When is it too far to commute to work?

I did a commute that was over an hour each way (about 40 miles each way) for about a decade before they moved my role to a home office. I used to wake up every day at 5am, was at the bus or train stop (or starting my drive in) by 6:15am so that I could be at my desk by 7:30am…so that I could leave by 4:30pm, which would get me home just before 6pm.

So, I was gone at least 12 hours every week day. I would only drive when hubby was out of town and I might get a call from day care or school and need to pick up a sick kid.
Otherwise, the bus or train were more relaxing.

I live in Minnesnowta—so snowy commutes (that add an hour to the commute each way) are also a normal part of life.

So.. in short—your commute (40–50 min.) doesn’t sound unusual to me…lots of people around here do that or longer…but my quality of life now that I don’t have that lengthy commute every day is sure better.

How much are you making per week, per job, after travel costs (petrol, car maintenance…)

My last job cost me $150 every two weeks in gas alone, and destroyed my car. Fuck commuting.

It depends on how you feel about it. My husband commutes on the train, and he likes the reading time.

I used to commute by ferry and car, and it was too long. It took too much of a piece of my day.

Don’t forget to mention which job you think sounds best

I agree with Seek. If the job pays really well and you can afford it, go as far as you can comfortably travel. If the cost of commuting eats too much into your paycheck, it isn’t worth it. When I had a good teaching job, I didn’t mind an hour commute. But when I had an assistant hourly job, half an hour was too long.

Based on the experience of several commutes in my career that required often up to two hours driving time each way, I’ve now set 30 minutes each way as my maximum. Looking back, I have a hard time recalling any job I had for which having to wake up before dawn, sitting in molasses-moving traffic and getting home after dark was worth that daily agony.

Depends how you feel about traveling. If you don’t mind it the longer commute sounds okay and a full time job would be preferable to me. I didn’t mind traveling a lot when I was young with nothing to tie me down. I use to cover 250 or so miles a day. As you get older that might be more of a drawback. What’s your preference?

I’m with @Pachyderm_In_The_Room, 30 minutes is just about perfect for my car/ gas $, my personality, and the time factor.

Lol if I left from my bf’s place it’d be 30 minutes.

I did calculations and if I’m right it costs almost a tank of gas a week. $40–50

The bare bones math looks like this:

$12/hr times 8 hrs a day = $96/day. To 8 hours, add 1 hour lunch (my assumption, it might be less), and average 1 hour each way for commute (allowing for traffic variations), I come up with 11.5 hours a day spent getting to and from work and working. Rounding up to 12 hours at $96/day, comes to $8.00/hour.
After your promotion, plugging in $15 instead of $12, it comes up to $10.00/hr.

With the other job, the shorter the work day (as in part time), the larger percentage of your time is taken up by the commute, even though it is about half the first mentioned job.

Keep in mind this does not take into account such things as: opportunity for advancement; do you like the job; commuting expenses (fuel and wear and tear on car, or transit costs).

Personally, given the choices, if I felt the job with the longer commute was a better fit, I would still go for it. I would look in to public transit for the longer commute.

A full time job with a company is preferable to one with a temp agency. Go with the one that fits your career goals. The commute difference is minimal. You will learn to do things on the way home or will car pool if it gets bad.

It’s all relative. It has to do with your career goals and also, which job is likely to be more satisfying. To me, happiness is worth a little sacrifice of money, so if you’re happy and making a bit less, it’s worth it – but that’s just me. Some people feel like they’d rather make more and not care about job satisfaction or happiness.

If it’s terrible weather and you need to take some personal time off, in lieu of getting into a car accident, then no matter where you work, that’s what you’ll have to do. Regardless of the type of vehicle you drive, there will be days that you won’t be able to get to work or will arrive late, no matter what.

Do you have kids or anyone else you’re helping take care of? When I decide on commutes, I figure in how much time I’ll have at home with my kids and how far away I’d be in an emergency. That made the decision for me more than once.

Also, what kind of commute? For me, 45 minutes on a uncongested bus, train or interstate is not too bad but 45 minutes of being squashed among other people on a crowded bus or train (in the afternoon many of them stink) or hitting my brakes nonstop in bumper to bumper traffic… Unacceptable.

Thanks everyone. Hmm.. no kids…no major responsibilities really. Anyways, I got an interview today with Safelite customer call service rep and got the job offer but I told her I will give an answer by Friday (waiting on the job from Aerotek full time position).

lol, she was the most impersonal interviewer ever. She was so emotionless and stiff… She just said “Hi my name is ____” with no smile, flat voice, and no eye contact. Throughout the interview she just stared at her laptop asking questions and typing my answers… no emotion at all as if she were a robot and she kinda look bored. Then she offered me the position. Odd.

I have two limits, when it takes longer to get to work than the work takes, and when it costs more than you earn. My son took a job that was an hour drive away from our house, but it was only minimum wage, and his travel expenses exceeded his salary. He quit after two months.

I read of a man who lives in a mansion in Oregon and works in the San Francisco area. He commutes to work several times a week in his private jet, and often stays over in his SF condo.

There are many people in Northern California who drive an hour or two to and from work every day.

I once had job with a 30-minute commute. However, it was a 10–12 hour work day at 60K/year.

Now I have a job with a 90-minute commute, but it’s only a 7 hour work day at 85K/year.

To me, the longer commute is worth it. I drive, so I keep busy with podcasts and audio books.