Question on Commutes and on Management 5

[Lion06]

How long of a commute do most people have to their office? Is there anyone who's considered changing jobs (or has changed jobs) to get a shorter commute?

I have an hour commute one way into the office and it's becoming a bit burdensome on my home life. I also have a 3rd child coming in about 2 months and the extra time away from home is going to be even more problematic. On top of the quality of life issues, it is becoming very expensive (I spend almost $600/month on gas - not including my wife's vehicle).

If I didn't like my job or the people I work with I would have started looking already, but I love my job and I really enjoy the people I work with. On top of that, I happen to be one of the lucky ones (from what I've read in other posts anyway) that has a very good manager on top of the other good things at work. The prospect of changing companies and potentially having to work for one of these horrible managers is a bit scary. This is really only my second job (first in engineering - I worked for manufacturing company for 9 years) and I've been lucky enough to not have a horrible manager yet. I would appreciate if people give me an idea of how many of their managers have been hard to work for - either having unrealistic expectations for work output or just being an outright jerk or any other issues. I would think that most managers would want to be liked by their employees since I don't think most people enjoy acting like jerks, but I could be wrong.

So the bottom line is that I would love to look for a new job closer to home with a more flexible schedule, but I am scared to death of ending up in a job I don't like or working for a manager who is difficult. As much as I hate the extra drive time, I'd rather spend the extra 1-2 hours per day driving than hate the 8-9 hours in between the commutes to and from the office.

 

[Gymmeh]

I live 6 minutes from work.

I would try to move or get a motocycle,moped, or something.
Good bosses are a hard find

 

[Lion06]

gymmeh-

That's a riot!! You did read above that I have to take kids to and from childcare, sports practices, etc....., right?

 

[Gymmeh]

Nope, hehe, I apologize, skimmed over that part...

Wouldn’t it be romantic to moped with your wife/gf 60 minutes every day? ;-)

I am not sure how you would fit the little one(s) in there… do they still make those side carts like in Indiana Jones?

 

[KENAT]

Didn't get a chance to read all the posts, any chance you can do some kind of car pool like PSE says? Less gas $, when not driving you can snooze/read reports etc.

Oh, and do you really need/are you stick with the SUV?

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[MRM]

I've always been curious about where AAA (or the government for that matter) gets these +/-$0.70/mile cost estimates from.

I bought a used (3 year old Cavilier in 1998) with 47,000 miles on it; pretty much brand new to me. I've just recently gotten rid of it. It had 223,000 miles on it.

I kept receipts for the original purchase, every oil change, repair, insurance, gas (adjusted for price changes over the years), etc. I've calculated that the car has cost me about $0.15/mile to drive. That's not even including the $200 I got out of it when I sold it either. That's even including the computer, which had to be replaced in it around 150,000 miles.

I suppose if you buy a brand new $40,000 vehicle (something not fuel efficient at all) every few years, and need to replace the transmission within that time every year, it may be possible to get closer to that $0.70/mile figure we read about.

Unless you're independantly wealthy where it's simply not an issue, it's a good reminder of how poor an investment new vehicles really are!

 

[cvg]

MRM I'm not sure how you did your calculation, but even using very low costs, I come up with numbers much closer to AAA - over 50 - 60 cents per mile. See attached

 

[vc66]

I think some may be missing the point. It's not the money for gas that he's referring to as troublesome, but the time spent away from home.

StructuralEIT there are three ways to deal with your situation.

1. Move to a different job, closer to home.
2. Move to a different house, closer to your job.
3. Suck it up.

Personally, I put my family first, as I believe you probably do too. That takes (3) out of the equation. Which would be an easier transition for you? Changing jobs, or changing houses? Take whichever one wins out, and compare it to how much more time you'd have with your family, how much more energy you'd have, etc. If it's worth it, do it.

You won't be happy having less time to watch your kids grow up. Great boss or not.

Good luck with your decision, it's definitely a tough one.

V

 

[vc66]

With regards to my last post I meant to say, "... it's not the money for gas that he's referring to as most troublesome..."

V

 

[cvg]

the original poster definitely expressed concern with the cost of commuting as well as the impact on home life. and as we all know, money problems are one of the largest and most difficult issues many families face. that said, moving or changing jobs might increase the amount of family time but cannot do that at the expense of higher bills.

 

[swearingen]

I'm with COEngineer. I had a 124 mile commute for 8 1/2 years. 4/10's is what to go for. I only have a 44 mile commute now and I still do 4/10's if we're not seriously under the gun.

3-day weekends can do a lot for a man's family...



If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS

 

[KENAT]

3 day weekends are good, I like them a lot, but I don't take them for granted either.

VC66, part of my point with carpooling is that the day you aren't driving you can snooze or whatever. Hence freeing up a little time at home.

Sure an hour spent half dozing in a car either way isn't like 2 in bed but it helps a little.

I used the train for a short time and it was pretty nice being able to snooze or read a report or whatever. Also allowed for wind down after work so by the time you get home you are in home mind set, not work or driving mind set.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...