Hello Mustachians!
A couple of years ago, I switched roles at my company. It was a fantastic move, allowing me to branch out into a new area, etc. etc. The only downside was that my lovely six mile commute turned into a 30-35 mile commute. Totally worthwhile tradeoff, as I was enhancing and adding to my skill set.
I got tired of the drive after a few months and looked into moving closer to work but for various reasons, that hasn't worked out (yay real estate market) and doesn't appear to be an option in the near future.
Now that I'm two years into the role, I've gotten most of what I wanted out of this role. Future roles would be in this location or another one equally far from home so I've come to the sad conclusion that it's time to leave this wonderful company. I've had a lot of amazing opportunities here but I cannot continue to spend so much of my time, energy, and money on this commute.
I've kicked off a job search for something within 10 miles of home, through contacting a recruiter and also applying directly for a few positions. I'm also toying with the possibility of starting my own business and doing some research on that front. Honestly, there's a lot more that can and should be done and I'll be ramping up as soon as I'm back from vacation :)
My question is this: at what point do I pull the plug on the current job?
I drive 70 miles per day to/from work. In the best case scenario, that's 1.5 hours per day at a minimum and at least one tank of gas at $45-50 in my lovely 33mpg+ car. So every month, I'm burning $200 in the gas tank and 30 hours on the road (ugh, makes me a little nauseous just to type that).
Conventional wisdom dictates waiting until the next job is lined up but really, anyone who follows MMM isn't worried about being conventional, right?
The unconventional option would be to put in my notice immediately and then focus full bore on a job search. I get a little nervous about that approach because all you hear is about how tough the job market is. There's also a higher probability that people at my current company will be upset or offended, since I'd be leaving for what they'd see as no reason. I think I can spin my way through that but it's still a concern.
FWIW, I have a nice little chunk of savings I can rely on for a year or so, which means I wouldn't be living on the street if I don't find a job immediately. However, it's scary to picture a scenario with no traditional income (i.e. paycheck).
So I turn to you, Mustachians, to help me through your wisdom. What should I do?