Traveling to DC worth it?

So I've done 2 hour commutes before but thinking about trying a 4 hour. There's lots of jobs in DC and I feel my chances are higher at landing a real full time gig up there verses down here. Just brought a house stressing out that September is my last month. I don't like waiting until the last minute.

Deep down I'm not a fan of doing this just because of the fatigue, wear and tear, on my vehicle and just basically no life, but sometimes you do what you have to....

Thoughts?

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networker050184

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

How about Raleigh? Preliminary Indeed search hits over 110 CCNA jobs in Raleigh. Google Maps says it's a 2 hour drive.

My first thought as well. Half the commute and probably better tech jobs rather than boring government contracts.

I personally think you'd be crazy to even do a 2 hour commute though.

Chevel

networker050184 wrote: »

My first thought as well. Half the commute and probably better tech jobs rather than boring government contracts.

I personally think you'd be crazy to even do a 2 hour commute though.

My mother still does her 2 hour commute she has for 6 years now.

For the right job its worth it. She has mentioned she's trying to come back down this way though. Never thought of Raleigh might be less traffic too?

hurricane1091

If OP means 4 hours each way, he's JK about the entire topi. Now, if you meant 4 hours total which must be the case, it is still insane but not that far fetched as I know many 200k+ salaried people driving 3-4 hours total each day to work and back.

NetworkNewb

hurricane1091 wrote: »

200k+ salaried people driving 3-4 hours total each day to work and back.

Would still rather work at McDs. Money does not equal happiness and I can't even imagine losing that many hours a day out of my life just to driving to and from work. The idea of the OP doing this sounds absolutely insane to me personally.

scaredoftests

No, flexjobs is legit (though I refuse to pay for it). My sister in law got her present job because of that site (she was willing to pay).

p@r0tuXus

If it were me in that position, I'd consider moving but renting out the house. If you do it right, you could set the rent to cover the house payments and a little of the maintenance costs and property taxes, insurance, et al.. You'd definitely want to keep it in good shape. In addition, finding a place closer to where you intend to work that accepts your dogs might be possible and the solution you need.

ITSpectre

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Would still rather work at McDs. Money does not equal happiness and I can't even imagine losing that many hours a day out of my life just to driving to and from work. The idea of the OP doing this sounds absolutely insane to me personally.

Priston

Southhampton Virginia to DC
Depart at 3:30 AM
typically 3 h - 4 h 40 min
Arrive around 8:10 AM

DC to Southhampton Virginia
Depart at 4:30 PM
typically 3 h 20 min - 4 h 50 min
Arrive around 9:20 PM

I'd recommend Richmond or Raleigh.

Edit:
Also 180 miles each way = 360 miles a day. Lets say you make the commute 250 times a year.
That's 90,000 miles a year.

Lets say you get 40 miles per gallon, 2250 gallons of gas a year.
~$4500 a year in gas.

Now go watch Before the Flood.

hurricane1091

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Would still rather work at McDs. Money does not equal happiness and I can't even imagine losing that many hours a day out of my life just to driving to and from work. The idea of the OP doing this sounds absolutely insane to me personally.

I would agree, but then again I don't know. One was the CIO, making over 500k I am sure. The other was the CIO, probably in the 325k ball park. Another was a manager, north of 200k. Lots of money is the theme here.

Chevel

I think there might be some misunderstanding.

1. I'm not considering this commute to get rich LOL!
2. Yes when I say drive 4 hours that would be 8 hours of driving round trip.
3. This is not something I want to do but something I'm considering should I not find a job here. See my contracting post.
4. I'm looking for something that pays above minimum wage as well as job stability no more yearly contracts

@scaredoftests that's cool I saw the payment and was like no LOL.

cyberguypr

Oh hell no. I also though it was 2+2. 4+4 is absolutely ridiculous. There's no money that can make me take that. Life is short. Absolutely not worth it. There has to be some other option before you consider this.

Chevel

I've done 4 hours round trip that's not bad at all. The main thing no traffic. &#55357;&#56397;

Press ANY Key

Have you considered what your commute will be like on days where it is raining, snowing or there is a bad accident? Your commute will be twice as long. Trust me, you will be sitting in traffic for hours. You are better off renting a room in a shared house in that area.

AverageJoe

I've known a few folks who got a cheap apartment in/near DC to crash in during the week, often with roommates, and then home on weekends.

That sounds way more doable than 8 hours of commuting each day. The dog, of course, makes this harder, but if you work 8-10 hours a day and commute 8 hours a day (so basically leaving the dog alone for 18 hours a day!), you're going to need someone to look in on the dog anyway, so you might as well outsource the dog watching during the week and just go home for weekends.

clarson

It'd have to be a really terrific job for me to to work twice as long and make less than half as much (based on a per hour basis).

Think about what else you could do with those 8 hours a day. There is studying, watch tv, blog, commute, get a second job, do consulting. There are a lot of ways you can earn extra money, promote yourself, get experience and an education. I can't think of something more stressful than looking at someones brake lights for hours a day. you better get some blood pressure medication. and relationships by cell phone while driving just don't happen.

That kind of commute is like getting a second job and not getting paid for it. And, I don't work if I'm not getting paid. There are laws against that.

hurricane1091

LOL there's ZERO chance someone could survive a 4 hour each-way commute for very long. Disregard this topic, this is impossible. Even if you offered to double my salary to do it right now, I'd decline. I know of a guy I worked with who got an apartment in the city (he lived 3.5 hours away) and just stayed in the apartment away from his family all week, and he did not seem too happy.

ITSpectre

I used to work with a guy that lived in New York... thats a 4hr drive from D.C. he told me that he has a place to live down here and then goes back to NY on the weekends. That is really the only way you could handle working in D.C. and living in Richmond.... Actually if you are looking for a gig I have a contractor that wants me to find someone for a 2-11pm shift in Chester VA....

mbarrett

AverageJoe wrote: »

I've known a few folks who got a cheap apartment in/near DC to crash in during the week, often with roommates, and then home on weekends.

This might be the best compromise, if you can stand it

The DC area has plenty of people rooming together. Your room mates would appreciate someone who is only there part time, I'm sure.

Chevel

Have thought about renting out the house but that's a stress of finding someone to actually pay rent one and two take care of the home. Still brainstorming ideas and applying to some of the few jobs available around here. Going to see how these next few weeks pan out.

@ITSpectre, I was contacted about the "great opportunity" at the same location

kiki162

If you have done 2 hour round trip commutes before, I can tell you that's NOTHING...especially if you are young and single. You live near a great area /w a lot of contracting and government jobs nearby. Now contracts suck, so that may be out of the question for you.

You can either look in that area, move up near DC/MD/NoVA, or look at a remote position instead. Now I'm not sure what type of background/experience you have, but you may want to think about your career path and what you need to do to get a remote position.

Danielh22185

I do 2hrs round trip right now. Its a beating. I know I won't be able to do this for a long time. I'm hoping some seniority after 6mo - 1yr will net me a WFH day. 8hrs round trip you have to be outside your mind to take! I really don't think I would take that job for any level of money either. Maybe if it were for 7 figures I would take it for a year and then just retire!

datacomboss

There are areas with much lower cost of living and great demand for IT pros - especially Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin/San Antonio.

EANx

There are plenty of examples of people commuting from W VA or Richmond into DC on a daily basis. While the commute the OP mentioned might be a bit extreme, the VA area has all sorts of alternative commuting options for people who who want rural life with big-city pay. For instance, if the OP wants to drive to Fredricksburg, he can take the train in and take a nap on the way. The train takes you all the way into downtown DC in 90 min.

Chevel

kiki162 wrote: »

If you have done 2 hour round trip commutes before, I can tell you that's NOTHING...especially if you are young and single. You live near a great area /w a lot of contracting and government jobs nearby. Now contracts suck, so that may be out of the question for you.

You can either look in that area, move up near DC/MD/NoVA, or look at a remote position instead. Now I'm not sure what type of background/experience you have, but you may want to think about your career path and what you need to do to get a remote position.

I can do 2 hour round trips and 4 hours no problem. 8 hours on the road would be a new challenge for sure. At this point I'd be content with being able to pay my mortgage for the next year though I would highly prefer something permanent.

Interestingly you mentioned this, I've never thought about remote because I figure it was out of reach and only for special circumstances. Joined flex jobs ( thanks @scaredoftests) most of the remote positions are programmer and software developer I would love to try my hand and see how that goes but as a new person for that field I have no clue where to start.

scaredoftests

You are welcome @Chevel.

Chevel

That said I have thought about a career change, I believe its in IT but I'm not sure what field. Did some serious thinking over the weekend and realized that through each progression I made over the years I became more miserable and mentally exhausted. Not feeling challenged nor enjoying the work I do. I need something I can be engaged in and more suited towards my personality, more introverted get work done faster alone.

While I'm still job hunting trying to look at different fields so I can figure out what I want to do long term in IT.

scaredoftests

I think it is good to have experience in all aspects of IT anyway, so you don't paint yourself in a corner(and get burned out). I always say I am a jackyn of all trades at interviews.

Chevel

I agree completely, I just would like to say with confidence I have hands on experience in those aspects. Moving up I thought I would gain this knowledge and while I did with some, most of the time it was the same job with a few minor differences. Can't venture too far out due to contracting complications. :-/ There's plenty of jobs I've seen that I would love to try but don't want to over sell myself, plus who wants to train.

I going to try to remain positive in the hopes that something comes along soon.

scaredoftests

That is how I got experience, the companies who were willing to train.

Chevel

Did they say there were or did you just apply? Seems most want 7+ years experience with Bachelor degree.