.

I've been thinking along these lines for a while too. A traditional work day certainly has some benefits, like giving everyone their evenings and weekends free, but it's also a mess when everyone is on the same schedule. We get rush hour, everyone is trying to eat out at the same time, and if you actually need work done or something, odds are the service place is open 8-5, so you'll need to take off work to be able to go to the place while it's open.

If everyone just did their own thing, life would be more efficient I think. But who knows. It'd be an interesting experiment.
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DevsBro posted...

Having standard business hours should be illegal.

Every business entering the area should be required to look at traffic trends and pick hours of operation that distribute traffic more evenly instead of reinforcing rush hour.

For example, if rush hours are 7-8am and 5-6pm, it should be illegal for a new business to open at 8 or close at 5.

it's called congestion pricing bro
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JustMyOpinion posted...

For a 30% pay increase, yes. Otherwise, no.

i havent gone over money yet with the company (just have an interview today) but i think a 30% increase wouldnt be far off for this position.

since you live in NJ i figure you'll understand the kind of commute i'm looking at - i'm currently in Somerset county and would be commuting to Wayne. thankfully it looks like i can take 287 all the way up there just about so i can avoid the Parkway traffic

DevsBro posted...

Every business entering the area should be required to look at traffic trends and pick hours of operation that distribute traffic more evenly instead of reinforcing rush hour.

we have to be open when banks are open though because of the nature of the industry
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Balrog0 posted...

it's called congestion pricing bro

Until the busses run out to the suburbs, that's nothing more than artificial scarcity and rent-seeking on top of a public utility that's already paid for by the people using it.

Not unless it really paid well, over $100k.

My commit to college was on average 35mins, that was annoying enough.

Edit: Make sure you have lots of music on your phone to listen to. Have ypir favorite albums and new stuff to try, make custom playlists and even get Satellite Radio.
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If it was something I really wanted, and in an area with reasonable public transit, then yes I would.
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Questionmarktarius posted...

Balrog0 posted...

it's called congestion pricing bro

Until the busses run out to the suburbs, that's nothing more than artificial scarcity and rent-seeking on top of a public utility that's already paid for by the people using it.

nope and you don't know the first thing about what you're talking about
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Romulox28 posted...

DevsBro posted...

Every business entering the area should be required to look at traffic trends and pick hours of operation that distribute traffic more evenly instead of reinforcing rush hour.

we have to be open when banks are open though because of the nature of the industry

Lucky for you, banks are open from 9am to 4pm for some asstacularly stupid reason so you're in the clear.
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Balrog0 posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Balrog0 posted...

it's called congestion pricing bro

Until the busses run out to the suburbs, that's nothing more than artificial scarcity and rent-seeking on top of a public utility that's already paid for by the people using it.

nope and you don't know the first thing about what you're talking about

A bloated fee to enter downtown between 8 and 9 in the morning accomplishes nothing but pissing off commuters.

The actual solution is radical gentrification and demographic swap: move anyone economically relevant into downtown, while moving the poor to the suburbs.

When the schools near the place of employment are terrible, yes. We just bought a house with a commute that can range from 35 minutes to over an hour. That's actually quite good for CA. We have 2 kids, so schools are important to us directly. They also matter for resale.

Many people commute 2 hours (or more!) each way because they can't afford to pay over a million dollars for a house. There aren't many rentals, either.

It really depends on where you live.
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Or, you know, just run the fucking bus out to the goddamn 'burbs.

i cant tell if i have stockholm syndrome from being so used to long commutes, if you guys have very low tolerance for driving, or if it's some mix of the two.

hearing some of you guys complain about 30 minute commutes to me is baffling tbh, that's like the gold standard in NJ
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yeah, same for houston
the city is so sprawling that 30m is doing pretty well, really
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When I started where I am my commute was 110 miles and 2.5 hours a day round trip.

Fortunately I was on travel so my employer paid for my time and kms. It was awesome.
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Would need to be making at least 6-figures if it's in the tri-state area.

Do you have to drive, or can you take the NJ Transit? At least with the train you can occupy yourself.

Otherwise you're going to really need to like podcasts or something.
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Not a chance. I value my time more then a bit more money. I always try to keep my commute around 20 minutes each way.
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Only if I could do it in a single affordable public transport journey. I'd use that time to catch up on social life, read the newspaper, play games, etc.

Most people in London spend that time commuting on the tube and that's a horrible way to travel.
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Alternative plan GB -

You may have the option to get out of your lease early if you find someone to replace you. Something to talk to your agent/landlord about and see if they're willing to come to the table on.
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Can you work from home? Even if it's just 2-3 times a month that can make it more manageable

pinky0926 posted...

Alternative plan GB -

You may have the option to get out of your lease early if you find someone to replace you. Something to talk to your agent/landlord about and see if they're willing to come to the table on.

i dont want to move, i just moved into this new apartment last week and we love it here. the job is not in a great area, it's very industrial & crowded

Punctus_Pilot posted...

Can you work from home? Even if it's just 2-3 times a month that can make it more manageable

yea i might ask about that

JustMyOpinion posted...

30 minutes is a good day for me. More like 45 with the ridiculous traffic on route 4.

yea route 4 is a nightmare, my wife used to work in bergen county and it would take her like two hours some days to get into work

when i was living in morris county it could take well over an hour if there was an accident on 78
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I take the train to work. 5-10 minute drive to station depending on traffic, 45 minute train ride, and a 6 minute walk to my building. Not that horrible.
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I spend about 15-20 hours a week commuting. Each way it's a 10 minute drive to get to the nearest train station, then a 50 minute train ride, then a 25 minute walk.

The train ride gives me time to do some work or read. The walk is relaxing. But over-all the time spent commuting still sucks.
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the job would have to pay at least 30 bucks an hour(in this shithole of a city that only charges me 400$ a month in rent+utility) to justify the loss of time and mental/physical health of a commute that long.

LightHawKnight posted...

I take the train to work. 5-10 minute drive to station depending on traffic, 45 minute train ride, and a 6 minute walk to my building. Not that horrible.

FLUFFYGERM posted...

I spend about 15-20 hours a week commuting. Each way it's a 10 minute drive to get to the nearest train station, then a 50 minute train ride, then a 25 minute walk.

yea i wouldnt mind if i had to take the train, but this job would likely be in stop and go traffic
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I would be homeless before I commuted 90 minutes each way in stop-and-go traffic
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Romulox28 posted...

yea i wouldnt mind if i had to take the train, but this job would likely be in stop and go traffic

Sometimes I drive to work and it's about an hour and 20 minutes in traffic. Without plenty of music and podcasts it'd drive me insane. Definitely load up your phone with some music and podcasts. I used to drive more often when it's really cold outside, and it was a good opportunity to learn a lot about my favorite subjects. Don't just drive and zone out because then you're really wasting time.
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I used to have to do that.

It sucks
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not for less than 200,000/year
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