Commuting, part 3: The drive itself
So why do you commute?
In my logical mind, my commutes typically got longer due to money - I was commuting a longer distance because I was taking a higher-paying job.
In retrospect, that's actually not true in any of the cases where my commute got longer.
I started commuting from downtown Santa Cruz to Aptos for a job that paid me less money, but was a different setting (academic) and - not a small consideration - gave me more time off (it was an 11-month contract position).
I originally started at West Marine - which added an addition 10-15 minutes to my commute - because I needed to make more money (turns out I couldn't really make ends meet only being paid 11 months out of 12). But I remember the sinking feeling when I got my first check from West Marine, and it was even less than I was making at my previous job. (This situation didn't last long - not even beyond my third or fourth paycheck - but initially, I certainly wasn't getting more pay, which was a big reason I changed jobs.)
And I took a 20% pay cut, a longer and more dangerous commute, and loss of all benefits - with a two-year-old daughter at home - to take the initial research contractor job at Sun.
So why did I make these job changes, thinking they were all about money, when they really weren't about money?
Probably no surprise to any of you, but kind of a revelation to me - these choices are complex, and, at least for me, usually aren't about money, even though my conscious mind thinks so. So here are some of the real reasons, both before and after:
Why did I take the academic job? Initially, because it was a change and some more flexible time off. In the end, it was great because I got to be involved in automating the library - they still had card catalogs and were hand-stamping everything. I also started to get more involved in the IT side - making some good friends who ran the networks - which has been very useful going forward. Totally worth the commute.
Why did I take the West Marine job? Initially, it was all about money (as described above); but, as I've said before, it gave me my first taste of corporate life and corporate pace. I also learned so much there: I got way into systems, I moved around the company, I got to pick up so many skills (including management skills); it was just phenomenal all the way around. Again, totally worth the commute.
Why did I take the Sun job? Obviously not for money since I knew it was a pay cut (by now I was learning that money wasn't always a primary driver). I had done my practicum there, and thankfully they liked my work and offered me the contract position. What drove me primarily was that Sun was a cool place to work; it was a place I wanted to be. I already had worked with my colleagues and knew they were great people. Yes, there were some tradeoffs, including the money and insurance (we took a calculated risk on doctor and hospital visits vs. paying for COBRA, and turns out I actually ended up with more take-home pay even at 20% less gross pay). But, all told and all taken into account, it was, again, totally worth the commute.
So what have I learned? Again, something you all have probably already realized: there's more to a job than money and commute. There's quality of life to consider. There's interesting and challenging work. There are the people you work with and the people you work for. There's location.
And as I continue in my career, there are considerations about where I am in life: beginning of career? Mid-career? Looking at retirement?
I've realized the importance for me of having a strong, fun team to work with; of having supportive management; of having interesting and challenging work. This is primarily the order of importance to me, too, because often the latter things can't happen without the former being in place.
I'm also starting to look at things I hadn't considered before, such as location and where I am in my life. When I was younger, I could move around the country a lot more, if necessary. With a family, that type of lifestyle can be much more disruptive. And the commute, as we see the effects of global warming, has now become a more important factor. The pieces to consider for any position slide around and their importance changes.
Daily commuting was necessary when I first started at Sun; now, that piece has changed again. And you'll hear more about that in my next entry.
