A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:This is not really a relationship question, but about job performance (or lack thereof, in my case.) Since most of you have jobs or had one, I would really appreciate your advice on this. Right now I'm finishing up my studies at uni through an internship, working as a journalist at a magazine that relies heavily on advertisements and advertorials for its income. Getting an internship was very hard, as there are many students to compete with. Therefore I couldn't be picky and this one isn't ideal when it comes to location, as it takes me 2,5 hours to get there, 3 when the traffic is bad. In total I spend 5 or more hours a day just driving. I can't move closer because I don't have the funds. Now, I'm a patient person by heart and I honestly don't care about how long it takes me to get somewhere. I just do it. However, lately I'm noticing it's starting to take a toll on my performance. I leave home at 6am every day and I get back home at around 8 or 9pm. I still have assignments from school I need to finish, so on average I go to bed at 11pm, midnight at the max. In the weekend I'm usually so tiredI'm on my second month right now and I'm basically tired when I arrive at work. And I've discovered my brain just doesn't work properly when I'm tired. I basically lose all creativity, which makes it very hard to write articles. I find myself staring at the screen, not knowing what to put on there. I waste hours of precious time on things I should be able to accomplish in a fraction of that time. It stresses me out because whenever I get home, I know I have tons of things to do and deadlines to meet. I try to be productive while driving, like making calls and arranging interviews. To be safe I installed a hands-free system and I don't text, but even then I can't do too much on the phone because it distracts me from driving. Does anyone have any advice on what to do? I'm afraid I'm not going to meet the requirements of my employers and therefore ruin the internship.
View related questions:
at work, text Reply to this Question
Share |
Fancy yourself as an agony aunt? Add your answer to this question! A
female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (20 January 2013):
 " 'Hey you're the one living so far away from here, so if you don't like it: move.'"
Alternatively, they were the ones who chose to hire you, obviously you were the best one for the position in their eyes. If they want to KEEP you, then maybe they should compromise. Or, they can lose you, have to go through another interview process (which most companies don't like, as it takes up time and money), and then possibly end up with someone whos not as great at the job as you are.
Don't mind what your colleagues say. In fact, don't ask them or discuss these matters with them, especially not when they just paint you out to be a crybaby.
Instead, talk to your boss. Tell them:
"I enjoy the internship here and would like to continue working. As you are already aware of, the commute is three hours each way. I've travelled back and forth for the last (insert number) months, and have noticed that it has a negative effect on my work. I am now looking into possible alternatives. I want to talk to you, to hear if we can find a solution together, or if you might help me find a solution.
If possible, I would like to suggest that I work from home 2 or 3 days of the week. This will enhance the quality of my work, as I will spend more time working and less time commuting. I will also be more effecient, as I don't use energy on a long drive."
Something like that perhaps? Don't mention anything about your parents and not being able to afford moving closer. Be professional about it. State the matter, present your suggestion. Hear what they have to say. If they say no, just say "thank you for your time" and go back to work. At least you gave it a try.
A
female
reader, Tisha-1 +, writes (19 January 2013):
 I'm sorry to ask such a mundane question. But in the world of the internet, print media such as newspapers and magazines, are going through a transformation. Circulation of print magazines and newspaper is WAYYYY down.
It's sad, I know, but it's the change we are experiencing.
What are you doing for them in person and on site? Is this particular experience with them going to lead to a permanent job with them? I ask because one of my neighbors does print and television scripts and does 99.5 percent of the work from home.....
So what will your commuting sacrifice provide as a resume builder?
I'm shocked they'd provide gas money to an intern. That's just part of commuting for most jobs. Which market are you in? New York? Los Angeles? Chicago?
...............................
A
female
reader, Tisha-1 +, writes (19 January 2013):
They reimburse you for the gas? How much?
...............................
A
reader, anonymous, writes (18 January 2013): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThank you all for taking the time to get back to me! You know, I'm actually happy to hear you guys think this commute is too much, because up until now people just shrug when I mention it at Uni. They just talk about the sacrifices you have to make in order to 'make it out there'.
Well, the reason I can't move closer also has something personal to it. Basically I live at home with my parents, who are both unemployed because of the crisis. Long story short: they can't support me and my parttime jobs are not enough to support myself on my own. Plus right now my income is helping my family from going broke, basically. My dad has a shot at getting a new job, but there are no certainties with these things.
The internship pays better than most; I even get gas money. Not all of it is covered by them, but enough to make driving the cheapest option to get there. Plus I try to preserve fuel while I drive, not going too fast, not varying my speeds for no good reason, etc. My colleagues aren't of much use when it comes to this: carpooling and sleeping over at their place is basically not an option unless it's an emergency.
That app on the phone sounds good Cerberus. Do you happen to know which one? I get bombarded with so many apps I honestly don't know where to look anymore.
I am going to really talk to my boss and my school about this. Though I have to say they're generally not very sympathetic to my predicament: 'You chose to work here, so you better make sure you can get here on time,' is something I got from a colleague when I asked for advice on how to bring it up. Or I get something along the lines of 'Hey you're the one living so far away from here, so if you don't like it: move.' I've tried explaining it's not that simple, but it basically falls on deaf ears.
My superior is usually a pretty easy going guy. When the snow got bad he let me stay home, but then his superior got on his case about it (=the owner of the company) , so he's more careful about giving me leeway. I'm going to try and get them together and talk it through. Even if it's just one day a week that I can work from home; it would make a world of difference.
Any tips on how to bring it up?
The internship is going to last another 3 months.
...............................
A
female
reader, chigirl +, writes (17 January 2013):
Take the bus, carpool, find someone close to work whos couch to sleep on. Take fewer classes, fulltime work AND studies cant be done without taking its toll. Or maybe the internship isnt worth this?? Not if it interferes with your studies. You can do internships after graduation. Just finda solution. Being too tired, and performing poorly at both work and school, will not help you. Pick one and prioritize it.
...............................
A
female
reader, kirra07  +, writes (17 January 2013):
I know you've said that you can't afford to move closer, but is it possible to rent a small room just so you can crash there during the week while you are working at your internship? I mean, with the 5-6 hour drive every day, you must be spending a lot of money just on gas. Instead of spending the money on gas, maybe you could find a room rental for a few hundred dollars.
...............................
A
female
reader, R1  +, writes (17 January 2013):
 Could you see if someone you work with is looking for a housemate, they might not charge too much. It must cost you a fortune in fuel so it might work out cheaper in the end.
The only other option is looking for another internship, you have a good reason for moving jobs so employers shouldn't look down at that.
I'm not sure what else you could do really...
...............................
A
female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (17 January 2013):
 A DAILY commute of 1.5 hours each way is more than enough.
If you can't find someoen to stay with during the week, and you can't move, then quitting is the only option.
I have done a 2.5/3 hour commute... I did it ONE or TWO days a week (mondays and fridays usually) to go to my then boyfriends house after work on fridays and go into work on mondays... I could NOT have done it every day.
Would they allow you to telecomute 3 out of 5 days? you could work from home and only go into the office a couple of days a week?
...............................
A
reader, anonymous, writes (17 January 2013): Your commute is far too long, how much longer is this internship supposed to last?
First off this is not going to last in the long term as you will burn out. Second you have to judge whether you can keep this up for as long as this lasts, you're not going to be able to last another 5 months for example.
While you're there OP, set up your phone so you can dictate stuff while you're driving. You can write articles and figure out approaches to what you're going to write by dong that and type it up later and refine it.
Start looking into transferring somehow, or talk to those you currently work with about reducing your hours or days and letting you do more stuff from home. Talk to your coordinator in college and your boss in the job itself. You never know they may be very understanding and allow you a bit more flexibility, that commute is a monster like and no boss wants a zombie who can't function, so discuss it with them. If I were in your position I'd use some initiative and figure out ways you can do the same amount of work with less hours in the company building. You've already done some in terms of working in your car, but maybe there are ways you could do more from home. You don't say whether this is a paid internship, if it's not then you have little to lose by taking less hours there. even if it is paid and it's an hourly rate, then honestly taking a hit to your finances by doing less hours would be far better than being useless at your job due to burn out.
There are lots of ways you can handle this OP, you have lots of options. Don't ever be afraid to approach any boss and talk to them about things like this. Most are perfectly willing to help out, it is their job to get the best out of their employees afterall, the worst that can happen is they refuse and you're no worse off than you are now then.
...............................
A
female
reader, person12345 +, writes (17 January 2013):
 You are going to have a nervous breakdown, you've got to quit the internship. You just can't keep up driving 5-6 hours a day. Even if you mentally can deal with it somehow, you're going to be at risk for all kinds of physical health problems.
If you keep this up you might flunk out of school, which would be far worse than not having an internship. You're right your brain WON'T work properly when you're tired. You just can't survive on 6 hours of sleep a night. Once a week? Sure. Every night? Absolutely no. I made the decision a long time ago to force myself to get to sleep with enough for 8 hours and change and I've become happier and I also get far fewer colds.
What you should try first: explain to the people you work with that you feel like you would be better able to work on your internship if you could work remotely at least three, maybe even four days a week. That way you will have more time and energy to devote to giving them your best material. See if they will either let you work remotely or cut back to only coming in once or twice a week.
If not, you just need to quit for your own sanity. There will be other internships and you can still put this on your resume. If you keep this up you will burn out.
Is this internship even paid? If it isn't and you are doing labor for them (i.e. filing) they are actually breaking the law, fyi.
...............................
A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (17 January 2013):
 I suppose that as a dutiful Aunt I should encourage you to be strong and hang in there, in fact the only thing that cames really from my heart is : Quit . This is crazy. You are going to ruin your health, or have a nervous breakdown or a car accident.
This is insane ! 5-6 hours just of daily commute, on top of your job performance, and school assignements plus I suppose the normal hygiene maintenance for your body and apartment as well as inevitable routine errands ).
I've never heard of anybody in the Western world that accepts a 5- 6 hours daily commute. Already a 1.5 hour each way is a big stretch that takes a big toll.
I understand that you could not be picky and are a very motivated , career minded young woman, which is great.
But there's driven, ambitious and hard working- then there's WonderWoman with superpowers, which you are not.
...............................
|
