Finally a job offer, but terrible commute

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can work from home two days a week make those Mondays and Fridays and get a hotel near the office on Wednesdays.[/quot

Op, if required three days per week in office.
Do Monday for sure, Mondays has most holidays.
I would do MTW in office and work from home TF.

Ideally booking a room near the office T nights, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother in law loves his job and I have never heard him complain about his hour plus of interstate driving each way. I'd try it and see. You might love podcasts or books on tape and not mind the drive so much.

Your anecdote about your brother-in-law does not refute the many studies that show that long commutes are bad for physical and mental health.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9819363/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140523001676#:~:text=Results,interval%20%3D%201.04%E2%80%931.29%5D.

[Anonymous]

It's not ideal but it's better than unemployment and if you can wfh M/F it's fine. Take it, start looking again at 3 months if it's unbearable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not ideal but it's better than unemployment and if you can wfh M/F it's fine. Take it, start looking again at 3 months if it's unbearable.

+1 Being able to work from home for 5 years must have been great, but being in the office only 3 days a week is better than many people have these days. And a 1 hour commute each way 3 days a week isn't that bad. Get a hotel 1 night a week as others have said and the drive is even less frequent.

[Anonymous]

Depending on your home schedule of course, but...
Go in early, beat the worst traffic, take a nap in the car. That's what I do!

[Anonymous]

I did one hour 15 minutes each way to work from 2000-2016 and when it ended I missed my me time commuting. But 2.5 hours commuting 5 days a week was around 600 hours a year and over 16 years that is 9,600 hours.

If you think that is bad I worked with a guy with a 3.5 hour commute every day for 30 years. He spent around 25,000 hours commuting.

He worked on Wall Street and lived in the Poconos.

You get used to it I did roundtrip DC to NYC 5 days a week for 18 months. was fine. Once in routine it was fine. Sadly now I can stand going to NYC. Going this weekend and already dreading it. I only go 1-2 a year now. I used to do around 50 times a year.

The commute was great for my mental health.

[Anonymous]

Can you spell out how a daily DC-NYC commute worked? I can't even imagine that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother in law loves his job and I have never heard him complain about his hour plus of interstate driving each way. I'd try it and see. You might love podcasts or books on tape and not mind the drive so much.

My spouse does it and it's sole sucking. They are looking for another job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My brother in law loves his job and I have never heard him complain about his hour plus of interstate driving each way. I'd try it and see. You might love podcasts or books on tape and not mind the drive so much.

Your anecdote about your brother-in-law does not refute the many studies that show that long commutes are bad for physical and mental health.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9819363/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140523001676#:~:text=Results,interval%20%3D%201.04%E2%80%931.29%5D.

You know what's also bad for your mental health? Undesired unemployment. It's easier to get a job when you have a job. I'd try it at least.

[Anonymous]

Can you adjust your hours to avoid the heaviest commuting times ?

[Anonymous]

Fully WFH jobs are rare. I’d take the job. You can quit if yo hate it.

Do you have small kids?

[Anonymous]

Do you need to clock in 9-5? If you can come in early and leave early I’d do it. Most ppl are doing 4-5 days in office now.

[Anonymous]

Take it and keep looking

[Anonymous]

Its much easier to find a job when you already have a job.

[Anonymous]

I was in your exact position two years ago and took the job. It’s fully 5 days/week in person so 3 days doesn’t even sound that bad, relatively speaking. I love everything about the job except the commute so that definitely helps. Hopefully you have a supportive spouse (I do), that’s crucial especially at first because having to do that commute after being remote for years is beyond exhausting, they’ll definitely need to step up.

I’m going to disagree with those who said to WFH Mondays and Fridays. At least for me, the worst traffic day is Wednesdays. If I were allowed to chose a WFH day that would be the day.