Jump to content

Totally OT: How far is your commute to work???


Dr. Scottie C

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

About 2km's, I could walk, I don't though.  :smiley-bounce012:  My excuse is a new car stereo but really, it's too damn muggy, for me anyway.  Some people here (Brisbane), claim to like the humidity, I think they're full of poo poo and have never experienced the beauty of a dry climate.  The heat doesn't worry me but throw in some humidity and 30C becomes bad (86F).  Dry I'm fine up to 36-37C (97-99F).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

38-42 miles depending on route...it takes 45-60 minutes in the morning depending on how early I get out of the house, and anywhere from 50 minute to a couple of hours in the afternoon, usually taking longer as the week progresses.  I also go through two of the top ten busiest freeway junctions in the country...but I do work from home one day a week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I travel from Asia to Europe for work ... and then back again! That is, I leave my home on the Anatolian side of Istanbul and head to work on the European side. It's probably a bit over ten miles, but it takes me more than an hour each way. That includes street traffic to the port, a ferry boat ride and a 10 minute walk from the pier. Street traffic seems to get worse every day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

My commute is several steps as well; I've had a home office off and on for 18 years, and steadily since 2004.  When my new company (started new job 10/1) couldn't immediately provide a corporate laptop, I had to go 17 miles (25 mins) to their office several times a week and nearly quit over that. 

So, Scottie, I bet you read the above and wonder "what's up with the princess?"  Without divulging too much, let me share a few things that might shed some light for you.  It's a long read, but I hope you will read it and find it worthwhile.

Here are some jobs I've had where I worked from a home office:
* Individual contributor sales roles
* Sales leadership roles
* Music industry jobs (A&R, tour management, artist management, my own label)

In the sales roles I did not make $250k, but it is understood that good field sales professionals certainly don't need supervision (the harder you work, the more you are paid), and they make a very nice income, typically low six figures.

At one point about 10 years ago I moved a quarter mile from my then-company's offices, and walked 8 minutes to work every morning.  It was an unexpectedly profound experience for me, because I could never have imagined what a HUGE deal it was to lose the commute (the previous work-from-home music biz jobs were so financially abusive I got no benefit from the lack of commute.).  Not only did I win back 2 hours a day (Boston area at the time - ridiculous traffic), but removing the stress of the commute left me with tons more energy.

 

Which led me to do quite well at that job.  Which led to more income.  Which led to them offering to put me in the field in the city of my choice west of the Mississippi.  Which led to my now expecting to work from my home office, because that's what I've done for almost 10 years straight.

It's a positive feedback loop - see? 

Commuting is a diabolical evil, because you are not getting paid for that time.  Most people I know that have reclaimed that part of their schedule (namely, the beginning and end of each day) are far more materially successful than those who have not.

And people get huffy when you say it's personal choice.

Now, if I had a fancy engineering degree, it would be easier.  But I don't; I graduated in the bottom 10% of my college class with an English degree, then got a M.Ed. I used only long enough to come close to starving (pay was even worse for new teachers in Boston back then).

Now let's look at the flip side.  In my last job, travel was constant all over the US West; I know more about most westerner's states than they do.  I flew 162 times in 2012.  When your parents are dying in Boston and you must go from San Diego to Eugene to Reno to Boston and then back home to Albuquerque in 5 days, it can literally take years off your life. 

Did I mention missing my wife, my nice home (in which that office was sitting, unused but paying for it), my cats, and .... MY GUITARS?  So, you tell me: was that enviable?  Or horrific? 

My new gig has car-only travel, and yes, they pay a solid stipend for the car (monthly plus mileage).  I needed to get off the road before I had a heart attack in SkyHarbor.  I was the freaking "Duke" of the  ABQ, Burbank and Santa Ana/John Wayne airports on Yelp! for a while.  And I had 11 people reporting to me, some of whom ... needed more supervision than others (in other words, they were bad hires).

Here's my point: lose the commute, if you can.  Because even if there's a little rearranging of expenses and priorities, you'll almost certainly wind up stronger and more effective, and the results follow.

Anyhow, that's what I do for my home-office job - and at this point, just commuting for 3 weeks and having to get out of others' way (as I was the new guy, and they didn't have an office for me per se) almost drove me nuts.  OTOH, I can wake up as a plane touches down in one of about 40 cities, find my car and get to the Hilton property or my sales meeting like Superman coming out of a phone booth.

So, I don't feel spoiled, but I do feel blessed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members


kayd_mon wrote:

Are there local colleges hiring adjunct professors? You could try that.

 


 

 

There is one, but they say I don't have enough experience in my field, and they like to keep the hours to about 15 a week so they don't have any benefits to pay....... college professor is only a great gig if you are full time with tenure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...