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Job Update
So I've got more info from my job dilemma post the other day. I am one of 10 people that have made it to the interview process out of over 400 and there are 2 vacancies, so I think my chances are probably pretty good. The job offers a lot of pros to it, flexible work schedule (I'd get to choose my own hours and decide if I'd rather work a traditional 5/8s or 4/10s), I'd most likely be started out at the higher 1/3 to 1/2 of the pay scale, which isn't super high but has the potential to be what I made before and maybe even a little bit higher, but I also lived and worked in a very low cost of living area before, so the increase if there is one wouldn't be much with that taken into account. I probably wouldn't start working until the end of the year or even into the new year, which fits our timeline.
One issue is its not directly Metro accessible at either of the locations I would potentially work at, making the commute even longer than the 1.5 hours I had originally calculated using the Metro and buses. They do however have free secured parking, so if I wanted to drive, there'd be parking, but I'm not sure driving there is a great idea with the insane traffic, unless I carpooled with someone. We still plan to live on the MD side and even living halfway between T's job and this opportunity I'd still be about 25-30 miles out.
Also they are not willing to do a phone or Skype interview, so I'd have to fly out there next week. Meaning spending a whole lot of money ($600+) on a 24 hour trip that I may not even get. We don't have SW Airlines here, so unfortunately cheap tickets aren't happening, and only option for direct flights if I wanted to go and come back in one day is Delta because we're a hub, but even those aren't abundant to the area.
I'm so conflicted over what to do. The job sounds great right now, pay, hours, etc. but the long commute is really, really turning me off. Especially when I probably won't be at this job for more than a year or so because of T's orders. And we are hoping to have a baby in the next year. That also opens a whole new can of worms with FMLA and whether I'd even qualify depending on the timeline.
I don't know what to do. On one hand working back in my field sounds like a great idea, even if it's short term, but on the other I think I could just as easily be ok with working temporary somewhere or with an agency and just getting some kind of income with the flexibility of no commitment and hopefully a shorter commute. We don't necessarily need 2 incomes, but because of some things coming up in the not too distant future, it would be a good idea for me to work and build our savings some more.
So again WWYD if you were in this situation? Would you spend the money to just go out and interview and hope to get the job, even if you only stayed in it for a year and had a super long commute? Or would you keep looking for something else closer to home and temporary?
Re: Job Update
Skip it. 25 miles in that area is crazy. You'll be nuts within a year. And if they're already inflexible about a phone interview to start, they'll probably be inflexible about other things once you get the job.
You will find something great when you get there - I really don't think this is it.
ETA: Living and working in different states means you'll be taxed twice, too. It's not cool.
Kate's Recipe Box || Relatively Bookish
I think I'm on the other side. If there is even a remote possibility that you would want the job I'd go for the interview as long as you can financially swing it. Maybe you could spend a few days in the area, practice the commute to see how it would go, etc.
That being said, I absolutely HATE commuting to work. I used to have about a 20-30 minute drive from the town I lived in, to the city where I work. This was primarily highway driving (so no traffic issues) and it drove me crazy to be "wasting" that hour every day.
If the commute is a deal breaker, or you truly think that you would not feel like you missed out by not taking the job and would be really genuinely happy just doing temp work,etc then don't bother going.
I would skip it, especially if they aren't willing to fly you out for an interview (I wouldn't want to spend my bucks for a job that I probably wouldn't take).
Personally, I would start looking into area you're moving to and maybe see if there's jobs closer. If you don't need the income and are planning on a bambino within the next 12 months, I would look for a job in both your field as well as in a job that would give you flexibility. I would hate to have to commute that much in the area. I know S was quoted, on the metro, a commute of over an hour from Baltimore to the DC metro (MD side) area this summer when we looked at moving there-I can only imagine it would be insane for driving and getting over to VA
The commute is the biggest issue for me right now, the flexibility of the days/hours sounds great, but it's the 30+ mile commute in such a high traffic area that I'm really questioning. On a good day without traffic (i.e. middle of the day) the D.C. real time traffic map says 45 mins from about where we are thinking of living, but who goes to work at noon and works a 10 hour day? And then to not even be accessible by Metro really has be thinking that it wouldnt be feasible. Also the sheer fact that this is a 1 yr gig most likely. To work for 1 yr just to have some additional experience to put on my resume doesn't seem like that great an offer. Especially if the possible pay increase is negligible with the much higher cost of living.
I hate commutes, like seriously hate them. When I lived in FL and lived 17 miles from downtown where I worked I had over an hour commute each way and was ready to pull all my hair out in 2-3 months of it, and I only did it for about 4 months before I moved closer to work and had a 15-20 minute ride.
I think I am just being blinded I think that this is the first interview I've ever even been offered in my 2+ years of unemployment and job searching. The economy is so bad here in TN that I never got called for any interviews, and I'm thinking I'm letting that cloud my judgement about MD and the potential for employment there since there wasn't any here. Plus, my field is pretty specialized so there aren't many openings available, but as I said, while I may have Master's in my field, I'm so not opposed to working something administrative or temporary just to get out of the house and earn a little extra.
That's exactly how I feel! My B.A. is in Criminology, but my M.S. is criminal justice with a specialization in crime analysis/intelligence and mapping. The field is still pretty new on the police side, especially when civilians are working it and not uniformed officers, but was supposedly growing when I entered it years ago, however positions don't always seem abundant, so when there are ones open it's kind of a big deal, and as I said, the field isn't huge, so there's a good chance the people in VA have worked with people I used to work with in FL.
The flexibility comes in that they told me the hours would be negotiable and there's no real set schedule, and I'd have the option of 4-10 hour days or 5-8 hour days. The location doesn't seem to be as flexible (i.e. working from home), the vacancies are at either of 2 district offices, if I were selected I'd obviously try to ask for the closer office, but it's still not a guarantee that's where I'd be working.
As for keeping the job once we move on when Tony gets new orders, it's doubtful. It's a local government job, and sadly those don't usually transfer outside of the area, and why I had to give up my last job when I moved here with Tony.
The best case scenario all around as far as flexibility and portability would be a federal job, which I am still pursuing but it seems nearly impossible to break in, and even my fed parents say it's getting more difficult to get in without having the right connections, and sadly my parents aren't very high up to help with that type of networking. I wouldn't even let the commute be an issue if this were a federal job, I'd be jumping on it in a heartbeat!
Just based on your posts, I'm getting the feeling that you're feeling more negatives about this job then positives. If that's the case, I'd start looking elsewhere!