My Job Location is Changing

Some of you may know that I work as a Unix/Linux Systems Engineer for the LDS Church. On September 23rd 2008, it was announced that our entire department will be moved to a new location at 3740 West 13400 South in Riverton. This will change my commute from currently living 8.2 miles to my parking lot to living 34.5 miles from my parking lot. This move will likely begin sometime in Q1 or Q2 2009.

I've been thinking lately about the impact this will have on my quality of life. There are several ways this will impact me and my family. First, my time away from my family will increase. It takes me usually about 15 minutes to drive to and from work. That will increase by about 30 minutes. That's an extra hour away from my family every day.

Second, with gas prices at their current rates, I figure it will cost me an additional $3,000 per year for the extra miles added to my commute. Would you want to take a $3,000 hit to your pocketbook?

Third, if I were to relocate my family to the Riverton/Herriman area to mitigate the above two issues, it would mean drastic changes in friendships, church, doctors, schools, etc. for me and all my family members.

I believe everyone takes their commute into account in deciding whether to accept a certain employment offer. If any of the readers of my blog (both of you) have experienced a similar change not of your choosing, I'd be interested in your thoughts. It will be interesting to see how this impact to my life will affect my job satisfaction.