Each day I drive an hour to Trenton and then an hour (or sometimes longer) back home to Tinton Falls. Once a week, I go from Trenton right to West Long Branch for the class that I take in communication. Some people who make a similar commute may suggest that it really isn’t an hour from Tinton Falls to Trenton and back, but rather that it’s more like 45 minutes – which is true, assuming that there is no traffic and you’re going 75mph the entire time. However, like all morning and rush hour commutes, it is rare that you don’t hit traffic on the road.
In particular, there are three things that I hate about my commute. First, I hate the length of time that I’m in the car because it really is wasted time. Second, I hate the additional expenses in fuel and maintenance costs for traveling so much. And third, I hate the fact that the commute completely exhausts me every morning and every afternoon.
It would be great if I could find a job that was similar to the one that I have now, but located in Monmouth County. However, that’s very unlikely to happen any time soon so I’m out of luck. I’ve always been taught that you typically change careers several times in your adult life and there is a possibility that I could be ready to change careers. Yet, I’m making okay money where I’m at and doing a job that I somewhat enjoy, so I don’t see the need to switch careers at this point. Plus, the only other occupation that I’d rather have right now is to be a college professor. In order to do that, though, I’d need to go back to school and get a doctorate degree and I’m not overly interested in going through that at this point in my life.
My job is somewhat flexible in terms of the commute in that they let me work from home each Friday. This is a great feature because I can run errands in the morning and do tasks in my home in the afternoon, but it still means that I’m wasting more than 8 hours each week by sitting in a car. And it’s not like I can even be productive during those 8 hours because the cell phone that I currently have has a broken 3.5mm ear jack port. Sure, I could use a Bluetooth connection, but it seems to me that no one can ever hear you clearly on the other end of those things.
So, if you have any tips on how to hate my commute less, I’m all ears…
I drive about an hour each way to Princeton and back every day. Over the last year or so, I’ve started listening to lectures from The Teaching Company during my commute. They have a wide variety of college level subjects and most of the professors I’ve listened to have been outstanding.
It’s given me an opportunity to listen to course lecture and learn about subjects that I have an interest in but would never find the time or justification to sit in a lecture hall for.
It’s made the commute much more enjoyable, and I find that I start the day with a much better attitude than I might if I just spent the last hour thinking about the traffic and the commute.
The Teaching Company’s web site is http://www.teach12.com. I’m pretty sure there are other similar company’s around, but this one seemed to have the best selection.
Steve,
That is an excellent idea. I downloaded some audio books, but I never really got through them in the car. However, this sounds very interesting and is something that I’ll look into.
Thanks!
Joe
Have you considered looking into train travel for your morning commute? It would make the actual journey far less stressful and it would be faster. Plus, the cost would equate to much the same amount as you would pay over a year for fuel but would be more eco-friendly.
Tina
Hi Tina,
I have definitely thought about using a train as an alternative, however in order to use the train system that we have in New Jersey, I’d have to travel an hour north (by train) before switching to get on the right track in order to go an hour and a half southwest to my destination. Spending an additional three hours each day commuting in order to be eco-friendly isn’t worth the expense, hassle, or aggravation. If New Jersey would put up a rail station that went from, say, Long Branch or Asbury Park right to Trenton, that would be a different story.
Thanks for the comment!
Joe