A possible new job pays noticeably more but adds about 45 minutes each way to my commute, three days a week. That's roughly four and a half extra hours in traffic every week before counting the cost of travel. The work itself sounds interesting, so it's not only about salary. I'm trying to price in tired evenings and less flexibility without making up an arbitrary hourly number for my free time. What did you underestimate when taking a job with a longer commute?
Deciding how much commuting time a salary increase is really worth
- career-advice
- commuting
- time
- salary
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3 replies
People usually underestimate how much longer days affect the next day too. It’s not just the commute itself, it’s the feeling of arriving ho...
People usually underestimate how much longer days affect the next day too. It’s not just the commute itself, it’s the feeling of arriving home already partly spent.
I’d also think about weekday errands and errands you used to squeeze in after work. A longer commute can make small tasks feel like another appointment.
The salary bump matters, but so does whether the commute is predictable. Forty-five minutes each way sounds manageable until traffic turns i...