Distance matters
YOUR MARKETING
MENTOR
ADONALD PATRICK LIM
reader writes:
I am an avid reader of your column and have been heeding your advice, which came in handy when I was looking for a job last March. I am now employed in a large company, earning a decent salary for an entry-level post, and have just been regularized. But as much as I like working for this company—I have a great boss who mentors me well—the distance from my home to the office is really killing me. I live south of Manila near Alabang, and my office is way up north, even farther than Quezon City. With traffic and MRT woes everyday, it is getting more and more dreadful to go to work. I would reach the office looking haggard, and even when I leave work at 5:30 p.m., I would get to the house past 8:30 p.m., dead tired and no longer having the energy to even eat dinner. I am thinking of giving up and finding a nearer office, as most of my friends have found jobs here in Alabang. But I do not have the assurance of finding a good post, with a good company and a mentor quite like the one I have now. Illustration by Rod Cañalita
What should I do?
Good job, good company, and a good boss… what more can you ask for? The truth is, it is quite rare for a new graduate to enjoy those perks on the first try. However, you just proved an age- old mantra true: You really can’t have it all.
Your level of commute to work is indeed challenging—even those with cars or drivers find that distance to be extreme. I also sympathize with you in taking the bus or MRT—you not only have to contend with the entire rat race running towards buses or trains, there is also that matter of “sweating it out” with them.
However, given your good circumstances at work, I would recommend that you exhaust all options before you leave your job.
Instead of looking for work closer to home, one option is to actually move closer to your current office. Condo units are quite inexpensive nowadays, especially studio spaces. You can get one and even look at it as an investment. Unless you still have overprotective parents who do not want you on your own, I think this is the best option. Another option is to consider living with relatives or friends, and just pay them rent or a gratuity fee for your bed space.
You can also ask your boss if you can work from home. There are some companies that allow one or two days to work from home. In this day and age, digitization has allowed working anytime, anywhere to be very possible and efficient. I do not know the nature of your work or your industry, but that is something you should seriously explore if possible.
If only for the sole reason that it is quite rare for a fresh graduate like you to have really good working conditions, leaving your job should be your last option. Even if you are offered the same salary package at a good company, a good boss is quite hard to find, and that is why you should seriously consider this. I remember my first job wherein I was in a similar state. I lived in Manila and worked in Ortigas. Travel time then was an hour and a half per trip. I know it may not be as much as yours, but I understand the feeling. Because I was younger then, I was willing to stick it out given I had the energy to still endure the process. What kept me there was the fact that I had a boss who mentored me and whom I learned a great deal from. I have never regretted sticking it out for a while.
I know working in a place close to home has its benefits, but I have seen some people who purposely found work far from home so they can experience independence, living alone, and deciding for themselves. Having said that, I would recommend that while you are young, give priority to learning and career growth, so that eventually you can choose your place of work.