How Far Would You Commute for Part-time? - Page 2

I drive 45 min-1 hour each way to my part time job. I wish the commute was shorter, but I am liking the job and it is worth the drive. I do wish my job was in my hometown! A 15 minute commute would be sweet. But I'm also not going to put in 8 hrs of work in a setting I don't enjoy just for the sake of a short commute.Not all specialties/shifts/employers are going to be available in the hometown. ;-)

As far as I needed to to have an income.

I currently commute an hour each way for nursing school, and it is NOT easy. At first I thought I could handle it, but after months of it, it's really wearing me down. Every day I have to get up an hour earlier than I would otherwise, and everyday I get home an hour later than everyone else. At first I wanted to work in the medical center where I do clinicals, but I can't imagine adding 2 hours to my work day every week (Think about it: a 12 hour shift becomes a 14 hour shift when driving is factored in). I'm now looking forward to graduating and working at my local hospital down the street.

I commuted an hour and a half each way for a year, and although it sucked it was mostly highway which made it more bearable. I listened to some great books on tape, some music mixes I made, and it was "me time". It was not easy, the drive home when exhausted totally sucked. But that experience opened a lot of doors for me. I did have some coworkers that were willing to let me stay over in bad weather and I considered renting a room closer to work, but in the end I just wanted to go home at night.


Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. If this experience could open doors for you and give you opportunity closer to home I would take it. Make sure you have a reliable car, triple a, cell phone, good tunes. I would also consider the length of the shift and how many days per week. That is not the kind of thing you can do 5 days a week, but 2 or 3 might be better. And if you volunteer to work weekends, less traffic and a shorter commute.