I don't completely disagree with your sentiments if your advice is at a young single person seeking entry level employment.
Otherwise, this comment "Just swap jobs already!" and "Trained monkeys." isn't really fair to many.
I moved within 5 miles of my current job, but many commute in. Reasons vary but many with families can't afford to live in this community. It is a beach city and is quite expensive.
Many jobs are downtown and the school district is not as good. Living near a good school district is more important to many than a short commute.
Many want a huge house with a giant yard on a meager salary. They'd rather commute 2 hours a day to live in a mansion than commute 10 minutes to live in a condo.
Some switched jobs. It took me a couple years before I was comfortable moving near this job. I needed to sell one place and buy another and had to be confident in the position before moving.
If they are married, both need to commute somewhere. Finding two good jobs right next to eachother is difficult.
Also, there aren't as many telecommuting jobs as you postulate there to be.
Finding another job may be difficult once a person is too comfortable and have a multitude of responsibilities. Switching jobs presents a risk many are not willing to take with a mountain of bills to pay every month.
Don't get yourself into a situation of having a mountain of bills. That's the entire point. The American suburban lifestyle is unsustainable. People need to realize that they can't have everything they want exactly the way they think they want it. Sometimes, you have to take what you have and make the best out of it.
But when you have a "mountain of bills", then you're a wage slave. You have to put up with whatever you're told. The remote work issue would be a given if people stood up for themselves on it. But too many people are willing to give up time with their kids for the promise of a few more dollars. And I'm betting most people just haven't done the real math (not the back-of-the-envelope finagling that everyone does to justify their current lifestyle) to determine if commuting to a higher paying job is actually economical.
And the school district would be better if they kept their tax revenue there and went to a few school board meetings and showed some interest, school board meetings they probably would have time to go to if they lived in the same town they worked.
Comments
I don't completely disagree with your sentiments if your advice is at a young single person seeking entry level employment.
Otherwise, this comment "Just swap jobs already!" and "Trained monkeys." isn't really fair to many.
I moved within 5 miles of my current job, but many commute in. Reasons vary but many with families can't afford to live in this community. It is a beach city and is quite expensive.
Many jobs are downtown and the school district is not as good. Living near a good school district is more important to many than a short commute.
Many want a huge house with a giant yard on a meager salary. They'd rather commute 2 hours a day to live in a mansion than commute 10 minutes to live in a condo.
Some switched jobs. It took me a couple years before I was comfortable moving near this job. I needed to sell one place and buy another and had to be confident in the position before moving.
If they are married, both need to commute somewhere. Finding two good jobs right next to eachother is difficult.
Also, there aren't as many telecommuting jobs as you postulate there to be.
Finding another job may be difficult once a person is too comfortable and have a multitude of responsibilities. Switching jobs presents a risk many are not willing to take with a mountain of bills to pay every month.
Don't get yourself into a situation of having a mountain of bills. That's the entire point. The American suburban lifestyle is unsustainable. People need to realize that they can't have everything they want exactly the way they think they want it. Sometimes, you have to take what you have and make the best out of it.
But when you have a "mountain of bills", then you're a wage slave. You have to put up with whatever you're told. The remote work issue would be a given if people stood up for themselves on it. But too many people are willing to give up time with their kids for the promise of a few more dollars. And I'm betting most people just haven't done the real math (not the back-of-the-envelope finagling that everyone does to justify their current lifestyle) to determine if commuting to a higher paying job is actually economical.
And the school district would be better if they kept their tax revenue there and went to a few school board meetings and showed some interest, school board meetings they probably would have time to go to if they lived in the same town they worked.