Career change need advice.

Yeah, when time is gone, it's gone. If a person isn't tied to an area, their house or property, I can see it. That's not how we are. I think a lot of it is tied to how a person grew up...if they moved a lot as a kid, perhaps they are of a diff mindset. Some people also stay near family, some people move because of that. I just personally can't see moving for 60 miles, unless I wanted to be in that area anyway.

 

One of the things that made me not mind the commute was my boss allowed me to clock in when I pulled out of the driveway, and clock out when I got home. Plus I expensed my mileage so I got just under $100 per trip.

 

I’ve been saying this to people for awhile now. Travel time should be paid time and included in your work hours.

 

Perry long jr , if you do make the switch, make sure you leave your current job on the best terms possible.

Ive been there, done that..

 

Although work commutes around here can be up to an hour, really good shopping opportunities can be 2.5 hours away.

 

Very good advice IMO. It's just the right thing to do.

 

Personally, I would never drive that far for work. Every minute you spend driving to and from work is another minute you lose off your life each day and you're not getting paid for. I moved from a house that was 11 miles from work to a house that is 3 miles from work 11 years ago and love the fact that within 5 minutes of leaving work, I am free to do whatever I want at my own house. Also, filling up on gas once every 2.5-3 weeks is nice.

 

23 years of never working local. I drove. And I drove. And I drove some more.
It worked. I made far better money than I could locally.
I now rarely drive anything. Anywhere. Ever.

Buy a Prius and drop the hammer.

I also spent lots of time in mines. Never saw a MSHA employee sweat.

 

Only issue is if you were hourly before, they'll make you salary at that point to save the company money.

 

It's the best thing to do, but not always possible.

Sometimes there's also zero harm in burning that bridge to the ground. In my experience, I lit that match once and it was the best thing I've ever done in and for my career.

 

That is great advise. Had someone in our group leave for a job/position where they made a LOT more money (and believe me, he wasn't poorly paid). A month later he was begging us to take him back. Unfortunately our group's budget cuts went from $1,000,000 goal at beginning of the year to $3M cut in April. We are not allowed to replace anyone. Also company policy is that someone has to be gone for 6 months before they will rehire. This guy went thru 2 jobs in that 6 month time. He finally came back under another group - but if he had left under less than good terms, he never would have gotten back in. We have a good amount of rehires becasue they find out that this company is really good.

The smaller the company, the less likely they have that 6 month wait policy, so if you find that "sweet job" is absolutely unbearable, it is nice to have opportunity to the place you know.

And in some cases, like yours, the job/company is so horrid that anything has to be better. Then you have to jump quickly when you get the chance and bridges be dammed.

 

In the east, that hour worth of traffic is to get 15-30 miles. In the west, you are actually getting somewhere during that 90 minute commute.

It isn't the drive I mind, it is the sitting that I mind. I'm irritated that I'm burning gas for no reason (and getting a total of 30 mpg instead of the 40 mpg that it gets in free-flow traffic), the other cars trying to jump lines/lanes even though it only gets them 1 car ahead, and looking at heaps of metal instead of trees and landscape.

 

My experience with rehiring was bad...went back to a place I had spent 7 years the first time, left because the place was a mess and I hated every minute of it...it was sucking the life out of me.
So I ended up going back about 9 years later, because some of the people I worked with were still there, and they said things had truly changed...that, and I had been laid off from where I was, so I went back. (against the advice of some of my elders) It was fine at first, then it was like someone flipped a switch...same crap, different day...things got a lil ugly and I burnt the bridge behind me the second time around. Don't regret it though.
The owner eventually tried to sell, but asked too much for the place, never sold it...had to piecemeal things off... fortunately for his family, he was rid of it all before he died.
Had he managed the place better, he could have got his price, and more.

 

So true. I had an hour commute for a few years. The road was generally in good shape, no traffic to speak of and lots of time to unwind before getting home. I couldn't do it now. I am spoiled by the 4 minute drive to work. I should really be walking it. It would take 15 minutes.

 

I have decided to take the job and I gave them a three week notice. I don’t believe in burning bridges , I know sometimes that cannot be helped. I have two full weeks off before I start and that will give a opportunity to get some things done around the house and catch up on some firewood hoarding. Thanks for all the advice. Sometimes it helps to get others opinion own big decisions.

 

Good luck in your new endeavor my friend!

 

Congrats and good luck!

 

Good luck, hope all goes well

 

I had a 150-mile round trip in the Northern Virginia/DC area for four and a half years. Traffic was obviously horrible, and I can't even imagine how many hours I spent stuck in a vehicle, but you can get used to anything after a while. I would never do it now, but it's what I had to do at the time. As retired military and former government contractor, if you are seriously thinking about a career change, I would definitely consider getting into a federal job (and the benefits that come with it) as a major incentive for making the commute.