Commute Time

I had lunch last week with a friend who is looking for work. We were discussing two different jobs she is considering…one is close, the next town from where she lives, maybe 15 minutes by car. The other is in San Francisco, which with traffic, is not close. Can be as little as 45 minutes, but with traffic and rush hour and the tunnel and bridge, it’s usually MUCH longer. The problem is that the job in San Francisco is the job that she would LOVE. LOVE. It’s just exactly what she wants to do, and not a lot of companies are out there hiring for it. The closer job would be ‘fine’, but not as interesting for her. So there’s the rub. She has two sons, 3rd grade and 5th grade, and she’s married, and doesn’t want to spend 4 hours of her day on the road. Child care places usually close at 6pm, and it’s hard to get her by 6 even if you get out of work at 5 in the city. So, what does she do? And, how many of us make these decisions based on commute? It’s the whole work/life balance thing again, coming into play. I know that the last time I was looking for work, there were several opportunities in the City that I didn’t pursue, because I wanted to be home, closer to Maya and Ted, where I wouldn’t spend so much of my life in a car or on BART. Would I be more willing to do this if I didn’t have Maya? Probably. If I were single, not in a committed relationship, also no child? Definately. But I would probably hang out with people in the city, or at least I like to think I would, so it wouldn’t bother me that I was getting home late. I don’t know. What do you think? What’s your limit, and what are the factors for you in looking for work?