supersquirrel

‘I just couldn’t do that drive any more’: Woman left job due to three-hour commute on N7

https://sopuli.xyz/post/42175873

‘I just couldn’t do that drive any more’: Woman left job due to three-hour commute on N7 - Sopuli

What makes this Not The Onion to me is how normalized this story is. How did things get to this point? Would she be happy with a job that only had a 2 1/2 hour commute each way!? Maybe, and that is what makes it existentially funny to me.

Mar 6 at 5:00pmWeb
Show threadbreadsmasherMar 6
who the fuck takes a job 3 hours away
Show threadHobbitFoot Mar 6
There are some supercommuters who travel long distances to work in Manhattan. I knew of some who live in Pennsylvania.
Show threadcjoll4Mar 6
God damn. I just got back from a “vacation” in New York and I can’t even imagine it. Even traveling from uptown Manhattan to downtown Manhattan is already a longer commute than I would be willing to tolerate…
Show threadSpacehooksMar 7
Knew quite a few ppl like that. They took the train/car into a city hours away and then stayed in hotel a few days then went home as for weekly routine. Its always the same reason family and affordability.
Show threadlastaMar 6

The article says the commute took so long because of traffic and congestion on the roads, so the actual distance might not be so far away. It’s an unreasonably long commute either way though.

I could maybe understand accepting a job that far away as a temporary solution, like if you are eventually planning to relocate to that area and need to save up first, or trying to break into an industry with limited local opportunities until you get a bit of experience and find something closer.

Show threadHobbitFoot Mar 6
Some people do it because of the cost of living differential. If pay in the city is over three times what you could make local, you might be incentivized to take a long commute and deal with it.
Show threadBoomer Humor DoomergodMar 6

There are folks who commute by car from Scranton to New York. There are also people who live in Harrisburg and York who commute to Baltimore and DC.

It’s insane.

Show threadEat_Your_PaisleyMar 6
When I get back to DC I’ll probably find a place in West Virginia
Show threadGhostalmediaMar 6

Traffic may have been more manageable when they took the gig.

Or, maybe housing costs and limited jobs forced them into this position. I know a lot of people in my area live away from the urban center for more affordable housing, but they work in the urban center because that is where the job opportunities are.

Show threadWildmimicMar 6
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/housing-planning/2025/12/05/the-35-hour-35km-commute-kildare-motorists-on-their-m7-traffic-nightmare/
The 3.5-hour, 35km commute: Kildare motorists on their M7 traffic ‘nightmare’

Motorists call for dedicated emergency response units, more gardaí and an end to drivers eating from breakfast bowls

The Irish Times
Show threadpartial_accumenMar 6
I’ve got a coworker that works in the Bay Area but lives in the Midwest. Another I know works in New Jersey but lives in the Midwest. Corporate RTO initiatives in High COL areas with a salary differential coupled with lower Midwest COL and housing costs make strange things viable.
Show threadcaptainlezbianMar 7
Wait, what kind of fucking lunatic commutes across the rockies‽
Show threadMinnesotaGoddamMar 7
Imagine judging someone because they couldn’t find affordable housing (in this market) closer than 3 hours away from their job
Show threadsnek_boiMar 6
I remember reading that commute time is the number one predictor for leaving a job. I wonder what the evidence would show if I properly looked it up.
Show threadsupersquirrelMar 6
The study that I think of is the one that attempted to quantify how much a 45+ minute commute was worth to employees vs. an equivalent job that had a trivial commut but paid less. It came out to at least $15,000 a year and that was awhile ago.
Show threadsamus12345Mar 6

Deirdre Gowran

Glory to her and her House!

Show threadtacosanonymousMar 6
It pisses me off that I have to drive 25 minutes to work everyday. Idk how anyone accepts a 1 hour+ commute.
Show threadlimelight79Mar 7

What’s really fascinating to me is that I hated our 35-40 minute commute, but now I drive even more and don’t mind it.

I took the early retirement and am now working as a real estate photographer. Yesterday I drove 120+ miles for a job. No problem. I’ve had several days with over 100 miles, no problem. Monday I’ll drive 50 miles for one job, then another 50 miles to another job, then 25 miles back home.

The differences are that it’s not rush hour, and it’s to different locations. It’s more like exploring the area. There will be jobs I’m not looking forward to, I’m sure, but so far I really enjoy it. I even enjoy the drive, which is something I haven’t done in many years.

My only concern is that my car is approaching it’s 30th birthday, but I haven’t had a single problem as a result of pressing it back into daily driver duties this way.

Show threadJack_BurtonMar 7
I think the difference is that you retired early and don’t need to drive for the money.
Show threadlimelight79Mar 7
Oh no my pension isn’t enough, I still need to work.
Show threadSchmuppesMar 7
How mich did she make to be able to pay for that much gas and wear’n’tear in the vehicle? If I had to drive that much, I probably wouldn’t be doing anything but repair my car whenever I’m not at work.
Show threadAAAMar 7
It’s a 44 km commute. She’s not doing that much mileage. The car is running nonetheless of course.
Show threadneedankeMar 7
Do an e-Bike would cut her commute by an hour?
Show threadTudsamfaMar 7

E-bikes have a typical range of 50km, can travel 25km/h, 2 hour commute if you can charge it there. The numbers work out.

But you then have to bike 4 hours every day, which is still some light exercise, in dangerous car traffic since I suspect there is no safe bicycle infrastructure.

Show threadaberrate_junior_beatnik (he/him)Mar 7

the analysis calculates the dollar value of a worker’s commuting time over a year.

That money comes out of the workers’ pockets, not the bosses’, so it doesn’t count. If it showed up on corporate budgets we’d have robust universal public transit in 30 minutes

Show threadVeratMar 7
Long commutes are absolute BS, there are 24h in a day, 8 at work, 8 asleep, if you have 3 hours to work and two hours back, you have all of 2 hours a day to yourself, there need to be laws against that.