Need career advice- is distance a factor when choosing a job?

Consider the fact that not everyone can own a car and drive, so it's quite different for SG vs overseas. Consider the opportunity cost of 2 hour lost daily, for 20 days workday a month for 2 trip that a lost of 80 hours a month. The journey is long and torturing and the time could be use for better and more productive task such as learning. Not to mentioned that it is quite tiring to travel 4 hours a day to / fro work.

On the other hand, new industry gives you new learning opportunity and exposure. Thus it is a clear winner for me in this case.

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Consider one thing:

You can earn $ back now or later, but you can't earn back time. Time gone or wasted is gone forever, you only get 1 life, 1 chance.

So cheerish your time and use it to learn and grow, in the future, you will earn back even more $ and grow even more, and you will thank yourself for making the right choice now.

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Cheers

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I feel you on this because at one point I was in a dilemma as to whether I could deal with the travelling of about 1.5h (3-3.5h to and fro) before the WFH started. Just my 2 cents worth:

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• From what i gathered above, both companies are of equal standings in terms of benefits, growth potential and salary I would assume? If it's just regarding familiarity, I think it boils down to the fact whether you're in the right phase of your life to head out and explore a new industry?
• If you're ready to "jump" to a new industry, and its closer then I think there's no hesitation for Company B.
• But if you aren't ready to jump and prefer to deep dive into the same/similar industry, I would suggest Company A even with the travelling. But do take into consideration, whether there is an OT culture because i think this matters too because you wont want to travel 1.5h home after leaving the office at 9-10pm..?

As someone who travels around 3h to and fro, I think there are many things you can do within that 3hrs. I do read up on the news/stocks at times when i have more sleep and feel less tired. But on days when im too drained and tired, I catch up on my Netflix shows or just listen to podcast/songs to destress and I dont think thats a waste of time because ultimately, recharging and enjoying myself is really the key to having better mental health.

I'm thankful that my job doesn't do much OT so I'm able to leave promptly most times and though I do get back home later, I'm still able to set 1h to workout at the gym. But I guess, it boils down to what you really want because i believe that if you want to achieve something, you can do it no matter what!

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All the best in your decision!

Company B hands down.

I would choose Company B too. I guess you are most likely taking public transport to reach your job place and that means you are spending around 4 hours on travel each day. Sooner or later, it will be very tiring as you probably got to wake up quite early to reach there by 8 am – 8.30 am, etc.

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Instead of being comfortable with what you are confident in, why not step out of your comfort zone and try something unfamiliar to you? Plus, it gives you a chance to grow and learn new experiences from it. Plus, you have applied for this, I believe somewhere inside you, you might be keen and open to trying out this role if you were given the opportunity. And there you go.

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I also agree with the rest that time is the most valuable commodity. Once it’s gone, it can never be replenished. With that extra time, you can use it to do other meaningful stuff that interests you, such as spending it with your family, and friends or perhaps working on side hustles or learning new skills for your personal development, etc.

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If you are still firm on Company A, then check out Alois Oh reply too. He gives a first-hand perspective to your situation. All the best!