This ‘super-commuter’ travels five hours to work: “One of the best career decisions I’ve made”
In an interview with CNBC, a sales and marketing manager says embarking on a long-distance commute to work has been worth it.
Janet Lee, a sales and marketing manager at a tech startup in San Francisco, has described her decision to join the U.S.’s growing ranks of ‘super-commuters’ as “one of the best career decisions I’ve made.”
Every week, Lee completes a five-hour door-to-door commute to her office at the artificial-intelligence firm Daydream, she revealed in a recent interview with CNBC.
She then spends the next three days living and working in San Francisco, before making the return journey to her home, nearly 400 miles away in Los Angeles.
“More 4:30 a.m. alarms than I care to count”
“My commute might look pretty unusual to most people,” Lee tells CNBC. “I usually catch a 7 a.m. flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco every Wednesday and fly home every Friday night [...]. In addition to two flights, my weekly commute also consists of too many Ubers and more 4:30 a.m. alarms than I care to count.”
“Being in the room changes everything”
Lee, who works remotely on Monday and Tuesday, says she isn’t willing to give up her life with her friends and family at home in L.A.: “It’s where I reset and feel like myself again.”
However, she explains that success in her job is also dependent on being physically present for at least part of the week.
“San Francisco’s AI scene has a concentration of builders, thinkers, and off-the-record conversations that Los Angeles just could not match,” she says.
“It’s easy to underestimate the power of proximity these days, but being in the room changes everything. You meet someone at a panel, grab coffee after, and suddenly, you’re part of the conversation.”
Super-commuting has been far from straightforward, Lee acknowledges, noting that she has “bounced between short-term rentals [in San Francisco], often in sketchy neighborhoods, to save money.”
But a year into this arrangement, she declares: “Now it feels like momentum, not chaos. I’ve built deeper relationships, shined in my new role, and stayed connected to the life I love in Los Angeles.”
Super-commuting increasing post-covid
According to researchers at Stanford University, super-commuting is a phenomenon that’s on the up in the U.S.
In a June 2024 study, Stanford’s Nick Bloom and Alex Finan estimated that the number of super-commuters in America - defined as workers with a one-way commute of over 75 miles - has risen by 32% in the post-pandemic period.
“I enjoy my job and my home”
A story similar to that told by Lee is the experience of Steve Kass, a Chicago man who commutes over 400 miles to Nashville as CEO of the talent-solutions company Vaco Holdings.
Writing in the business magazine Fast Company, Kass echoes Lee’s unwillingness to trade roots for career advancement. “I enjoy my job and my home - even though they’re in different cities,” he says.
Kass, who typically flies from Illinois to Nashville every Sunday, before spending the working week in Tennessee, says he has successfully super-commuted for eight years.
He admits, though, that “balancing super commuting with family life is hard”, particularly if you have children.
“When my kids were young, I made it a priority to be present for major milestones - birthdays, sports, theater performances,” Kass says. “Sometimes that meant flying home on Wednesday, back on the plane Thursday, and home again Friday. Logistically, it gets complicated sometimes, but I just make it work.”
If you’re considering super-commuting, Kass says, there are a number of factors you should consider first.
Before embarking on a constantly-on-the-go schedule - filled with early starts and long days as you juggle your responsibilities in your home and work locations - ask yourself:
- Do you mind having less downtime?
- Will your sleep patterns suffer excessively?
- Are you physically in shape for the travel demands?
- Does super-commuting make financial sense?
- Do you love your job enough to lead this lifestyle?
- Will you be able to you sustain it?
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