Looking for some career advice. I’ve been in my current job for 18 months and I find it incredibly boring, I literally count down the hours every single day and don’t feel one bit excited to be here. The job pays me very well and is less than a 10 minute commute from home and offers flexibility. But there isn’t really scope to move around the business into something more interesting.
I have the opportunity to apply for a new role with a different organisation, the work is much more aligned with what I enjoy and I’m good at and the pay would be higher. But it would be a 45-50 minute commute each way as it’s in a different town.
What would you do? Stay where I am for the foreseeable future because it’s close to home or sacrifice personal time with more travel and earlier starts, getting home later? For context, I have one child in year 7 and one in grade 6 so life is getting easier but the mornings are still busy (single parent).
Any advice from those who do a commute to work? Worried I’d get the job and become stressed with racing to get home all the time, not a great feeling.
4 Replies
More pay, more interesting, I'd apply for the new one for sure.
How old are you? In my 20s I'd have taken the career option. In my 40s, I don't care if my job is frustrating. I earn a high income, work from home 3 days and the office 5 minutes away the other 2 days. I wouldn't change that for anything. It maximises my time and I can even put dinner on or do something else in my 30minute lunch break. Work just supports my life now. In my 20s, fresh out of university, I was really focused on professional accomplishments and building my career. That is how I got to a position where I decided to stop climbing the ladder and just do my current job well until I retire at 55 though
I used to commute about 45 - 55 minutes into the city for work using public transport as parking was not only extremely difficult to find, it was also super expensive.
I bloody loved that job, I was only a casual but I was consistently working full time hours so the money was good. It was fun, fast paced, the team had great energy...
However, there was a lot of leaving home in the dark, leaving work in the dark, dealing with idiots on said transport. I won't lie, the travel was mentally draining and taking up a huge chunk of my week.
A part time position opened up with that same company but only a 5 to 10 minute drive from my house depending on traffic, I could literally walk there if I was feeling energetic. Trade off is that it's slower paced, so there's less to do and not as much demand for work so I'm earning less and less fulfilled if I'm being honest BUT the convenience is worth the sacrifice for me.
Kids get easier and then they get harder again, especially in the teens. I took a job that had me in the home less and I honestly regret it. Coming home after dark etc. I feel like my kids missed me and it was reflected in their behaviour.
Now I am working at home more, still work long hours but I may have a quick moment to say something to them before going back to work. I recently mentioned finding a less busy role, again out of the house. My youngest teen made the comment that she did not want me to leave this job because I was at home more. It did not matter that I was not engaging the whole time, she just wanted me here. So I am sticking it out for longer. I figure they only have one childhood and it goes by so quickly.