To switch jobs or not

I'm gonna put this in cliffs...

-OP and his wife decide to move home to Alabama to raise our daughter in a small town and be close to family.
-OP currently makes about 70k a year and is the sole provider. I work for the 10th biggest Ford Dealership in the Nation as an assistant parts manager.
-OP drives 1 hour one way to work everyday leaves at 645am gets home around 630pm sometimes later depending on the day.
-OP has the potential to make 100k a year soon within 2 years.


-OP was just offered a job 8 minutes from home. Working for a Toyota Dealership as a service adviser ..make anywhere between 65-80k a year(it's more of a commission pay) but could go up or other doors could open.
-OP could even go home during the day for lunch...and would work from 730am until 530pm.

OP is trying to find work/life balance

 

Sounds like OP already knows what he wants, change

Don't make it about money, you only get one chance to be around your wife/kid(s).

 

Home for lunch is a good thing, true break in the work day. Short commute - that's reclaiming uncompensated time / life. My 2 cents, good luck and Roll Tide

 

8 minutes vs an hour. Figure that in a week, month and a years time. How many hours of your life will be traded for a few more bucks?

Change jobs.

 

You already know the answer to this one sir. As a guy that has commuted over an hour plus one way his entire career take the close to home option. Sounds like pay is already going to be similar and there is potential for growth. 2 hours in commute vs 16 minutes is a no brainer. You cant get that time back with family.

 

Like all have said. No Brainer . I was in the same boat. Hated my boss and was driving an hour each way. Missed out on so many of my sons practices. Made a switch after 15years with the company and now my commute is 12 minutes. Come home for lunch and check on the pup when I work in office (I also get to work remote 2 days out of the week) and got a raise when I made the move. I still hate my boss...lol. the new one. But the pros outweigh that. Haha

Good luck man

 

I live 7.5 min from work. Let me tell you it is awesome. I don’t miss the long commute.

 

Only thing I liked about the commute was I was able to decompress on the way home after those hard days. Can't do that when you work from home. Lol

 

Money comes and goes but time just goes. I have a long commute as well I’d take the a pay cut to closer to home the fuel savings and not eating out as much will make up for it.

 

2 hours of windshield time takes a bigger toll than you realize.

If you can't move to the job, move the job to you.

 

I have never commuted. Always lived within 5-7 miles from work and work from home now. My parents did it for decades and it was rough for them with kids after school activities and time. My dad still tells me to this day he wished he could have been there more for soccer games and such. I have no blame for him at all, never have, I know he was doing what he needed to do to provide. Maybe didn't realize that part when I was young but I get it now.

I get the rough days to decompress, I just go to the gym, run, walk, walk the dog, play video games, read, chores. All might change when I have a kid(s) but I know I'll have the time.

I've worked 90+ hours a week before every day for months at a time. My longest stretch was 6 months of doing that no days off. Soon got one day off. My 19-21 years were a blur of work.

My main goal was to find something that fit my lifestyle. I have that now, I don't make a lot of money but it supports my lifestyle. Been at my gig for 13 years this month, wasn't always great and multiple positions but had to put in the time where I can pretty much do what I want (within reason) but I have freedom to take off as much as is needed and not stress as much about work or family balance.

 

Family time is worth far more...can make it about money but also can make it about what its worth to you... like others said and have figured it out...money isnt everything.

 

Go Yota for all the reasons listed above.

Whatever $$ difference is made up in time home w the family.

And you could start doing group buys to boost your bottom line

 

Mind if I ask what part of AL?

 

ALSO, you can get us all parts discounts from your parts department at the new job.

 

I would take a $5k pay cut to save 8 hours a week behind the wheel. That's almost like working an entire week less every month.

 

Only time I had a 'commute' was about 17 miles / 30 minutes.

Plenty of good about being closer to home, at least time wise. I had times I could stretch lunch a bit, go home and swim with the kids at lunch and grill dogs.

Money is necessary, but so is living life.

 

Go to Toyota. No brainer. With $70k/year sounds like you guys are doing fine. Family > Money. Spend time with your little one before you realize how fast they grow and how much you've missed due to work.