I never used to think that a lengthy commute to work in the morning was that big of a deal…

Until I had to deal with it, of course.

And then it all made perfect sense!

Everyone is different, but for me, the traffic, getting my car warmed up in the winter, and all the other things that come along with a commute really wore me down.

And I’m not the only one who feels that way!

In today’s story, a woman explained why she’s having an internal dilemma about her job situation.

Read on and see what you think.

Will I be upset with myself if I trade an 8-minute work commute for a 2.5-hour commute as a new parent just to earn more?

“Right now I have a job with an 8-minute commute round trip.

I accepted it because I’m still a new parent, and my partner’s job sometimes keeps him very far from home. Before this, I used to work in the city, and my normal commute was about an hour and 35 minutes each way by train when everything was running smoothly.

The new job has honestly turned out to be less than I expected. I make 88k and pay about 1,050 a month for health insurance. And after daycare expenses are deducted, there’s basically no room to breathe.

That’s a lot of money for healthcare…

I knew the salary when I accepted, but I didn’t understand how difficult the health coverage would be.

The job itself is still very demanding, and the retirement plan isn’t impressive. Some of my more senior coworkers have honestly told me they think I should go back to my old employer because the retirement benefits there are much better.

I’ve been with that company for 14 years, and I need to reach 18 years to qualify for full retirement benefits, which would be 32 years of service.

My old job was very heavy.

There are pros and cons to every job…

It made me feel like I was working in urgent care – constant pressure and always something happening. But the pay was better. I was making 118k, the health insurance was almost no cost, and the 401k was much stronger.

I keep thinking about reaching out to my old manager because I left on good terms, and I’m fairly sure he’d be happy to bring me back.

The part holding me back is my daughter.

Here’s the big dilemma…

There have been mornings when she needed me at 7:10 a.m. And I was still able to get to my current job on time. That would never have happened with my old commute. I would already have been on the 6:08 or 6:31 a.m. train by then.

And then I start thinking about how much less present I would be for them. I’d wake up around 5:10 in the morning, and on the best days I’d get home around 4:30 on 4 out of 6 workdays.

There would also be late nights when I wouldn’t get home until close to 7:30. Both jobs are about 190 workdays a year.

If I go back, it would put a much bigger burden on my husband. I’d probably need to get morning help so he isn’t stuck handling everything alone. He recently changed his job to be more local, so now I’d be the one going back to the big commute again.

My husband says he’ll support me in whatever I choose. But I feel like this decision comes back to money every time. I basically have nothing left after bills, and I’m not saving for retirement the way I should be.

I’m not asking my partner for money, even though he offered to pay the health insurance if that would help.

What now…?

Am I crazy for considering going back to the longer commute for better pay, better benefits, and a stronger team?

I miss not feeling financially trapped.

I also have a side hustle that brings in about 750 a month, and I still feel buried under expenses. Is being close to my family worth this financial loss?

We can’t move closer to my old job.”

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Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person weighed in.

Another individual asked a question.

This Reddit user shared their thoughts.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who was passed over for a promotion, so got a job with the competition and quit immediately.

And another person made some good points.

Ultimately, she has to do what’s best for her…

But I think the short commute is probably the best bet!

We wish her luck!

She has a pretty big decision to make…