Commuting to SA Forum

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone plan to commute to their SA? I'm contemplating commuting from northern Orange County to downtown LA. I'd like to save money by staying eith my parents but commuting could end up being a terrible idea.

[IAFG]

SAs are very undemanding. I knew a few people who had a bit of a commute for their SAs, and it worked out fine. The only issue would be evening social events, which might get you home rather late. How many minutes are you looking at?

[Anonymous User]

I'm not familiar with the geography there, so I'm not sure how long of a commute that is, but seems like 40-60 mins? I plan on doing a similar commute. I would wager that a lot of people (if not the majority) are commuting to their SAs. I guess some people might really value being able to walk to work or whatever, but it seems to me that in a place like NYC or LA, people will often live at least 20-30 mins away to save money on rent/not have to live among a mass of office buildings?

[J90]

I'm not familiar with the geography there, so I'm not sure how long of a commute that is, but seems like 40-60 mins? I plan on doing a similar commute. I would wager that a lot of people (if not the majority) are commuting to their SAs. I guess some people might really value being able to walk to work or whatever, but it seems to me that in a place like NYC or LA, people will often live at least 20-30 mins away to save money on rent/not have to live among a mass of office buildings?

As an LA resident, this drive can take much longer than an hour, depending on the time he leaves his house and again from work. It's taken me three and a half hours to reach Irvine from downtown LA on a Friday afternoon. The morning commute, especially coming from that far south on the 405/110 freeway, is not something I'd look forward to each morning.

That said, you would be saving money. Just be prepared to leave for work well before 7 in the morning and if you have the chance to stay near downtown for dinner/work/whatever else, that's not really a terrible situation. OP, would you take the 110 all the way up?

[Anonymous User]

To be safe, I would probably need to leave 2 hours before work starts every day. My parents are near the 22.

[bk1]

To be safe, I would probably need to leave 2 hours before work starts every day. My parents are near the 22.

4 hours a day sounds miserable. I commuted 1 hour+ each way before law school and much of that was on public transit. I can't imagine doing 4 hours a day in my car.

I'd probably just spring for a sublet close to your SA firm. Assuming it's within 30 mins, you're essentially saving yourself 3 hrs/day for 8-12 weeks. I think that would be worth the rent, but that's just me. I definitely think it's possible to do your 2 hour commute for the summer, but I value my time and comfort enough to choose paying for a closer place if I were in your shoes.

[Anonymous User]

7:22 here -- yeah, if it's 2 hours, I walk back what I said. I know LA has a different public transportation setup, but in NYC you can sometimes find cheap rooms/sublets in reasonable commuting distance. If your firm pays market it may not be that much of a hit.

[062914123]

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[Anonymous User]

I worked in LA over the summer, and commuted on Mondays and Fridays (and some other days) to and from Vegas. This commute is comparable, in number of hours, to your commute if you leave at the wrong time (I would leave at 5 and get in at 7:30-8). It was brutal and made some attorneys at the firm think I was hardcore. Others thought I was weird. It made doing Monday and Friday work harder, and caused some problems with firm activities. I would recommend that you just shell out the cash and get an apartment, because commuting will introduce a significant variable to either not getting an offer, or not getting off on the right foot. If you decision tree this, I'm sure that the insignificant amount you pay for a sublet won't be more that the gigantic future earnings hit you could take discounted to a five or so percent chance.

[062914123]

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[Shammis]

Depends on what you call Northern Orange County. If you mean Anaheim, Fullerton etc. then expect at least an hour each way, prob. more like 1:20 from Driveway to parking spot. From Long Beach it takes me about 1:15 during the morning commute to get to downtown. Hope this helps. I have to commute from Pasadena to the West Side this Summer...son of a bitch.

Edit: Near the 22, like Garden Grove? Yeah, that's a shit commute. If you have to be there at 9AM I'd leave at like 7:30/45 (gives ya enough time to grab a coffee on the way).

[Myself]

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[r6_philly]

I commuted about one hour each way last summer (driving, not NYC), and I plan to take the train to NYC this summer (2 hours each way). I can get some work done on the train, personal work or SA work if I have it. I would get home rather late for social events, but it's only 10 weeks. It works out to be quite a bit less than renting in Manhattan, and I will be force to do some work during the summer.

[Anonymous User]

I worked in LA over the summer, and commuted on Mondays and Fridays (and some other days) to and from Vegas. This commute is comparable, in number of hours, to your commute if you leave at the wrong time (I would leave at 5 and get in at 7:30-8). It was brutal and made some attorneys at the firm think I was hardcore. Others thought I was weird. It made doing Monday and Friday work harder, and caused some problems with firm activities. I would recommend that you just shell out the cash and get an apartment, because commuting will introduce a significant variable to either not getting an offer, or not getting off on the right foot. If you decision tree this, I'm sure that the insignificant amount you pay for a sublet won't be more that the gigantic future earnings hit you could take discounted to a five or so percent chance.

I'm sorry, am I reading this right? You commuted from LAS VEGAS to LOS ANGELES M - F?!?!?!?

Monday and Frida (commuted for the weekend), and some other days in between occasionally. Its not that bad-- like a 2.5 hour commute each way if you time it right.

[Anonymous User]

I worked in LA over the summer, and commuted on Mondays and Fridays (and some other days) to and from Vegas. This commute is comparable, in number of hours, to your commute if you leave at the wrong time (I would leave at 5 and get in at 7:30-8). It was brutal and made some attorneys at the firm think I was hardcore. Others thought I was weird. It made doing Monday and Friday work harder, and caused some problems with firm activities. I would recommend that you just shell out the cash and get an apartment, because commuting will introduce a significant variable to either not getting an offer, or not getting off on the right foot. If you decision tree this, I'm sure that the insignificant amount you pay for a sublet won't be more that the gigantic future earnings hit you could take discounted to a five or so percent chance.

I'm sorry, am I reading this right? You commuted from LAS VEGAS to LOS ANGELES M - F?!?!?!?

Monday and Frida (commuted for the weekend), and some other days in between occasionally. Its not that bad-- like a 2.5 hour commute each way if you time it right.

Jesus Christ. Only in Los Angeles.

Also, Google Maps says it's a four-hour drive without traffic from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. So 2.5 hours seems unlikely.

[062914123]

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[drmguy]

I worked in LA over the summer, and commuted on Mondays and Fridays (and some other days) to and from Vegas. This commute is comparable, in number of hours, to your commute if you leave at the wrong time (I would leave at 5 and get in at 7:30-8). It was brutal and made some attorneys at the firm think I was hardcore. Others thought I was weird. It made doing Monday and Friday work harder, and caused some problems with firm activities. I would recommend that you just shell out the cash and get an apartment, because commuting will introduce a significant variable to either not getting an offer, or not getting off on the right foot. If you decision tree this, I'm sure that the insignificant amount you pay for a sublet won't be more that the gigantic future earnings hit you could take discounted to a five or so percent chance.

I'm sorry, am I reading this right? You commuted from LAS VEGAS to LOS ANGELES M - F?!?!?!?

Monday and Frida (commuted for the weekend), and some other days in between occasionally. Its not that bad-- like a 2.5 hour commute each way if you time it right.

260 miles vs. 40 miles
Did you average 110 miles per hour?

[Anonymous User]

Jesus Christ. Only in Los Angeles.

Also, Google Maps says it's a four-hour drive without traffic from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. So 2.5 hours seems unlikely.

Oops, sorry for the reading fail. But still, holy shit. How are you making it in under 4 hours? That's the fastest I've ever made that drive and I was driving like a maniac.

I've definitely done it in under 3 hours but that was like at 3 am...

Its 265 miles, to make it in 2.5 hours he'd have to be going 100 the whole way which is possible but not something I would do every weekend and think that the odds of getting my license suspended weren't going to catch up on me eventually... If you've ever done that drive you'd know that if there is no traffic it is just one very long very straight shot through the desert.

Even doing it in under 3 is a bit of a stretch as your going around 90 the whole way.

[Anonymous User]

I worked in LA over the summer, and commuted on Mondays and Fridays (and some other days) to and from Vegas. This commute is comparable, in number of hours, to your commute if you leave at the wrong time (I would leave at 5 and get in at 7:30-8). It was brutal and made some attorneys at the firm think I was hardcore. Others thought I was weird. It made doing Monday and Friday work harder, and caused some problems with firm activities. I would recommend that you just shell out the cash and get an apartment, because commuting will introduce a significant variable to either not getting an offer, or not getting off on the right foot. If you decision tree this, I'm sure that the insignificant amount you pay for a sublet won't be more that the gigantic future earnings hit you could take discounted to a five or so percent chance.

I'm sorry, am I reading this right? You commuted from LAS VEGAS to LOS ANGELES M - F?!?!?!?

Monday and Frida (commuted for the weekend), and some other days in between occasionally. Its not that bad-- like a 2.5 hour commute each way if you time it right.

Jesus Christ. Only in Los Angeles.

Also, Google Maps says it's a four-hour drive without traffic from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. So 2.5 hours seems unlikely.

Don't want to out myself (only one of a few big firm offices in this area)-- but my commute was 260 miles. I would wake up right off the '15, and usually hit about 3 hours. My fastest was 2.5. You basically need to average 95 or so through the desert (there are like three or so CHP spots and you can spot these pretty easily). If you are ballsy, take this route instead: http://[link redacted]/maps/hGQ2c. The stretch through Mohave Preserve and on Amboy Road along the Air Force missile range lets you go basically as fast as your car can go safely (probably 125 for any normally equipped car)-- but you'll probably hit traffic along the way in Palm Springs or San Bernadino that turns it into a 3.5 or 4 hour trip.

[Anonymous User]

I generally tell people not to live on the westside if they're working downtown, so commuting from Garden Grove strikes me as total madness. Just get a cheap sublet in Koreatown/Silver Lake/Mid-Wilshire, IMO.

[eastcoast_iub]

I am facing a similar situation with about an hour/hour and 15 commute if I live with my parents. I commuted an hour and a half each way last year (for a gov't job, not SA) and it was horrendous in retrospect.

My SA market is not as expensive as NY or LA, but I think it's foolish to do a long commute each day considering the stakes. Even if you can handle the time aspect of it, the mental toll of a stressful commute is going to impact your work product. It's not worth it. I would suck it up and cough up the rent $$.

[Anonymous User]

OP here:

My main concern is getting no offered because of being late. I enjoyed driving ~2.5 hours per day during my last 2 years of undergrad. I got to relax and listen to NPR/audio books. I don't get stressed while driving.

[NYstate]

OP here:

My main concern is getting no offered because of being late. I enjoyed driving ~2.5 hours per day during my last 2 years of undergrad. I got to relax and listen to NPR/audio books. I don't get stressed while driving.

You are going to take a chance of being late to your summer job? I'm just wondering: where in your brain does this make sense? This summer job is possibly the most important job of your career.

[eastcoast_iub]

OP here:

My main concern is getting no offered because of being late. I enjoyed driving ~2.5 hours per day during my last 2 years of undergrad. I got to relax and listen to NPR/audio books. I don't get stressed while driving.

You are a greater man than I if you find SoCal traffic relaxing. I would also consider the increased DUI risk. One too many drinks at a firm event and the cops catch you slipping on the way home, you're finished.

[Pokemon]

If you plan on commuting for two hours during your summer SA, then you are being cheap. Additionally, it might also be stupid. The last thing you want is to give a bad impression, and the longer a commute, the more unpredictable it becomes in terms of time, thus more likely that you will be late at some point.