A Sticky Situation

[rorich]

Have you ever been in a position where you are unhappy at your job and what makes matters worse is the fact that it costs way too much to commute to work? Sure, you generate income, but at some point you may begin to evaluate and soon realize that the cons outweigh the pros. However, it is difficult to get into the your field with very little experience. Now what would you do?

[Gootsy]

My previous job had an hour and a half commute, and wasn't excately the most fulfilling job. Paid 'ok', but the time travelling there and back each day really was brutal.

What'd I do? I quit the job, moved to another city, and found a place VERY close to my new job.

Now that I live within walking distance... Honestly I can't imagine ever doing those brutal commutes again. If/when I get a different job, I will be moving close to it ASAP.

[Joanne]

If you're saying the cons outweigh the pros, it's time to move on. Life is way to short to be in a situation that doesn't bring you a sense of joy or happiness.

Here's something from one of my favorite sites (daily om):

Starting New: A Moment Of Choice
There are times in our lives that lend themselves to starting something new. The beginning of a new year, finishing school, leaving a job, or changing homes—these all are times that turn our minds to fresh starts. Their advantage is that they bring with them the energy of that event, creating a tide of change around them that we can ride to our next shoreline. But we can choose to start anew anytime. In any moment we can decide that a bad day or a relationship that’s gotten off on the wrong foot can be started again. It is a mental shift that allows us to clean the slate and approach anything with fresh eyes, and we can make that choice at any time.

Starting new is most powerful when we focus our attention to what we are choosing to create. Giving all of our attention to the unwanted aspects of our lives allows what we resist to persist. We need to remember to leave enough room in the process of new beginnings to be kind to ourselves, because it takes time to become accustomed to anything new, no matter how much we like it. There is no need to get down on ourselves if we don't reach our new goals instantly. Instead, we acknowledge the forward motion and choose to reset and start again, knowing that with each choice we learn, grow, and move forward.

Making the choice to start anew has its own energy—it's a promise made to you. The forward momentum creates a sort of vacuum behind it, pulling toward you all you need to help you continue moving in your chosen direction. Once the journey has begun, it may take unexpected turns, but it never really ends. Like cycles in nature, there are periods of obvious growth and periods of dormancy that signal a time of waiting for the right moment to burst forth. Each time we choose to start anew we dedicate ourselves to becoming the best we are able to be.

[rorich]

Originally Posted by Gootsy

My previous job had an hour and a half commute, and wasn't excately the most fulfilling job. Paid 'ok', but the time travelling there and back each day really was brutal.

I am in the process of looking for another job now. My commute is around 30-35 minutes. However, the cost for the commute (gas and tolls) is $400-500 per month. This is the killer.

[rolltimer]

Depends on how much you like your chosen field, whether there are similar alternative fields that pay as much as you're currently making and where these type jobs tend to be located. Are they in an area where you want to live and build a life? Can you take advantage of the internet and work from home, thereby being able to live anywhere like the Location Independent Professionals?

The situation you allude to sounds as though the commute is only the tip of the iceberg. If you don't really enjoy much of what you are doing, it doesn't matter how much you are making. Unless you are making a phenomenal sum that would allow you to live on, say, 20% of it and save and invest the rest. You may be able to put up with the job for 10 or 15 years, perhaps doubling and tripling your net worth over this time period; then move into part time work or start your own business.

Trent over at the Simple Dollar has a post on figuring out what your hourly worth is including costs associated with your job such as your commute. That's a good place to start in figuring out how much you need to make at your next job and whether moving on is really what you need to do.

[alex]

Originally Posted by rorich

Have you ever been in a position where you are unhappy at your job and what makes matters worse is the fact that it costs way too much to commute to work? Sure, you generate income, but at some point you may begin to evaluate and soon realize that the cons outweigh the pros. However, it is difficult to get into the your field with very little experience. Now what would you do?

Yes, I once kept a job for two years, even though I had a famous a-hole for a boss and a 90 minute commute (one way). Leaving that job was one of the happiest days of my life. And, it turned out that my next job took me to several countries in Euroland, as well as a year as an expat. It also gave me tons of experience, and I'm currently using that experience to get my own thing off the ground.

Unless your current job is providing the skills you need for your field of interest, leave ASAP. Time is running out! It's scary, but that's a lot more exciting that comfortable misery.

By the way, what is it you're interested in? It's possible that someone here can help.

Working for someone is generally a bad way to make money.

[rorich]

Originally Posted by alex

Unless your current job is providing the skills you need for your field of interest, leave ASAP. Time is running out! It's scary, but that's a lot more exciting that comfortable misery.

By the way, what is it you're interested in? It's possible that someone here can help.

Working for someone is generally a bad way to make money.

I'm actually interested in the Information Technology field. My current job claims my position is IT. However, I'm not at all challenged. Most of the time, I am doing nothing. I'm at work right now and have nothing to do. The problem is that the only "experience" I have (besides the 7 months on this job) is in school. It seems as though it is more important on who you know than what you know to get into this field.

[alex]

Originally Posted by rorich

It seems as though it is more important on who you know than what you know to get into this field.

As an introvert, I tried to resist this notion for years. Now that I'm so old, I see that it's absolutely true. And it's true in every profession. Of course, having skills helps once you get in touch with the right person.

I had jobs where I worked about an hour a day, and got paid for 8. I used to love it, spending hours on the boards, emailing friends, shopping, flash games, and the like, but it gets old. And after a year, you realize what a waste of time it was.

Bad commutes kill the soul and the environment. (But Radiohead can help with both.)

[Milehimama]

Why don't you start moonlighitng on the side to gain experience and up your income? You could basically start your own business, while you still get a paycheck. Design websites, write programs, build computers, whatever your particular IT field is. Even start a website of IT reviews, etc.

[purplefdu]

If you are commuting that far and hate everything about the job its time to find something else. Start looking for professional groups that have an IT specialty or get back to your college and see what type of job placement help they provide. You don't have to know someone in IT to get a job in IT. Most of my best jobs were through friends of my mom who just knew I would work my ass off.