My current job has me commuting 45mi each way 2x/week. So about 90mi of driving each time I go in. The other three days I am at home during the week. A good part of what I do involves working across time zones, so I am generally "on the clock" outside business hours as well. I love the flexibility, the time not getting annoyed in a car, and the ability to live in a place that has both world class mountain biking and surfing.
Whenever I get a ping from a recruiter, flexibility is the first thing I ask them about -- both core hours as well as working at home options. My favorite response was, "well, once you are established, you might be able to work at home on friday now and then". The worst of the responses usually come from established companies rather than startups.
I understand the need to time to collaborate, face time, and the like. Some people need more of it than others. That said, the best teams I have seen/worked with were ones that provided some flexibility to allow their employees to work in the manner most suited to their lifestyle. (I don't mean complete capitulation, but a base that has some give and take for both the company and the individual).
I do like driving. I take road trips regularly, but the day to day grind of other people in their metal cages, stressed, distracted, etc. isn't driving, it is commuting. For where I live, public transport to Silicon Valley from where I live involves a bus and/or train, which is 1.5-2 hrs each way, not really reasonable for me.
Comments
My current job has me commuting 45mi each way 2x/week. So about 90mi of driving each time I go in. The other three days I am at home during the week. A good part of what I do involves working across time zones, so I am generally "on the clock" outside business hours as well. I love the flexibility, the time not getting annoyed in a car, and the ability to live in a place that has both world class mountain biking and surfing.
Whenever I get a ping from a recruiter, flexibility is the first thing I ask them about -- both core hours as well as working at home options. My favorite response was, "well, once you are established, you might be able to work at home on friday now and then". The worst of the responses usually come from established companies rather than startups.
I understand the need to time to collaborate, face time, and the like. Some people need more of it than others. That said, the best teams I have seen/worked with were ones that provided some flexibility to allow their employees to work in the manner most suited to their lifestyle. (I don't mean complete capitulation, but a base that has some give and take for both the company and the individual).
I do like driving. I take road trips regularly, but the day to day grind of other people in their metal cages, stressed, distracted, etc. isn't driving, it is commuting. For where I live, public transport to Silicon Valley from where I live involves a bus and/or train, which is 1.5-2 hrs each way, not really reasonable for me.