Bracknell to the city commute -been offered double my salary

[Steviesam]

redrabbit29 said:

I know it's stupid but when I went to the interview I just wanted to leave as the office and environment didn't look very appealing.

That would make it a no from me.
You are going to be there alot, and I couldnt live with a poor office feeling.

[Zarco]

CAPP0 said:

Haven't read the whole thread so I may be repeating.

if you're in Bracknell, won't you be able to drive to Reading and get on Crossrail into L'Pool Street area much quicker than the Bracknell line? (I've used that before, it's the slowest, longest line in history!)

One problem with that is parking at Reading station costs £220/month (I just checked that and I swear it was more like £280 a couple of years ago! So perhaps not too bad now).

[redrabbit29]

Steviesam said:

redrabbit29 said:

I know it's stupid but when I went to the interview I just wanted to leave as the office and environment didn't look very appealing.

That would make it a no from me.
You are going to be there alot, and I couldnt live with a poor office feeling.

As my dad pointed out to me:

1) they are moving offices in August
2) I spent about 2-3 minutes in there so impossible to judge properly
3) I am first on this new team so it's a brand new entity and so building something completely new

Also it's about the opportunity. 6-12 months or whatever I will be in a much stronger position to join other companies. Mainly as I'll have some commercial/private sector experience to put on the CV, as well as being a senior consultant and helping form and upskilla new team.

I know all this... but yea I'm still very anxious about the possible move

[MYOB]

It's natural to be anxious, just don't allow the anxieties influence your final decision.

As for commuting, I did 20 years of 4 hours a day travelling. I chose to walk as much as I could by not utilising the tube or buses. This kept me fit and sane.

But the best form of commuting I did was by motorcycle and reduced the travel time in half. Admittedly I had to fuss around with getting changed, and showering etc. But boy, what fun I had!

[redrabbit29]

MYOB said:

It's natural to be anxious, just don't allow the anxieties influence your final decision.

As for commuting, I did 20 years of 4 hours a day travelling. I chose to walk as much as I could by not utilising the tube or buses. This kept me fit and sane.

But the best form of commuting I did was by motorcycle and reduced the travel time in half. Admittedly I had to fuss around with getting changed, and showering etc. But boy, what fun I had!

Thanks for the advice and reassurance.

I think it may be something I laugh about and wonder why I worried. The train to Waterloo is one single train which takes 60 minutes ... followed by either a 4 minute tube... or a 4 minute train ride + 15 minute walk.

Not much really considering some others who I understand do far far longer.

I've been trying to study for my CISSP certification for a few months. I was doing really well but lost my momentum so it's possible this is something I could focus more on during the journey.

[Podie]

I commute from the Midlands to London - and have done for over a decade. Essentially 2 hours door to door.

In that time i’ve seen plenty of others come and go from the same station platform. Some people can do it, others can’t. Personally, i’ve got used to it - the knack is to find a way to deal with it. After 6 months you’ll know if you can hack it.

On average I do one day a week from home, but that day tends to move according to workload and whatever else is going on in the office.

Also worth becoming friendly with a small hotel, as I stop over in London for events and socialising and you’ll save a lot of money as a regular.

Hope that helps in some way. Personally, I think you should do it. Worst case, you bail after 12 months and look for something closer to home.

[272BHP]

I used to do the commute by train and I loved it. It was the most productive time of the day. Got me through 6 certifications in 2 years (CISSP included) studying to and from work.

Never get into the habit of just playing with your phone or mindless browsing. Learning can be fun and challenging and means you are not standing still career wise.

[crofty1984]

I'd take it if I was in your shoes, but only for a couple of years, with the intention of paying off as much of my house as I could / enough cushion to start a business.

[redrabbit29]

272BHP said:

I used to do the commute by train and I loved it. It was the most productive time of the day. Got me through 6 certifications in 2 years (CISSP included) studying to and from work.

Never get into the habit of just playing with your phone or mindless browsing. Learning can be fun and challenging and means you are not standing still career wise.

That's great to hear. I've also wanted to do an MSc for ages, particularly as I don't have a degree - only a HND. So there's lots of options.

Out of interest, what other certifications did you do?

[redrabbit29]

I maybe also look at gyms near Bank. See if I can go before work or during lunch. Need to lose weight and would probably help energy levels by doing some exercise

[272BHP]

redrabbit29 said:

That's great to hear. I've also wanted to do an MSc for ages, particularly as I don't have a degree - only a HND. So there's lots of options.

Out of interest, what other certifications did you do?

Security+, A few dull Agile ones, ISTQB foundation and advanced. CISSP was the last of that lot and the most challenging by some distance.

I always wanted to do a degree or a masters but when I costed it all up it is far too much money these days. Not worth it for me as I am in my 50s but for a guy in his 30s then it is certainly worth thinking about.

[kingston12]

redrabbit29 said:

I think it may be something I laugh about and wonder why I worried. The train to Waterloo is one single train which takes 60 minutes ... followed by either a 4 minute tube... or a 4 minute train ride + 15 minute walk.

Not much really considering some others who I understand do far far longer.

Only you can judge how acceptable you will find a commute of that length. Even then, you'll have to give it a few months as it will feel like hell at first.

If you are going to Bank, it is worth considering walking it as it only takes about 20 minutes from Waterloo if you get a pace on. It's good for fitness and it will make your monthly ticket about £85 cheaper.

The main advantage is that the commute will really start to get you down if you get off a delayed SWR train and then join the back of a long queue for the Waterloo & City line too often. A single train commute is so much nicer, but I appreciate that you might want to get there as quickly as possible if you have already been on the train for an hour.

I have a much shorter commute (15 minutes into Waterloo), and the main problem is overcrowding. I don't expect/want a seat, but it is sometimes difficult to get onto the train at all. After doing this for years, I'd find it very difficult to extend the commute to an hour, but it is all about what you get used to and how easy you get used to it.

[wiggy001]

redrabbit29 said:

I maybe also look at gyms near Bank. See if I can go before work or during lunch. Need to lose weight and would probably help energy levels by doing some exercise

Alternatively, walk between Waterloo and Liverpool street. 35 mins each way, keeps you fit(ter), saner and saves money.

[redrabbit29]

Can't believe what I've done. I turned the job down. Slept about an hour last night as I just was not sure what to do. All day I was just unsure and I was avoiding contact with the recruiter and the employer themselves.

About 5pm even as I made the call I just didn't know what to do. Now I just feel a bit sick and like I've given up on a golden opportunity. Guess that's natural.

My reasons for not taking this were:

I didn't want to commit to the daily commute

It was fear of the unknown in terms of a new team, new business, moving to a new building soon

I was willing to put hours in but just didn't want to do that and then have 60-90 minute travel on each way

Anyway, I feel numb and sick to be honest. I kinda think that was my one big chance to move on and I've blown it

[Digger]

Did they say anything like, "oh well at least have a think on it?" "if you change your mind...."

[edc]

If you need to do extra hours or just get more done you can bring the laptop home ... If you didn't like the job or commute you could always have resigned within the probationary period for a quick getaway or after if you needed to bide your time.

[redrabbit29]

Digger said:

Did they say anything like, "oh well at least have a think on it?" "if you change your mind...."

Recruiter wanted an answer and so I had to leave her a message annoyingly.

I'm not sure if it's just normal feeling to feel like this.

In terms of resigning and things

[garythesign]

redrabbit29 said:

Can't believe what I've done. I turned the job down. Slept about an hour last night as I just was not sure what to do. All day I was just unsure and I was avoiding contact with the recruiter and the employer themselves.

About 5pm even as I made the call I just didn't know what to do. Now I just feel a bit sick and like I've given up on a golden opportunity. Guess that's natural.

My reasons for not taking this were:

I didn't want to commit to the daily commute

It was fear of the unknown in terms of a new team, new business, moving to a new building soon

I was willing to put hours in but just didn't want to do that and then have 60-90 minute travel on each way

Anyway, I feel numb and sick to be honest. I kinda think that was my one big chance to move on and I've blown it

It sounds like you went with your gut feeling.

I often think this is the best

Good luck

[pitlane]

In my line of work going with your gut instinct does indeed often prove to be the right call.

However, I wouldn't be where I am today without the massive leap out of my comfort zone that I took to get here.

It sounds like that comfort zone will limit your future options unless you push out of it sometime.

Speak with the recruiter in the morning and discuss your fears, it's not like you have anything to lose by doing so. If the company want you then they should be understanding, if they aren't you probably wouldn't want to have gone there anyway.

[MYOB]

Don't beat yourself up. You made a brave decision, now stand by it and pay no heed to hindsight.

Another opportunity will come your way, and possibly at a more opportune moment.

It's not always about the money so well done to sticking to your principles.