loky1179

We've had people fly halfway across the country to interview for a job that tops out at $60K a year. On their own dime. People will go to great lengths to find desirable employment.

wphamilton

I disagree. Sometimes the priority is to get that job first, whatever that takes, and then be willing to shake things up in your lifestyle if that becomes necessary. That probably depends on what a person's resources and opportunities are at the time. But sometimes challenges will seem insurmountable unless you focus on what needs to happen first, achieve that, and go on to the next. Getting a job without a car, and performing and advancing, depending on the job can fall into that category of challenges.

andr0id

While driving may not be an integral part of many jobs, there are times when I need to take visitors from other campuses or vendors to lunch or drive over to another campus to get a part that can't easily be transported on a bicycle. Having a decent car that is not full of trash is important for these occasions. While not being able to do these tasks may not get you fired, it becomes career limiting.

wolfchild

" how to limit your employment opportunities and stay happy working at boring low paying jobs "

I-Like-To-Bike

Don't know if I saw any tips on staying happy with such jobs. Presumably the joy comes from living the lifestyle.

Walter S

Or you can LCF and have an interesting job that pays a very decent wage. Like my job as a software developer. I could aspire to move into management and might find LCF limiting. The thing is, I enjoy my work and have strong technical skills to offer doing what I'm doing now. I don't want to manage people. Computers are easier to get along with and do exactly as instructed.

Mobile 155

I think concentrating on getting the job first is a good first step as long as you try to think like a chess move and plan for the next three moves. The woman in the op seems to demonstrate that in her ability to get a job and quickly overcome any restrictions car free might entail.

It was her willingness to follow the Nike tag line and just do it that interested me as much as anything else. She wasn't concerned with what others thought or with waiting till her mode of transportation became more acceptable she just did what she had to do to get the job done.

The he fact that she reached a point where she moved from car free doesn't surprise or disappoint me it simply shows that a successful person does whatever they have to do to achieve their goals. I like that kind of personal accomplishment.

Ekdog

Those who are bereft of values, yes. Some others, however, are driven by motives that go beyond filthy lucre.

I'm sure you do.

Walter S

The lack of dedication to living car free amazes me. She gave up being car free just so she could live indoors and have plenty to eat. Doesn't she know about wild camping and dumpster diving??

Mobile 155

Well there is the filthy lucre thing. �� Though she seemed to live a long time on a minimum of that. I was more impressed with her dedication rather than some personal crusade. But truthfully I found her story very compelling with a minimum of complaining about why she had to struggle and how one can, if they work at it, accomplish or achieve success in their life. Wild camping doesn't sound all that enjoyable when one is sleeping on a memory foam bed they have dreamed about for 32 years. �� At least I would rather sleep on one rather than the ground.��

I-Like-To-Bike

She must have been bereft of the right kind of values.

I-Like-To-Bike

Do you mean this kind of dedication? "Another winter I tried riding the half hour to work in zero degree weather and ended up with frostbite, which had permanent consequences. My hands now have such poor circulation that they turn blue and go numb when it’s below 65 degrees. They also go numb in grocery stores after handling produce."

Maybe she didn't have enough of that filthy lucre to buy the appropriate clothing for riding in zero degree weather.

Buffalo Buff

Which is why I put that bit in about driving jobs. You have to drive around at yours, of course you'll need a car.

Walter S

And the people that have a hard time grasping that have more problems than just being unemployed!

prathmann

Seems to me that it is precisely when applying for 'boring low paying jobs' that one is likely to be asked whether one has access to a reliable car. The subject never came up in any of my interviews for professional-level jobs, nor in those of my wife or daughter. It was always assumed that I'd show up at work when and where needed and that exactly how I did so was up to me. So the interviews dealt with professional training and job skills and how they related to the needs and plans of the company in question - not with whether I had a car (or for that matter, an alarm clock).

(Once hired I did on a couple occasions give some input on plans for new office layouts with the result that showers were installed at one location and some indoor bike racks at another - but that was very peripheral to my normal job duties.)

kickstart

There's personal responsibility, and social responsibility, they're subjective to a point, and not mutually exclusive. If someone is sacrificing one for the other, its because they've lost rational perspective.

The tell that one has gone too far one way, or the other is they constantly vilify a group or the majority. Unapologetic anger is another.

Machka 

The subject of "do you own a car?" has never come up in any of my job interviews.

1) Interviewers (potential employers) don't care if I own a car or not. Owning a car has never been a job requirement in any of the jobs I've applied for.

2) If it happens that I need to drive as part of my job, my employer will provide me with a vehicle. I wouldn't be expected to use my own unless I really wanted to.


I have also never been asked if I have access to reliable transportation. It is assumed that if I have applied for this particular job, I've done the research about what is required for that job, and can get myself to the job.

In one instance, I brought up the subject during the interview. The job was located 35 km out of town, so I asked about transportation options. Was there public transportation? No. If I cycled, would there be a place I could store my bicycle? Yes. In fact, several people cycled out there and it would be no problem finding a place to store my bicycle if I decided to do the same. I was also told that lots of people car-pooled and something could be arranged if I opted to go that route.


I have, however, been asked if I can legally drive ... that has been part of the job description on several occasions. And of course, I can.

Mobile 155

I am a bad one for cold and wet cycling. I will spend what ever filthy lucre I can earn on things to keep me warm. Add to that if I am not out in it when it turns cold or wet I tend to stay home. I have spent more filthy lucre to move from places that were cold and wet just to live where it is not.

auldgeunquers

I just returned to work after a stint as the stay-home parent as my little guy is off to school this year. I went through the interview, training, and hiring process commuting across town by bike. I work split shifts with 5 hours off in the middle of the day so I get to do my 8 mile round trip twice a day. There one other pretty dedicated bike commuter at work, and a couple of others in the fair weather only category. I think I have shown up for work twice - maybe three times - with a car - usually because of transport-of-my-children issues.

The bike was never an issue - in fact the local supervisor commented in passing once to the effect that he wished he could ride.

I must say though, that I wonder if there might not be a some sort of betting pool going on as to when I give up riding for the winter. They have already noted that the rain don't stop me.

Roody

I agree. If you do find being carfree is limiting the career you want to have, you will be intelligent enough to rethink it and decide wheter it's worthwhile to get a car. Mnay people have had successful careers without driving a car, while living in a small house in a middle class neighborhood. (Self-made billionaire Warren Buffet comes to mind, and there have been others.) But if the lack of a car is an obstacle, by all means obtain one. If, OTOH, you find car ownership to be an obstacle to the kind of life or career that yu want to have, by all means get rid of it.

I do assume that most people that post here would be looking for info on how, when, or why to become carfree. They don't come here to find out how, when, or why to buy a car. So I was hoping we could talk some more about overcoming obstacles when it comes to seeking a job without a car.

Ekdog

I'd rather be carfree and make less money. Being able to live without the bonds of automobile ownership is one of the best perks I can think of.

Roody

Same here, but it goes with my overall goal of having a simpler, less materialistic life. I'm not being smug, that's really what I've always wanted for myself, but I recognize that different people have different aspirations. When you get to be my ripe old age, you'll probably find yourself thinking about your life and how close you've come to getting what yu really wanted. Some people will be happy because they made a lot of money, others wil be content to have led a simple life. The part of my life that I talk about here is the carfree part, but there's more to it than just that.

TEHO & YMMV

Walter S

Presumably because you would not otherwise accept the job? Unfortunately many potential employers would see this differently. So they'll be hiring people other than you.

Walter S

I certainly agree with that. Comments I've made that seem out of sync with that are based on the idea that it all get faced with eyes open - don't gloss over difficulties or pretend they don't exist.

The fact is that owing a car is almost certainly not going to hurt your chances of finding a suitable job quickly. NOT owning a car will almost certainly create at least some challenges for finding a job quickly, as it also creates at least minor challenges in so many areas of life. That doesn't mean those challenges can't be overcome with a little dedication and possibly help from comments on this thread.

Borrowing or buying a car temporarily is one of the more promising opportunities I've seen. If you're not tied down to where you are, relocating to a great car-free area is an option. But if you've been caught 'down and out' without a car then coping with the issues gets more and more difficult.

Machka 

No ... I'm saying that's just the way it is: "If it happens that I need to drive as part of my job, my employer will provide me with a vehicle. I wouldn't be expected to use my own unless I really wanted to."

I've never been in a position where I've been expected to use my own vehicle. But I have been in a number of positions which have had a fleet of staff vehicles or which hire vehicles as necessary.

If it somehow happened that a position did want me to use my own vehicle, I would still accept the position, of course ... I have no issues with driving for a living ... but would insist on a reimbursement deal.



Oh wait ... there was one part-time job I had a long time ago which asked if I would be willing to use my own vehicle. They offered a really good reimbursement package. Some weeks I was paid more for the use of my vehicle than I was paid for the actual job.