From soft job to long commute

Esse85

Grass is most certainly not always greener.

OP going to go with the majority here and say don't do it unless you can work from home for the majority.

Apart from the mad hours traveling and having no life, you work in IT and need to upskill regularly to stay employable (or at least most of us do) and unless you are going to get time to do that during your work day in the office your going to be doing it on the weekend.

You won't be able to do so on the train from my experience as their internet connection is rubbish and the phone connection drops so frequently it's not worth using

Darc19

There will be plenty of people who would love to rent a room for 2/3 nights a week at a reasonable rent.

If you could find something near to the workplace, then it's a single commute and 2 days working from home.

feelthepower

If you are serious on it and want to move the only advice I can give you is that there are plenty of lodgings around Dublin City where you can get a single room for 40 euro a night.

My guess is that you really don't want to house share? I gave it a go and hated it.

You would need to look up Booking.com and book the nights that you want to stay every week but don't leave last minute. If your booking a night or two each week you would want to book for eights weeks and have it constantly booked for eight weeks in advancea when the rooms are available. Again Paddys Day, Bank Holidays etc. you will pay a lot more.

If you got the two days working remotely, 2 cheap nights in a lodging it wouldn't be too bad OP,

I commuted 240KM a day in my early twenties via car for three years and the above is how I managed it.

I often got cheap lodgings for the whole week that cost 200 euro.

I have to do it again now for six months which I'm not looking forward to with my current company but at least I get mileage which will be nice.

That's the way I'm going to manage it again OP but your commute is a good bit further.

Strumms

A ‘lodging’ isn’t a home though, it’s somewhere to be and exist rather then live in the truest sense of the word.

It’s brilliant having a place to call yours, your security, your rules, your comfort, your peace and personality too. Of course your bills too but while not having a really heavy pocket when everything is paid for you’ll certainly be lighter in heart with somewhere to call ‘yours’ then all the crap that comes with renting, sharing etc.

feelthepower

Strumms wrote: »

A ‘lodging’ isn’t a home though, it’s somewhere to be and exist rather then live in the truest sense of the word.

It’s brilliant having a place to call yours, your security, your rules, your comfort, your peace and personality too. Of course your bills too but while not having a really heavy pocket when everything is paid for you’ll certainly be lighter in heart with somewhere to call ‘yours’ then all the crap that comes with renting, sharing etc.

Yea i get that but the OP want's to commute and its a viable option for him.

I wouldn't recommend commuting to anyone its soul destroying.

Buying a place of your own is always the goal. I'm 31 now and hope to be approved in the next 6-8 months. I'm only a salary now where I can get purchase a house and it was a lot of slogging for the last 10 years to get to this point.

I think the OP is relatively young and shouldn't be tied down at his age either to a mortgage.

_Brian

listermint wrote: »

This.

You are living through paid employment. You need to stop that.

You should either find other hobbies to challenge you or better still start your own business or consult to challenge you. Commuting across the entire country to be let's face it another paid head in a bunch of paid heads in a high stress job is pointless.

You want to be busy and there are endless other ways to do that.

This is a big problem, people build their lives and self worth through their job and career. The problem is that if a problem happens at work or the company closss then your life is in crisis.

Work to live, not live to work.

It’s a bit of a cliche but it’s sound advice anyway.

Build hobbies, build relationships with family and friends, these are life long value added strengths to your life. A job is a job, it will sustain your lifestyle

Strumms

_Brian wrote: »

This is a big problem, people build their lives and self worth through their job and career. The problem is that if a problem happens at work or the company closss then your life is in crisis.

Work to live, not live to work.

It’s a bit of a cliche but it’s sound advice anyway.

Build hobbies, build relationships with family and friends, these are life long value added strengths to your life. A job is a job, it will sustain your lifestyle

100%, I’m agreeing having somewhat found this out the hard way.

You’ll have employers spouting on about ‘loyalty’ and ‘flexibility’ but when you once need a bit of loyalty and flexibility in return they are often as was my experience seriously lacking, having been Mr flexible for years.

Work is a thing you do and place to go to earn money. Nothing else, you are clocking off at 5pm.. your ONLY focuses are yourself, family and friends. When you step out that door at 5pm ignore, all and every call they try and make.

Have regular things in your social diary... pub, game of golf, tennis, 5-a-side, cinema, cards, whatever....

Work doesn’t start to enter your sphere of thinking until you jump in the car to drive there.

Your thoughts about work and your accessibility to your management ends when you put the key in your ignition to drive home. I knock off at Friday at 5pm ? It will be 9am Monday before I can be reached... trust me, learned the hard way.

facehugger99

I'll echo most on here.

I have a 15 minute commute into a job I enjoy doing. I reckon I could add about €30k to my salary if I got a job in Dublin city center but I'd be commuting about 3.5hrs a day.

For me that's just not worth it - I did it for years and the stress of a 5-day a week commute just wears you down.

I get to spend more time with my kids and friends, I'm not stressed, I sleep better, eat healthier, exercise more- €15k after taxes is a cheap price to pay for all that.

_Brian

There’s a massive motoring cost to long commutes.
Between fuel, tolls, maintenance, depreciation etc it adds up staggeringly quickly to consume much of the additional wages a longer commute brings.

H3llR4iser

listermint wrote: »

This.

You are living through paid employment. You need to stop that.

You should either find other hobbies to challenge you or better still start your own business or consult to challenge you...

_Brian wrote: »

This is a big problem, people build their lives and self worth through their job and career...

Work to live, not live to work.

It’s a bit of a cliche but it’s sound advice anyway.

Build hobbies, build relationships with family and friends...

I'm glad someone else brought this up - I had avoided it as I realize I often sound like the "jaded, disillusioned IT old timer" that I probably am.

People living through their job is a very common issue in our field of employment OP - a lot of people going into it do it due to, basically, just wanting to be dealing with complex technical problems and playing with the latest toys.

You know how the business see them/us? Pretty much monkeys in a zoo - the "lads who will just be happy and work their backsides off without even realizing, as long as you provide them with new toys often enough".

Do NOT place your job as the primary endeavour of your life; Best case scenario, one day you'll discover your boss/company/whatever doesn't appreciate what you do as much as you think they do. Worst case...let's not go there.

Strumms wrote: »

You’ll have employers spouting on about ‘loyalty’ and ‘flexibility’ but when you once need a bit of loyalty and flexibility in return they are often as was my experience seriously lacking, having been Mr flexible for years.

+1 to that; IF and WHEN you are afforded "flexibility", rest assured you'll be made to pay for it - with the interests - down the line. It can be in a month, it can be in a year's time, someone WILL hold it against you and make it sound like a perfectly reasonable justification to deny you a raise or a promotion or whatever else.

Strumms wrote: »

Your thoughts about work and your accessibility to your management ends when you put the key in your ignition to drive home. I knock off at Friday at 5pm ? It will be 9am Monday before I can be reached... trust me, learned the hard way.

This is probably the best advice I've ever seen on this form!

AlmightyCushion

I think there is a happy middle ground between no flexibility and bending over backwards for the company as long as your flexibility is reciprocated by the company.

Strumms

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

as long as your flexibility is reciprocated by the company.

This, it HAS to work both ways. You start a new job you’ll often see in the first couple of weeks, a tester like... “hey Strumms, can you do a few hours Saturday ?” Seeing how flexible you really are. It’s a yes from me but the following week I might be asking whether I need it or not.. for a half day at reasonably short notice, nobody else off, nothing extraordinary in the department happening and see what comes back... “yes ok”, fine and dandy, flexible people too... but if you are hearing “ unfortunately as per company policy we require a minimum of xx notice for annual leave, sorry”... I’m going to be rethinking my career options.

dazberry

It's fair enough talking about working to live and getting a fulfilling hobby etc., but at the same time it's very difficult to spend a huge part of your week being unhappy - notably if you feel it's a regression because then you do know the grass was / can be greener.

As another "jaded, disillusioned IT old timer" - I'd rather be one of the lads that's just happy to work my backside off without realising it - than the drudgery of clock watching all day because I'm bored. For me it's not about new toys - I've surprised myself many times in finding interest in seemingly uninteresting things - but there's a point where the boredom and drudgery is a killer.

D.

citysights

dazberry wrote: »

It's fair enough talking about working to live and getting a fulfilling hobby etc., but at the same time it's very difficult to spend a huge part of your week being unhappy - notably if you feel it's a regression because then you do know the grass was / can be greener.

As another "jaded, disillusioned IT old timer" - I'd rather be one of the lads that's just happy to work my backside off without realising it - than the drudgery of clock watching all day because I'm bored. For me it's not about new toys - I've surprised myself many times in finding interest in seemingly uninteresting things - but there's a point where the boredom and drudgery is a killer.

D.

There’s a whole thread on boards about people not liking their jobs it seems to be so common now. I find it refreshing that this poster obviously loves working (though not his current job) and wants to challenge himself. Seems to be not too many people like him around though or maybe it’s just on boards

kippy

dazberry wrote: »

It's fair enough talking about working to live and getting a fulfilling hobby etc., but at the same time it's very difficult to spend a huge part of your week being unhappy - notably if you feel it's a regression because then you do know the grass was / can be greener.

As another "jaded, disillusioned IT old timer" - I'd rather be one of the lads that's just happy to work my backside off without realising it - than the drudgery of clock watching all day because I'm bored. For me it's not about new toys - I've surprised myself many times in finding interest in seemingly uninteresting things - but there's a point where the boredom and drudgery is a killer.

D.

In the OPs line of work and work environment there's no reason to be bored in the job. Do something else in addition to your work while you work

kippy

citysights wrote: »

There’s a whole thread on boards about people not liking their jobs it seems to be so common now. I find it refreshing that this poster obviously loves working (though not his current job) and wants to challenge himself. Seems to be not too many people like him around though or maybe it’s just on boards

It's fine to want to challenge yourself, but not at the expense of your health.
Anyone.whonthinks that a minimum 4 hour round trip commute is sensible has never done it.

citysights

kippy wrote: »

It's fine to want to challenge yourself, but not at the expense of your health.
Anyone.whonthinks that a minimum 4 hour round trip commute is sensible has never done it.

He’s talking about negotiating for some days at home and rest in office. And yes I have done long commutes. Anyway my point was that he recognizes he needs to be challenged. The hobby suggestions might not work for him or maybe it will. There seems to be a movement away from investing passion and energy into work so he’s to be applauded for still having that. If he’s young and healthy why couldn’t he do some days at home and some days in Dublin office, find a flexible arrangement with new employer. Otherwise it sounds like he will just be going through the motions in the job he’s currently in when he has so much more to offer.

Padre_Pio

citysights wrote: »

He’s talking about negotiating for some days at home and rest in office. And yes I have done long commutes. Anyway my point was that he recognizes he needs to be challenged. The hobby suggestions might not work for him or maybe it will. There seems to be a movement away from investing passion and energy into work so he’s to be applauded for still having that. If he’s young and healthy why couldn’t he do some days at home and some days in Dublin office, find a flexible arrangement with new employer. Otherwise it sounds like he will just be going through the motions in the job he’s currently in when he has so much more to offer.

Being young and healthy shouldn't be a consideration for working a desk job.

An 8 hour commute is madness. Absolute madness. Move closer if you want the job or look for others. Cork is a 4 hour commute, doable but still madness IMO.
I'm looking at buying a wreck of a house to keep my commute to 30 mins a day.

kippy

citysights wrote: »

He’s talking about negotiating for some days at home and rest in office. And yes I have done long commutes. Anyway my point was that he recognizes he needs to be challenged. The hobby suggestions might not work for him or maybe it will. There seems to be a movement away from investing passion and energy into work so he’s to be applauded for still having that. If he’s young and healthy why couldn’t he do some days at home and some days in Dublin office, find a flexible arrangement with new employer. Otherwise it sounds like he will just be going through the motions in the job he’s currently in when he has so much more to offer.

Even a three day a week commute is too much.
Everyone has 'so much more to offer' but why offer it to am employer while spending lots of time on the road?
Employers love this type of guff.

Elessar

Skyrimaddict wrote: »

TO be honest, I regularly turn down jobs in Dublin that add 20-40K per year to my salary at present, simply because the commute and extra costs would absorb what would be an extra 1-1.5K per month in my pocket.

As it stands now, I walk to work, get home at 17:00 LATEST each day, earn very good money for this and can now go back to a variety of sports that I gave up.
Is my job 100% what I want, no its not, not by a long shot, but its the choice I made to have the life I want. I think at this stage I have given up the idea of being richer than Bezos so am content with having enough money to go away for weekends at a whim and a nice house, all without Killing myself and work. No one ever said on the deathbed they wished they spent more time at work!

This 100%.

To echo the others here a long commute is not worth it. There is so much to be said for working close to home.

Similar to Skyrimaddict (great game!) I am being approached for similar roles in Dublin weekly where I could earn 10-20k+ extra a year gross income, but the commute would increase 10 fold.

Right now I've a 10 min drive to work with little to no traffic and I'm in the door at home before 5pm everyday. It helps that the job is 95% stress-free, I've a great team and a relaxed work atmosphere. Okish money, good pension and decent company. Sure, I could take on new challenges and earn a lot more at another place, but my work life balance is right now is worth more than all that. Obviously the other side of it is I'm not learning and bettering myself in my field as much as I could be. I've been goaded to move on by previous colleagues who job hopped a few times and are on huge money and have increased their skills etc. I'm not saying never do it (I would be open to the right role at the right place with the right company) but the older I get the more I realise the value of these non career & non monetary benefits. I think most people are the same.

Hell I have friends who got so sick of the commuting and drudgery they upped and emigrated from Ireland for a better life altogether. One guy works remote for his Dublin company from sunny Spain and has a great life now

I guess the long and short of it is, living close to work is priceless and a long commute will kill you. If you really want the job, consider moving back to Dublin. Otherwise maybe take a look at other roles around Limerick. But act in haste, repent at leisure! Maybe give it a while and write down the pros and cons of your current role and weigh them up.

BattleCorp

Given that it's at least a 6 - 8 hour round trip from Limerick to Dublin each day, have you factored in the cost of transport?

Say you get paid an extra €20k to do the job in Dublin, that's not much more than €10k after tax. How much of that will be eaten up in getting to your job in Dublin and getting back to Limerick?

To be honest, if you got a €100k pay rise, you wouldn't be able to stick the 6 - 8 hour round trip for very long.

Strumms

Truth, 8 hours driving per day. You think automatically that “ok, it’s mostly motorway, not too taxing, but the thing I found, doing Shannon to Dublin, after being up about 10-11 hours and at the end of a grueling enough day was the effort required while driving to maintain concentration, alertness. Motorway driving is **** boring but it’s multiple lanes, a decent amount of traffic, requires much higher focus due to this... I was about 5 minutes out at 7.30 one evening on my way back to Dublin and just pulled in to the Oakwood Arms on the outskirts of Shannon on my own coin as I knew it was unfair to me and other road users to drive... it’s not good, I’d reevaluate your thinking OP. Trust me.