Commute - how much is it worth to you?

[janegold]

I was going to say no, because an hour commute is a lot to me. But only 3 days a week...yeah, it sounds like a good situation.

[adhdfashion]

In a hot second.

[Deleted]

20k more. Sign me up!

[AHappierHour]

Yes

[Eagles]

No, but I went from an hour commute each way to a ten minute commute. I didn't know how much it affected me until I didn't have to do it anymore.

[bonquiqui]

No question

[curtains]

I will answer from the other side. I currently live 5 minutes from work. I could afford a much larger property if I moved an hour away.It wasn't worth it to me. I am now paying top dollar to avoid the commute.

At the end if the day it is up to you and what is what is important to you. Good luck!

[ECB]

I hate long commutes. HATE. But for only 3 days? I'd seriously consider it.

[Deleted]

Depends on what I was making, $50k plus $20k - yes/ $150k plus $20k probably not

[W.T.Faulkner]

Fuck yes.

[glitzyglow]

If I only had to commute 3 days a week, then yes, especially with the huge pay raise. When I had a long commute I used to listen to audiobooks and I loved it. Now my commute is 10 minutes and sometimes I miss the long drives listening to books.

[namasteak]

Would the schedule be flexible enough that you could avoid rush hour? Traffic is bad enough in LA I can't imagine an hour commute in rush hour.

[suzubell]

Absolutely.

[kaybee85]

I had an hour each way commute my first year teaching and it kind of sucked. Things I would think about:

How much more am I paying in gas? How much faster will my car's value go down bc of mileage?
How much do I love the job I'll be doing?
How much is expected of me when I get home (this was hard from the teaching perspective - the last thing I wanted to do was read a terrible essay when I got home)?

I did listen to a LOT of audiobooks (lol Jalapeñomel, I also call them books on tape) and would now listen to podcasts, too, which made my time feel less 'wasted.'

20k is and one day less of travel would make me seriously consider it, despite the negatives. 

[kadams767]

On public transport, yes. Driving myself? I doubt it. I'd have to really love the job itself, the money alone wouldn't be enough for me. But I loathe driving and am admittedly not motivated most by money at this point in my life.

[trafficgirl]

I have roughly an hour commute each way now and get through it by listening to audiobooks. If I could only do it 3 days a week and get a $20K raise I would jump so fast at the chance!

So basically I vote yes.

[cville]

THREE DAY WEEKEND EVERY WEEKEND.

[Deleted]

No, I loathe commuting and I'd miss out on morning/evening time with my kids and that wouldn't be worth it to me. I walk to work now and it's a big part of how my H and I are able to manage parenting with two professional jobs.

[starlily]

Yes.

[elleblue]

May 27, 2015 20:37:21 GMT -5 namasteak said:

Would the schedule be flexible enough that you could avoid rush hour? Traffic is bad enough in LA I can't imagine an hour commute in rush hour.

It's pretty much always rush hour in LA. Not sure that shifting her hours slightly would help much, though it might. 

[Deleted]

Yes

[snipsnsnails]

No. I commuted 70 minutes door-to-door for almost a decade and it was like being pecked to death by chickens-just a slow, wearing down of your soul.

And driving? Definitely not.

[linz]

If I was only working 3 days a week, yes.

[RandZB]

Well, I already commute an hour each way 5 days a week soooooo...yep.

[noodleskooze]

Definitely. But and extra 20k is almost doubling my salary, so...

[isabel]

You have to work one day from home, but it's super flexible, so let's pretend that you gained a day and a half with this new schedule. Assuming an 8 hour work day, that's 12 hours. Your commute is 6 hours a week. So, you've gained 6 hours a week and a $20k pay raise.

Yes. Yes, I would take that job.

Anecdotal: I'm starting a new job in two weeks and picked it out of a couple others because, even though the commute is a tad longer, I get to work half days on Fridays. That free time on a week day, plus the whole weekend, is a huge benefit in my opinion.

[Deleted]

yes. the key being that its only three days a week and 20k more.

that is a resounding HELL FUCKING YES

[msmerymac]

Oh, you're in LA? Are you sure it's only an hour?

Regardless, I have a coworker who commuted from Long Beach to Encino for years. I also commuted from Long Beach to Van Nuys for 6 weeks and it sucked, but I knew that was temporary (staying with a friend while I found a place) and it was 1.5-2 hours each way.

Anyway, it's hard to get a short commute in LA. In my last apartment/job, it was 35 minutes on a good day. 11 miles. Should have been 20, tops, with no traffic, but the 101, man. 30-35 for my husband, too.


Right now my husband is considering going from a 15 minute commute to an hour+ commute. It would be public transit (commuter rail, then a shuttle with wi-fi), and it wouldn't be for anywhere near the great increase you're getting. It would be, like, a slightly better bonus and great stock options.

[Balki.Bartokomous]

Probably not. Basically you're swapping a day in the office for a day in a car, and a day in the car each week here would make me stabby. $20K wouldn't change our lifestyle, so it's not enough to make me want to do that drive. And it doesn't sound like that 5th day is guaranteed off.

How much better are the benefits?

[cbwm1]

With no kids? Absolutely, in a heartbeat. Especially if you can manage a dog walker for the days you'd be commuting.