This has me tossing and turning at night.
(No, Lilithiel, it’s not the fire of my own tortured creative genius that keeps me up…)
There’s this paralegal job that opened up at an incredible company. I’ve joked about wanting to work there for the last ten years or more. Everyone I’ve spoken with who works there says it is a great place to work.
The position would involve work in a very interesting field (not involving injured people) and would pay the same or more than I make now. I’m qualified for the position and am confident I could nab it. If I were to paint a picture of my dream job, this would be it.
Go for it, I’ve been told. Follow your dreams. What have you got to lose?
The problem is the commute. It’s in the Bay Area, two to three hours one way. Brian thought it was great until I pointed out that no, we can’t afford to move there unless he’s going to get a job too. Housing prices are bad here; they’re worse there. A lot worse.
So I’m torn between a job that I could be completely enthusiastic about and could love going to, and losing four to six hours of my life, every day, in actually going there. Is it worth not seeing my family except on weekends?
I don’t know.
Maybe everything will fall into place at some later date.
From my own personal experience, the dream job turns into a nightmare with a long commute. I had a two hour a day commute and it really made things difficult. Plus having to wake up extra early meant having to go to sleep extra early. So by the time I ended up getting home I had about only a few hours of time before I had to go to sleep. It ended up turning into never feeling like I had any time off during the week, as the moment I walked in the door I had to get things done before I had to go to sleep. I had absolutely no leisure time during the week. The stress from that eventually ended up negating the fact that I enjoyed my job so much.