I need help deciding whether to accept or decline this offer!

I've been offered a technical writing gig starting late next month for 1 year. The pay is good for 1099 work.
The problem is that I would have to live in a city 5 days a week that is a 2.5 hour drive away from my wife and 3 kids.
This means rent an apt. and be away from them except Saturday and Sunday.

My wife wants me to hold off signing the contract as long as possible thinking one of the other slim chance options I have locally will come through. Also, she started a job locally in Feb that she loves so there is NO option to move.

Other factors I have to consider:
I've been looking for full time or even temporary work since mid December. Unemployment ends in June unless they extend it. And that actually pays about 1/3 of this contract job anyway!
So, if I don't take this contract job I could be out of work for a LONG time......

Holy Crap! The job sounds like it would be great. But I'm not sure it would be worth the trade offs.

Any suggestions?

Is there any way that modern technology would let you do part of your work at home so that you only had to be in the city a few less day's?

I drive about 1 1/2 hours to my job everyday.

There is a possibility that after I get rolling I could work 4 10 hour days or even work from local home 1 or 2 days a week. They aren't putting that into the contract but I guess I could always make that part of the deal.

My only concern is...YOU!

I know you've been looking for a long time and I'm worried that if you turn the job down and another offer isn't presented to you in a long while you will start to feel down on yourself. That too will affect your family greatly.

Summer is quickly approaching is there any way your wife could arrange her schedule so that they could spend part of the week with you in the city. Kids love new experiance's.

My wife just got this new job at the kids Montessori School.
But....They are strictly a daycare center in the summer time.
That might work except that she is covering for a woman on maternity leave who doesnt return until mid august. So she has to close every day of the week. Which means the kids stay there with her till 6 instead of me picking them up at 3.
which, they would still have to do if I was working locally. Unless I had time that I could work at home.

If I don't take it and no other job comes along I don't think I'll get down on myself until we have to sell a car or the house!

I don't want to go that route......

also, I just checked the drive and it is 104 miles or 1.5 to 2 hours.
I suppose I could do that everyday. But my car has 146k miles on it.

95 miles of it would be at 65mph + :D and the rest is pretty easy.
I love driving and listening to self help CD's.......

I use my drive to work as meditation time. It's MY time. I listen to what I want you know all those song's with cuss word's and innuendo's lmbo that I can't listen to when the kid's are in the car.

I aslo use that time to focus on the job I'm about to perform. On the way home I focus on forgetting the job I just performed.

Were there's a will there is alway's a way.

I would sit down with your wife. List all the good's and bad's about taking the job.

List way's you can turn bad's into good's. Life is all about finding your way around the roadblocks.

I wish you the best of luck and will be keeping an eye out to see how thing's are going with you guy's.

Thanks! We are planning to go out to lunch today to celebrate my getting a 3 week gig that starts monday. We'll talk about it then.

I think it's workable even if I have to commute a few days a week. It's not like I sleep a lot of hours everyday when I'm home now. So, turning some of those hours over to commuting for money is not a terrible thing!
I'll keep you posted.

Thank you I appreciate it. Have a great lunch and give the wife kisses but not from me. lol

Update:

I've accepted the position and start Monday. I made the drive down there to take a tour of the place. It only took 90 minutes and that is no big deal. It takes 90 minutes or more to go to downtown Chicago no matter how you get there.

The place is very laid back and people centric. And the gig is for at least a year. It's actually very nice to not be scrambling all the time for short term contract work or looking for something long term.
And now I will have 3 hours a day of alone time guaranteed...who could argue with that?

Also, after taking the train into the city for my short term work, and meeting the peeps in this office, I'm not interested in making this one last any longer than its contracted end date.

Could you buy a trailer and put it in a summer trailer park half way to work then the money you save on fuel would give you a summer escape place where both you and your wife could cumute to each day in the good weather and then go home on the weekends for some rest and relaxation at home

Originally posted by Garry Lawton
Could you buy a trailer and put it in a summer trailer park half way to work then the money you save on fuel would give you a summer escape place where both you and your wife could cumute to each day in the good weather and then go home on the weekends for some rest and relaxation at home

That would be fun but we have 3 kids....and doing weekend getaways without the kids would be even more fun. But we don't have anyone to watch them....

I thought about renting a studio and not driving 3 nights a week.
It would be about the same cost as gas.........

Buying a trailer would also be the same cost as gas and when your done then you would own the trailer

and you wouldnt have to go home every night (Grin) but of coarse then you would really enjoy it when you do get to go home

Garry, I was actually thinking about buying one of those motorhomes and renting a space somewhere. Until my wife smacked me. (Just kidding, she didn't physically)

Before I do anything I'm going to drive there and back until the end of June and see how things are going. Hey, I may not like the job and have to find something else. Not that I'm easily bored or anything..... oh wait, what is my user name again? :D

That would be fun but we have 3 kids....and doing weekend getaways without the kids would be even more fun. But we don't have anyone to watch them....

:D

No really I don't expect you to send your kid's to me; but, Congratulation's I have a feeling this is only getting your feet wet. Show em all you got and make sure they are really happy with your work a good referance NEVER hurts.