Much as I appreciate not having to commute in 9-5 every day at this point (and am mostly retired anyway), I think I'd pretty much have hated just working from home fresh out of school.
That's one reason the in office vs remote debate is challenging. Working in person with others can be beneficial some times for collaboration and socialization but if it requires a dangerous and environmentally devastating car based commute then those benefits are negated. We shouldn't have to commute long distances in cars to get to the office but most communities are designed in a way that makes it impossible to live close to work.
I wouldn't mind working in the office if it meant walking 15 minutes down the street in the morning but around here I would have to make 4x what I make to live near the office and even then it would be a commute because the offices are sequestered in these maze like office parks with no sidewalks.
So on days I'm in the office it's a choice between a 30 minute drive with terrifyingly bad drivers focused on their cell phones while careening around at 80mph or a peaceful but much longer train ride followed by a 20 minute walk crossing streets with those same dangerous drivers.
I guess it's yet another thing where the root problem is the design of our communities.
>I guess it's yet another thing where the root problem is the design of our communities.
Well, I like living in the country and that means working in the city would be a 1 hour+ commute--whether by train or car.
Funnily enough, I actually lived almost next door to where I worked for about ten years near a suburban office park but people I knew would either perform scary manoeuvres to pick me up on the way into the office or I'd want my car to run a lunchtime errand or go somewhere after work so I didn't walk even though it was only 5-10 minutes.
I wouldn't mind working in the office if it meant walking 15 minutes down the street in the morning but around here I would have to make 4x what I make to live near the office and even then it would be a commute because the offices are sequestered in these maze like office parks with no sidewalks.
So on days I'm in the office it's a choice between a 30 minute drive with terrifyingly bad drivers focused on their cell phones while careening around at 80mph or a peaceful but much longer train ride followed by a 20 minute walk crossing streets with those same dangerous drivers.
I guess it's yet another thing where the root problem is the design of our communities.