Is moving a possibility? Moving isnt a decision that needs to be made before taking the job (and it shouldnt be anyway).

If you are going to make a career out of the job, you probably will want to eventually move. You can test out the job for a year, if you like it move. Move if it will be long term beneficial for you and the family.

It's terrible how American car culture sets up this way that housing with large yard so you can show off your pretty green lawn is purposely built far from where the jobs that pay are...

If you are turning down a $30k pay bump because your training may be impacted, you either need to go pro or you need to check your priorities. Yes, money isn't everything, but you're talking about $2,500 more a month in personal income. If you did not change one thing about your life, you could afford a new bike every other month. You could afford a new electric car that offsets the extra cost of gas. You could save for retirement so you can quit working sooner & go live a fun life when you are older & wiser.

If you were talking about a $5k or even a $10k raise, I'd say you want to weigh the pros & cons. But for $30k more a year, it would have to have a huge detrimental impact on my quality of life for me to turn that down.

You don't know what his current income is. If making $70k/year, yes it's an odd choice. If making $250k a year then it's just additional numbers that won't drastically change his life. (Assuming this is a guy)

Even at $70K or $35K or $20K there is no price to what makes you happy. Everyone has their own priorities in life. For Meathead an additional $30K sounds important. that's his priority in life, but I don't think he can judge what someone else's priorities are.

Well said.

only a few people have chimed in they have done the reverse. I guess I am somewhat of an odd duck but I actually enjoy my job. It provides intellectual stimulation, service, and a sense of legacy that I do not get by spending time with my family or training. I work a lot. It is a challenging balance in that I would like to be home with my family more, or train more, but I also would like to work more, because I like it and I feel that what I do is important.

I have made huge sacrifices in income for my particular niche in this line of work, though I still make good pay by nearly anybody's standard. It would be very easy to take a job in the same field for the same pay, with better hours, and more time for family and training, but when I have flirted with this I have felt that the job would be much less interesting, and that things would quickly devolve into work being simply transactional, rather than a calling. I have seen many of my friends go down this route, which has resulted in a very nice "lifestyle", with fancy toys and vacations, but severe burnout and a poor sense of self worth.

For me, I have a kind of crappy commute (20-45 min depending on time of day), but that is for the sake of my family living in a safe, nice neighborhood with good schools, AND with good running/biking opportunities for my kids and when I am off work. I often run commute which saves time and is much less stressful.

I have given up triathlon for now because of the demands of the job and my young family. I do miss it though.

For anyone that is curious, today I did turn down the job. It would have been an 18.5% pay increase but I just could not justify the commute. They even said that I could work from home a few days a week but, right now, I just don't see myself working downtown.

I also have to say that I currently work for the worlds largest manufacture of fitness equipment. We have a very nice gym....

Thanks for all the input.

I am the opposite of most of the ST crowd and would put work ahead of training. As you as you enjoy the actual job itself and feel like there is career advancement opportunities, then take the job. Financial and job security also create happiness and options. You might be able to afford the trip to Mount Treblant even if your time is 15-30 minutes slower because of the longer commute. Nobody else cares about your time. Plus extra money helps your family and may allow you to retire early. My oldest just graduated law school with no debt which would not happen if I put training in front of my job.

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John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe

Oops - should have read the whole post. I am doing the opposite and keeping my same job but moving 20-25 minutes further away to live in the country on 17 acres. I may be complaining soon about my commute and lack of training time because I am always mowing the yard on Saturdays instead of riding my bike.

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John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe

Commute and business travel are huge factors in choosing a job for me. Business travel is a biggie. It's generally unpredictable and just kills your training effort unless you are super disciplined on the road. It has taken me a long time, but I am finally in a job with a short commute and minimal business travel. I can now train regularly and reliably and am much happier as a result. Personally, I would hold out and look for a different opportunity with a reasonable commute. If you hate your current job and need to get out ASAP, that's another matter. In that case maybe take the job but keep looking for something closer.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Hey good for you. It sounds like you are satisfied at your current job. That's a big increase, but money isn't everything. Happiness is #1.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

I quit my job at an investment bank and took a job teaching windsurfing and wakeboarding in a resort in Sardinia. But I very, very quickly got bored, something I didn't expect. I suppose I had a pretty cool job, in a beautiful place, but I couldn't stand the brain rot... I need to use my brain. But only for around 30 hours a week :)

Actually that's part of it for me. My mother is 75 years old and still school teaches around 20 hrs per week mainly for the reason you said and on the lifestyle part she only supply teaches at schools that she can walk to or drive to in 15 minutes....but wow teaching windsurfing in Sardinia, I suppose it does not get a ton better, so you got to live that!