rob base
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Post by rob base on Sept 16, 2016 9:18:28 GMT -5
The job offers a compressed schedule of working 9 out of 10 days...(you work 9 hrs for 8 days, than a "normal" 8 he day, than a day "off")...,also they offer to let u telework one day every 2 weeks.
But I need to be "trained" first. Another person been here for 7 months now and still isn't allowed to "compress" or telework yet though.....
All things considered it's a good sitch....I got a good job right after military retirement. This is just part of the price of getting foot in door of gov civilian system.
For the poster that asked, yes it's only about 1.5 miles from our house to highway and about 2.5 miles from highway exit to job.
Right now I live hella close and have time to "practice"....also not sure if I like no or not. It's only day 9 on the job :-). So far it seems awesome
As far as future work plans, I plan to be financially independent in 7 years....and there is a base much closer (20 mins).....just this was best way to get foot in door.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Sept 16, 2016 9:39:48 GMT -5
I have never had a commute less than 35 mins and I have never lived more than 20 miles from work.... It's all that central NJ traffic.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Sept 16, 2016 9:54:41 GMT -5
Robbaseless-not sure where in the country you and your new job are, but keep in mind that if you are going to be working in a high-population area where there are typical traffic delays and you live where winter westher is the norm, that one hour commute can stretch into hours.
When I lived in New Haven, Ct. and worked in Stamford, Ct., the ride south on a Saturday on I-95 (40 miles and heading in the direction of NYC) was about 50 minutes. One snow storm work week/weekday afternoon, it took me 7 hours to get home due to traffic and the weather conditions.
Just something to consider if you live in a high-population/commuter traffic and winter weather area..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2016 10:20:08 GMT -5
I had a trip like that once, Tennesseer. Stupid company never should have opened at all that day given predictions. They benevolently let us out at 1 PM. I got home at 8 PM. The only good thing I can say about them is that I'm about to start collecting a $900/month pension from them. Not bad for a company I left in 1995.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Sept 16, 2016 11:08:11 GMT -5
I find the compressed schedule very helpful if you can get it. Saves my vacation time. Luckily my office offers it from day 1. Since you have several months I would just start looking for stuff at the other closer base.
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rob base
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Post by rob base on Sept 16, 2016 11:19:19 GMT -5
I am not in a hurry to look for another job. I am currently a GS9 full performance 12. So I will probably at least stay until I get my 12.
All things considered I like this job so far because it is a different agency than the one I retired from. The jobs closer to our house would be back with the same agency I retired from and I would rather some time pass before I go back there too. After all I been through a 1 hour commute doesn't sound so bad. We'll see when I test it out though ....
This job had a nice gym in the basement (so I may come extra early to beat traffic and work out here before work)...top notch facility. They offer 2 hours of "wellness" per week (time to workout, meditate, and stuff like that). Have free personal trainers, nutritionist, exercise classes, etc etc.
Thanks all for all the feedback so far.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 16, 2016 12:06:28 GMT -5
One thing to consider is where are you commuting from and to. I have about a 1 hour commute each way, but it's from a small town to a big city. That means as part of my commute I'm also in the area whenever I need to get groceries, buy things at a home improvement store, run some errands, or go out to dinner or something. Eliminating that commute would take 10 hours off my week, but then it would also add in some other hours in order to go to the city to do those things independently rather than on my way home from work.
It definitely helps that my wife and I carpool. On days that she's driving, I can get some extra work done on the commute that I'd otherwise have to do once I got home.
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Sept 16, 2016 13:02:01 GMT -5
I currently have a 33 mile/40 minute commute three days/week and will soon be going to a 40 mile/46 minute commute five days/week.
It's not the best, but it's where the opportunities are and the price I pay for living in the sticks.
I listen to tons of audiobooks.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Sept 16, 2016 15:10:21 GMT -5
I have had an hour commute for over 18 years. I don't mind it at all, you just get used to it. I think a shorter commute would drive me crazy, I value the alone time in the car. It was a pain when the kids were younger, but those days are long gone now and they hardly notice if I'm around or not.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2016 20:34:49 GMT -5
I did a one hour each way commute for three years. Definitely not fun, but my mantra was "better a long drive to a good job than a short drive to a bad job". Trade off was a totally private office where I wore shorts/jeans depending on the season, no more public interface for me, lunch by a lake. Yes, my option was unemployment so I put the best spin on a sucky situation.
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Sept 16, 2016 21:51:27 GMT -5
I'm with all the people saying it will get worse over time. I have about an hour commute, but it is broken up in stages and is relatively straightforward. But the days when we crawl along get incredibly frustrating.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2016 22:28:08 GMT -5
One of the blessings of my Bergen County to Newark, NJ run was found after I had my car battery replaced and the radio presets disappeared. I ran across a French news broadcast from Montreal in the mornings. I loved it and it did wonders for my fluency.
Most arduous commute: a consulting assignment in NYC from November, 2001 through February, 2002. Bicycle to train station in next town. Gratefully warm up with coffee from coffee lady at train station. Train to Hoboken. Ferry from Hoboken to lower Manhattan and walk to office- 2 hours total. Still, it was lucrative and interesting work. You do what you gotta do.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Sept 17, 2016 2:33:27 GMT -5
I had a 45m-1h commute for 23 years, and found it doable. More than an hour, no. (I left the job I had had for 18 years when the company moved and I found myself with a 1h3/4 commute each way, so 3.5h per day. I was entitled to a payout.)
Also it sounds like this job is a good move for you, so I think you were right to take it. You can always reevaluate later, if the commute becomes too arduous.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 17, 2016 13:51:49 GMT -5
Millions of people do hour long commutes every day. When I lived in LA, my 30 mile commute ranged from one to four hours each way, depending on traffic volume, accidents, stalled cars, and the like. Not always pleasant, but doable. Folks are right, though. The commute seems to get longer as the years go by. How long do you think you'll be doing the long commute?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2016 14:08:28 GMT -5
I've had a commute that long a couple of times in my life. One was my first job after college. My ex and I decided to get married that school year so a 10-mile commute turned into a 55-mile commute. Then the cost of gas tripled because of the embargo. The other was in grad school. I commuted about 55 miles one-way.
It was ok. But I now live about 15 minutes away from work and not much more than that to everywhere except my daughter's house. That's a 45-minute drive. When I pick up the kids to bring them here to do stuff and then return them, I have spent 3 hours of the day on the road!
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Sept 17, 2016 17:50:42 GMT -5
I did it for years in the Denver area. That was from the late 70's to mid 90's. If it snowed, the commute could become 3 hours.
I can not imagine how long that commute takes now as the highway is wider and there are lots more people living there.
There are toll roads that didn't exist, though, and the times I have used those, they move right along.
Most of that time I had to drive as I wasn't usually working in our office. For two years, I took the bus because I was stationed downtown. One snowstorm, I took what ended up being the last bus that left for my town. It took 9 hours to get to the station. It was an express bus. It left the downtown Denver station and didn't stop until it got to the park and ride. Bus was stuck turning in to the park and ride. Driver asked if there were any volunteers to help push the bus. I think everybody got off to help as he could not let us off the bus in the street. I was never so happy to get off a bus in my life.
Another time, my car high centered. A young woman stopped and picked me up. She filled her car with stranded drivers. I was the last person she dropped off at our homes. She refused to take any money and said she just hoped somebody would do the same for her if she were ever in our shoes. I would not get in a stranger's car today, but I also carry a cell phone. Those didn't exist then.
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rob base
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Post by rob base on Sept 23, 2016 17:20:07 GMT -5
Thanks all. One of my co-workers said she did the commute but in reverse.....she commuted from where I work now (she lives around there) to where my house my house is....she said it wasn't bad
then job seems GREAT so far, but I remain skeptical as it has only been 3 weeks.......but if it keeps up like this and the commute is the worst thing than I think I can deal with it....especially with the crappy jobs I have had in the last 4 years
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rob base
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Post by rob base on Oct 2, 2016 21:19:44 GMT -5
I drove the route during an off hour this weekend and it took 42 minutes with no traffic
Also they now have express lanes open too, you have to pay a $2 fee but that is possible too
Also I will probably be starting work at 6:00 AM once I move, so I don't anticipate any morning traffic.
I think it will work!!
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formerroomate99
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Post by formerroomate99 on Oct 3, 2016 1:16:32 GMT -5
Books on tape, especially work related stuff or personal development. And good music. You'll need something to calm you down when you get agitated. And make sure you have everything set up so that you aren't too distracted when you go between them. For example, you don't want to be switching cd's on your cd player or having to press buttons on your phone to make stuff happen.
And of course, try to stagger your hours, telecommute, move closer if possible.
I did it when I was first married and just before I moved to a new state. In both cases, I wasn't able to keep it up and my DH was willing to take some pretty extreme measures to get me out of the commute.
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