60 to 90 min commute

[Anonymous]

I'm a federal contractor with a medium risk of my job ending soon. My company has laid off 20% of it's workforce due to contract terminations and said to brace for more. I work fully remote currently. I have a job offer with another company that actually pays more ($250k/year). I feel very fortunate because I know there are thousands looking for a job in the DMV including friends and former colleagues. This job is 60-90 minutes one-way from my house whether by car or metro and requires 3 days/week in the office. Spouse works in an office close to home 3 days/week and we have two young children. Normally I would not consider this but we need my income and looking at job postings, it seems like very little is fully remote, and the chances of finding a job that pays as much that is 30 minutes or less from my house seems like a needle in a haystack. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

I’d take it. It will be an adjustment but use the extra pay to outsource as much house stuff as you can.

[Anonymous]

What is your current childcare situation? For $250k I’d definitely lean towards taking the job.

[Anonymous]

Take it

[Anonymous]

Yes, in the DMV "30 mins or less" commute is a needle-in-a-haystack.

[Anonymous]

I would take it, OP. More money. Try to find a way to reframe the commute time as time your investing in yourself by listening to podcasts that interest you, your favorite music, etc. It doesn’t have be all bad. And congratulations. It must feel like a relief. My spouse was just RIFed so please wish us luck too!

[Anonymous]

Take it and see how you can make the hours work for you. I’m in a similar life stage and husband is fully remote. I handle daycare drop off when I go into the office so my husband can log in early and usually drive in at that point, am at my desk by 9:15, but don’t leave until a bit later so my husband will handle daycare pickup and dinner. Or if I have an early meeting, I try to leave a smidge earlier and take a different train in so I’m right next to daycare for pickup.

[Anonymous]

At three days per week could it possibly make sense to stay in a cheap hotel for those nights and avoid that commute and associated costs? An extra three hours of driving each day won’t give you much quality time at home anyway.

[Anonymous]

For three days, heck yes. My company wanted to move to five days onsite.

[Anonymous]

I am a fed 90 minutes one way 5 days a week- take it.

[Anonymous]

I do this 3 days week. I try to leave 5:45 am to beat traffic, making commute 75 min. I come home around 2 in lieu of lunch (65 min) and then hop back on. I can pick my days, so do Mon/Thur/Fri. By Fridays I’m exhausted. We are allowed 1 additional WFH day each month. I crave that day.
I honestly do not know how I’ll do this 8 more years. But I’m so grateful to be employed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a federal contractor with a medium risk of my job ending soon. My company has laid off 20% of it's workforce due to contract terminations and said to brace for more. I work fully remote currently. I have a job offer with another company that actually pays more ($250k/year). I feel very fortunate because I know there are thousands looking for a job in the DMV including friends and former colleagues. This job is 60-90 minutes one-way from my house whether by car or metro and requires 3 days/week in the office. Spouse works in an office close to home 3 days/week and we have two young children. Normally I would not consider this but we need my income and looking at job postings, it seems like very little is fully remote, and the chances of finding a job that pays as much that is 30 minutes or less from my house seems like a needle in a haystack. Any advice?

That depends a bit on where your house is. I live in McLean and in defense. Not such a stretch to find something along the Dulles corridor. If you live in Olney, your odds are probably a lot lower.

That said, $250k is pretty good and it's not 5 days a week. Everyone is tightening up, I'd take it. Especially since it pays more.

[Anonymous]

Talk to your spouse but 3 days sounds manageable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do this 3 days week. I try to leave 5:45 am to beat traffic, making commute 75 min. I come home around 2 in lieu of lunch (65 min) and then hop back on. I can pick my days, so do Mon/Thur/Fri. By Fridays I’m exhausted. We are allowed 1 additional WFH day each month. I crave that day.
I honestly do not know how I’ll do this 8 more years. But I’m so grateful to be employed.

Like this poster, I also do this 3 days a week and leaving for the office by 6 am is the key. I go into the office Monday/Tuesday/Friday. The Friday commute is so much lighter that I will never use Friday as an at home day, it’s also less important to get on the road by 6 am on Fridays. It’s really not that bad, get into podcasts and consider that 60-90 minutes at the end of the day to be decompression time.

[Anonymous]

I think I'd take it - the broader economic landscape has nothing good coming up and a bird in the hand and all that.