What's the furthest you would drive for a job

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

abracadabra1

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 1999
3,879
1
0
25 miles to work (1-way) - not that big a deal. Sure, it sucks at first (especially after having a <5 min drive), but you get used to it.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
I had to drive 45 miles each way for 6 months, from March -> August (new job + stuck in a lease = ftl).

that's about the most I'd drive... really killed me to spend 2 hours on the road every day.

post-moving, my commute is a little under a mile each way.
 

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
I have no family, no gf and no life, so 45 minutes each way wouldn't be anything to me, as long as i'm not sitting in traffic. I'd take it personally.
 

Tiamat

Lifer
Nov 25, 2003
14,068
5
71
If it would require driving through/into heavy traffic, that would be the biggest deterrent in my book. Otherwise, 40 miles might not be too bad one way as long as you have a decent fun car that also happens to get decent mileage.
 
May 16, 2000
13,522
0
0
If it's no, or very light traffic and easy driving I'd drive 45minutes to an hour each way...providing that I made enough more to cover travel costs and so on.

If there's any traffic or issues then I won't work more than about 15-20 minutes from home.
 

erub

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2000
5,481
0
0
It takes me 25 mins in the morning, and 30-50 mins at night..not that bad in my book, and thats with ATL traffic (although its a reverse commute)
 

SacrosanctFiend

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2004
4,269
0
0
Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
If it's no, or very light traffic and easy driving I'd drive 45minutes to an hour each way...providing that I made enough more to cover travel costs and so on.

If there's any traffic or issues then I won't work more than about 15-20 minutes from home.

Money isn't really the issue. The increase in pay is more than enough to cover the increase in gas usage and wear & tear on the car. I was just wondering about the time.
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
13,679
119
106
45 minutes isn't too bad, but it's really up to you to determine if it is worth it or not
 

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
My current commute is much longer, but I dunno, having a short commute is REALLY nice.
 

SandEagle

Lifer
Aug 4, 2007
16,809
13
0
i did 55 miles each way for 2 years. it definitely takes a toll on you. looking back, i dont think i can ever do that again. you'll spend 10 hours in commute (so you're basically working 50 hrs/week and getting paid for 40). don't forget.... 400 miles a week...gas is expensive! plus wear and tear on vehicle, stress of driving, risk of speeding tickets, etc etc

think it over, ,make a decision, and then think about it some more.............
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend
Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
If it's no, or very light traffic and easy driving I'd drive 45minutes to an hour each way...providing that I made enough more to cover travel costs and so on.

If there's any traffic or issues then I won't work more than about 15-20 minutes from home.

Money isn't really the issue. The increase in pay is more than enough to cover the increase in gas usage and wear & tear on the car. I was just wondering about the time.

how do you feel about spending 2 hours on the road every day, potentially during snow storms / torrential downpours?

are there things you could be doing during that time that mean more to you than the extra income?

for me, the answer was yes, but it's easy to pick up stakes and relocate for a shorter commute as a single guy living by himself. the money I've saved in gas alone made up for moving expenses.
 

TXHokie

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 1999
2,558
176
106
My previous job was 37mi, 1hr each way commute. It lasted less than a year and I took a 5% cut for another one 15min from home. The pay wasn't worth the daily road rage to me plus the car expense (and this was when gas was less than $2! - it wasn't that long ago but sure seems like it). I guess as you get older, your time is worth more.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
15
81
fobot.com
i drive 50 miles one way to my job,. but is it 47 miles of highway and traffic isn't heavy
it is totally worth it for the $ and where we live. we wanted to live out in the country

i got XM radio and the drive is fine right now, i get to chill and listen to the radio , i'll eventually get tired of it, but hopefully not for 10+ years, until my kids graduate from high school
 

TwiceOver

Lifer
Dec 20, 2002
13,544
44
91
My current commute (round trip) is 3 miles. Maybe I'd go 10 miles. But in winter that would suck.
 

trmiv

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
14,670
18
81
I wouldn't do it personally. I'm 23 miles from work, with quite a bit of traffic, and that is far enough for me. I was 17 miles from work and then we bought a house, which put me further away. My wife's commute went from 5 miles to 9 miles, none of them freeway, and she had the nerve to complain. :roll:
 

bucwylde23

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2005
4,180
0
71
I drive about 80 miles each way to work (an hour and a half each way, but depends on traffic) and it's worth it.

I don't want to/can't afford a house in Northern VA and the pay is MUCH higher than where I live. Not to mention there aren't any IT jobs worth a damn in my area or any jobs where I can use my clearance.
 

Svnla

Lifer
Nov 10, 2003
17,986
1,388
126
That's 80 miles per day X 5 days x 52 weeks = 20,8000 miles per year.

I would consider these: Is it highway straight up or small road stop and go? What kind of vehicle you are driving now/mile per gallon? Wear and tear of you vehicle due to longer comute and last but not least, TIME lost by longer comute (if you are single, it is not as bad).
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,600
1,005
126
Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend
I was just offered a position with a global corporation making 25% more than I currently do. The only problem is it's 40 miles away, one-way. I'm really debating over whether or not I should take this job...just looking for some opinions on distance. This is second real job, and the first one with any kind of distance away from my home, that I've had.

How is traffic on that drive?

I'd consider moving closer if traffic is bad or just stay at your current job.
 

zebano

Diamond Member
Jun 15, 2005
4,042
0
0
Distance is meaningless if you're in a city. How long does it take. 45 minutes one way is my limit but I know people that drive 75 minutes each way (on a normal day).
 

brunell8

Senior member
Feb 23, 2001
976
0
76
elyriacheer.weebly.com
My current job was a raise of about 25% over my last job - went from driving 5 miles to 33 miles one way. There was never a doubt that I would take it if offered. If it's a better job, and 25% more, 40 miles isn't bad. It will still cover the extra gas and if it's a more enjoyable job, take the offer while it's still available.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,600
1,005
126
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
10 hours a week of extra commute is not worth 25% more to me. I spent a few years driving almost 1 hour each way, then I moved so now I am 5 minutes (on a bad day) from work and wouldn't ever trade it.

Same here. I did a commute like that for a year and a half. It took me an hour to drive 33 miles and most of that was freeway but traffic is so bad here that it took an hour on a good day-Friday it ALWAYS took about 1.5 hours to get home. Spending 2+ hours in my car every day sucked. Never again...