Job Quandry

[keithie]

I'm stuck and don't know what to do so I thought I'd write it out. Chime in if you have an opinion that you think would be helpful. Please.

The Salient facts are these:

• I am unemployed.
• My job got blowed up when DHS gave the RKB website we used to run to SAIC.
• SAIC has no idea what the heck they're doing. (OK, maybe not "nothing", but in my "interview" they asked me process questions like how we trained new people to get them up to speed.)
• I thought I would like to help them get ramped up even though the way in which the contract dispute was handled will make working there difficult.
• SAIC is running the website from Abingdon, MD.
• This would be a 150 mile round trip commute that would mean a total of 1.5 - 2.5 hours of driving every day through rush hour traffic around Washington DC and straight through Baltimore, MD.
  

The problem:

• SAIC offered me a job
  • They offered me an "hourly" position through a temp agency that would get me started sooner
  • There would be no health insurance so I would have to keep paying for my own COBRA coverage at over $400 a month. (That's $20 per work day.)
  • I used to make $X where I had only a 15 minute commute.
  • They're only offering me 1.06 $X for a position where I'll be expected to spend 12 hours a day to get paid for 8.
    *** EDIT ***As I typed that I just realized that a job I don't even want that much anyway would take up half of each day.

Reasons against:

1. It's a L - O - N - G drive to do everyday.
2. I don't have a car, just a motorcycle, so this commute will completely suck as it gets colder, rains, etc.
3. Counting tolls and gas it will cost me over 20 dollars cash every day just to drive to work.
4. Figuring in maintenance, tires, gas, and wear & tear at the government milage rate it would be $90.75 (including the $4 tolls) EVERY DAY.
5. I will literally be spending almost 50% more time dedicated to work every day and making less money. Not just less per hour counting my commute, but actually less money after I pay my gas bill and my insurance bill.
6. If I don't like it or can't keep doing the drive I will have lost any chance at having unemployment to fall back on for a while.

Reasons for:

1. On the one hand, this is a useful website that is very helpful to emergency responders. With my contacts, relationships, experience, and the files on my computer I would be a tremendous resource for them and therefore for cops, EMTs and firefighters across the country.
2. Since it's hourly I would have some ability to change my hours in order to take other job interviews.
3. It would be a job and get me out of the house.
4. I would at least have a job.
5. The money I would make is still more than twice as much as unemployment would be even after counting in the insurance and travel expenses.
6. Ultimately I sort of feel like it would be irresponsible not to take it.
   *** EDIT *** Or at least I was feeling like it would be irresponsible before I wrote this out. Now I don't know.