Should I take a pay cut for a shorter commute?
A shorter commute can add hours of extra free time to your day, but it requires sacrificing higher income. This trade-off forces you to weigh the immediate guilt of spending less time with your children against long-term family benefits like building savings, affording better housing, and taking paid time off.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Should I take a pay cut for a shorter commute?
- 1Calculating the exact daily net difference by subtracting daily transit costs from the lost wages.Did this help you?
- 2Factoring in the hidden costs of a long commute, like needing more expensive convenient meals.Did this help you?
- 3Planning to use the regained free time for a side hustle or earning certifications to advance.Did this help you?
- 4Listening to podcasts or audiobooks during the commute.Did this help you?
- 5Using the drive time as "breathing room" to mentally transition between work and home modes.Did this help you?
- 6Switching to a daycare provider located near the workplace rather than near home.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Is it worth giving up my current job which pays more to work at this new job which pays a little less?”source ↗
“I would be gaining 2 extra hours of free time every day essentially, but I don't know if I'm being dumb by swapping out my current job for a less paying job basically. I'd like some help deciding.”source ↗
“I’m trying to preemptively decide if I would and should leave my new job which is only a 10 minute drive from home and take the much needed $52 per hour job.”source ↗
“I am a single mother of a toddler so it makes me a bit nervous thinking about the travel time and factoring in pick up and drop off from daycare for my daughter and further decreasing the amount of time I have to spend with her after work.”source ↗
“Believe me, I get wanting to spend more time with your toddler and the mom guilt you will get from not being able to do it. But no matter what anyone says, the best thing I’ve done for my kids is getting better and better jobs, being able to get better places to live, and finally being able to have savings and take PTO.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6Is the Big 4 name really worth it in the long run?
- 3Is a cheaper apartment worth a longer daily commute?
- 5Is a long commute worth it for a stable job?
- 24Is moving to a high-cost area for a higher salary worth it?
- 8Is a massive pay cut for startup equity worth it?
- 2Is it worth leaving a stable job for a better location?