Caught between two jobs. How much should the commute factor

[Anonymous]

I currently work a thankless, not too interesting job, with a decent title and potential to jump. I also have a lot of vacation days and the job is located in the city, and I metro to work.
My current pay 80K. I set my own hours, and my superiors have a lot of respect for me and let me get on with the job.
But the job is based on a contract. It has been going on for 3 years now, but it could end at any time. Last year, they let go two people with no forewarning or notice, and the same fate may befall me.

I recently received an offer for another job, which is located in Bailey's Crossroads (Between Fairfax and Annandale) and takes me about 30 mins by car from my house in DC. I will never move out to Virginia, so that isn't a factor.
The job would concentrate on another subject and will be slighly more stimulating with more travel. The vacation time isn't great, but the i would receive a 20K pay raise to 100K. The company is stable and I won't be subject to a contract.

My biggest concern is whether i'd regret the move in a year. Whether i would be pigeon holing myself this way. I am 32 and still don't know what I want from life, but I know its not what the new job is offering. I simply feel that my current job could translate into something better (it hasn't yet and I haven't been applying much to other jobs)
Also, 30 mins commute by car is very different than commuting to the middle of the city by metro.

Any advice here.

[Anonymous]

Commute is huge. I'd test that drive out during rush hour and see if the time really holds.

I wouldn't trade the awesomeness of flexibility with a slightly more stimulating job or for $20k more.

Your current gig sounds pretty good in the grand scheme. Any chance you can speak to the hiring people and let them know about this other offer you are considering? See if they can both give you a raise ($10k wouldn't be out of the question here) and, perhaps more importantly, a longer-term guarantee for your contract? Given that you are marketable, I don't think it is unusual to let your current employer know about this decision you are struggling with. My DH has had large professional teams (at your paygrade - so comparable) working for him, and whenever someone announces they have accepted another job, it's pretty standard that their HR team to counter. Usually not with as much money as the new offer, but it often tips the balance for employees to stay in their current job. You may decide that the stability factor is even more important than the pay, in which case that's a pretty reasonable thing to ask for.

[Anonymous]

Unless you live on the Southwest waterfront, you're not getting to BC in 30 minutes. Try it out at rush hour before you make this decision.

[Anonymous]

I commute from Shaw to Fairfax and it takes about 1:45 to 2 hours. I may have done 45 mins each way a couple of times early in the morning, like 7.

Tough decision.

[Anonymous]

If I were you. I'd find something better. Between the extra time on the road, wear and tear on your vehicle, and gas, you're negating the small pay raise you would get.

[Anonymous]

I would move to va

[Anonymous]

I would reconsider the "never" and move to Virginia.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Not moving to VA since my wife works in DC and walks to work...and we own a home here which we bought 2 years ago.

Thanks for the advice on talking with my superiors, but this company really doesn't match or attempt to haggle on your salary. I've seen it with a couple of people before. They say congrats, and we'll look for someone else, usually someone cheaper.

The commute is really the worst factor and 2 hours on the road each day is pretty tough to swallow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The commute is really the worst factor and 2 hours on the road each day is pretty tough to swallow.

I suggest looking for other opportunities where you do not need to cross the river.

[Anonymous]

A 30 minute commute is nothing. What are you commuting now? If you look at door to door time, it might be pretty similar.

Personally, I'd take it. Though I just moved so that my commute went from 1 hr+ to 30 minutes (and I LOVE the 30 minutes).

[Anonymous]

The commute might be a deal breaker on its own, but can you expand on on your concerns with getting pigeon-holed?

[Anonymous]

Oh man. That is a tough decision. The money is obviously not that much more or you wouldn't be on here asking for advice. Had it been 120K, you would probably take it and put up with the commute.

Putting a price on commuting is tough i'd say. There is something to be said about being in the city and being able to go to HH after work etc.

How long can you stick with your current position. It seems like its completely reliant on a contract that is expiring and you don't know how it will be negotiated.

Maybe they cut the budget in half. My last company had a division farming out info to a third party, they cut the contract in half after discovering automation...needles to say, they laid off 5 people in a day.

Stability can be overrated, but stability also allows you to enjoy life.

[Anonymous]

I would take the stability and the shorter commute, and take a lot of stress and uncertainty out of your life. If you like the new career direction, great. If you don't, it is a perfectly legitimate thing to say, I tried it for a year or two, but I really prefer being back in xxx field doing xxx work, and am looking to return. Or do something else entirely. The stability and shorter commute will also give you a chance to enhance your resume, maybe a supplemental course or cert or something, gives you a base from which to take a look around at the world and how you can make your career path your own

[Anonymous]

Take the new job. This doesn't even come close for me ... sounds like you're going to get fired from your current work soon enough and the work isn't stimulating anyway. Suck up the commute, climb the ladder, advance your title/experience, and look for a new job in a few years if you're not satisfied.

DC is full of commute sissies ... which makes it so much easier for type-As to get ahead while the rest live in crappy homes with short commutes and work til they're 75.

[Anonymous]

Your first job sounds like its easy going and you may not be willing to challenge yourself. It looks like you have no upward mobility and not even the guarantee of a job in a year.

I think you're using the commute as a bit of an excuse. I know its tough to do that commute, but it isn't terrible if you plan the traffic right.
Also, no offense, but you need to be pushing yourself to make more money. In two years you'll have made 40K more. Nothing to scuff at.