[ScarletKnightCPA]

Assuming equal pedigree, experience and value, which would you choose? What would it take for you to take the higher salary job?

I don’t have any offers but it is something that I consider. I live in NJ and have a job in my back yard. There are jobs I see coming out of NYC that may pay around 78K or more if I could get them. But NYC has added commuting costs, time costs, and city taxes. My current job is just so damn convenient, but I am also considering leaving it for big 4 opportunity assuming i could get it.

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[mla1169]

Are you saying 4 hr round trip commute? Would be foolish IMHO. I'll bet if you did a side by side analysis considering commuting costs, taxes, etc you'd gain more disposable income by taking a part time job with those 4 hours you would have been commuting, even delivering pizza 4 nights a week.

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[Tux]

Yeah – a ridiculous commute is ridiculous.

No amount of money is worth it.

MAYBE if you're single and are OK not having a life for a while, so that you can build up your resume at a big 4, but it just depends what your goals are.

You'd have to really stay focused on work and accept the sacrifices that come with it.

Personally, I hate commuting. My dream job is to work from home.

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[JamesBJames]

$58,000 backyard, please. A four-hour round trip every day sounds like the worst thing ever. Assuming you work 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year, that's an additional 1,000 hours a year in travel travel time every year.

Plus, if you have busy seasons where you're required to work for longer than usual, then I think you're gonna have a lot of work -> train -> sleep -> back to work cycles. All work and no play, you know?

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[ScarletKnightCPA]

Thanks for the feedback guys I was thinking the same too.

Actually ran the time, it is a bit under 2 hrs, I was basing 2 hrs based on last time I was in the city with a train delay.

Drive to train station wait for train 15-25 minutes

take train into NYC, ~ 1 hr

take subway rest of the way, walk into building.15-20min

Typical train delay into city 5-15 m (a lot worse once every few weeks/months, up to hr or more)

So that comes out safely as 1 hr 40 min without assuming no delays. Then do it going back home.

My current commute, 20 minutes with morning traffic, under 15 minutes with no traffic (there's always a bottleneck during rush hour).

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[Anonymous]

How about finding a job where you can work in your back yard, literally?

[ridiqls]

dude, nope nope nope. i would never do that. 4 hours christ. the only reason it's SLIGHTLY less hellish is because it's a train/subway so you can do work (maybe) like listen to a podcast, take out your laptop to do work. but I never lived in NYC so I dont even know if people do that on the subway in fear of getting jacked or robbed.

Either way, 4 hours of your life everyday comes out to 20 hours a week, 124 hours a month, 1488 hours a year just being wasted. sorry but time is more valuable then money. If I can help it I would not even take a job that requires 1 hr each way driving. Too much of my life passing me by. 1 hour can be spent with family, friends, eating, gym, cooking, etc.

[samdiegoCPA]

I would not even do that commute for $200,000, not kidding.

I commute to work and it's between 20-45 minutes each way. Usually just 30 and I HATE IT MORE THAN ANYTHING. I hate driving with idiots all around me. It's the absolute worst. I would definitely take a big pay cut to work from home or work where I could walk there in 5 minutes. I always say that traffic is going to be the death of me. (not literally, but mentally)

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[northernlights]

I took a position at a firm that is a 12 min walk from my house, and earn about 3K less that I would at my other offer which was a 15 minute drive across town. There are some advantages to living in a smaller town 🙂

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[impska]

I read somewhere (great reference, right? I think it might have been an article in Time that talked about a happiness study) that the #1 thing that makes people unhappy in their lives in their commute. The study basically indicated that people are much happier making less money and commuting less. The incremental happiness received for every extra $1 pales in comparison to what is lost by commuting.

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[Lindrobe]

Gosh, I am looking for a new job and struggling with the thought of applying for jobs that are 45 minutes away!

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[fiona87]

I turned down a $60k job with a 30 minute commute (by car) for a $55k job with a 10 minute commute (by bike) and couldn't IMAGINE a 2 hour commute EVER being worth it!

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[Anonymous]

ScarletKnightCPA-

Two hours is rough. I know a Big4 guy (consulting, not audit) who commutes from Longport (next to AC) into Philly, but he's only in the office like 25% of the time. That's probably an hour and 45 minutes. He HATES it- even only needing to make the drive once in a while. I can tell you that I am a road warrior. Driving doesn't generally phase me, but after sitting at a desk for 11 hrs straight during busy season, my hour commute sucks.

I'm guessing you have to be from central Jersey with that kind of time into the city. ALL of the Big 4 have multiple offices in New Jersey. KPMG in Short Hills, Princeton & Montvale; E&Y in Iselin, Newark & Secaucus; Deloitte in Princeton, Parsippany, Jersey City, & Summit; and PWC in Florham Park & Jersey City. That's a total of 12 offices.

We don't live in Podunk Iowa. This is Jersey, dude! We ski in jeans (and have 12 Big 4 offices).

[surfer4life949]

I was doing a similar commute in SoCal for about a month. I wasn't even working long hours (it was a mild job usually 8-5) but the commute was such a burden. I would be so exhausted just from sitting in the car for 4 hours during the day. You only realize how much time it sucks from your life once you've gone through it.

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[zieba]

You gotta remember a majority of these replies aren't from NYC folks. In this regard [commuting], it is just a bit different here.

It sounds like you are in western NJ or eastern LI? Commuting costs add up. I've lived 6 miles always from times square and now live 4 miles away from Times Square. Both times, when the dust settles, my commutes into Manhattan (say midtown) were just about an hour. It's the last few miles that get you, not when you're flying on the express.

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[StephAV]

Is moving into NYC an option? If so, I'd weight that and the expenses of living there and possibly consider it.

I would NOT consider commutting more than an hour each way. I live in Sacramento, CA and I could drive or take the train into SF in probably similar time and the pay differential would be similar. I just wouldn't do it! It's never even crossed my mind. Like the PP was saying there are other Big 4 options available…

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