[Peter]

Mariposa resident Dave Givens makes a 186-mile drive -- each way -- five days a week to his job in San Jose.

The electrical engineer has been doing that commute since 1989, spending seven hours every day getting to and from work at Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO).

Givens is the "ultimate road warrior," according to Midas Inc. (NYSE:MDS) and drove home with its first-place prize in the nationwide search for "America's Longest Commute." Givens out-drove thousands of other entrants to take home $10,000 in gas money and a range of maintenance services and products.

"I have a great job and my family loves the ranch where we live," Givens said. "So this is the only solution."

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/san...0/daily41.html


What a freaking moron. Think of the 'gas' hes wasting if nothing else

[Landos Mustache]

Ya he doesn't sound that bright.

[Dakar]

Think of the amount of Life he's wasting.

[nredman]

my family loves the ranch, but i am never there because i drive and work all day long...that guy needs a kick in the nuts

[brassplayersrock²]

he's a family man that loves his family. he could of forced them to move from a place they love living to make the drive shorter but he didn't. give the guy a break, he's doing what he thinks is right. if the love of his family is worth the drive than so be it, i'd do it too if it meant my family living in a great place.

[Railroader]

Some people can't afford to live near where they work. Or have other commitments. Therefore they have long commutes.

I will have a 113 mile commute to school this Fall. I can't see forcing my wife to look for a new job, selling our house,and moving away from our family, just so I can go to school for 1 1/2 years.

[rickey939]

Don't tell me...he drives a Hummer, right? Right??!!!

[NYCFarmboy]

Originally Posted by Peter

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/san...0/daily41.html


What a freaking moron. Think of the 'gas' hes wasting if nothing else

why would you care?

He's making a choice to put his family first, while still maintaining a great job.

7 hours a day is a long time but there are more than a few people in NYC commute at least 3-4 hours a day back & forth just to work here but choose not to live here etc.

[ghporter]

My mom used to drive 50 miles each way-but that's because her company moved farther away and there was a serious mutual admiration between them. Commuting in Silicon Valley is stupid crazy insane bad. This particular case is just one of a zillion.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock

he's a family man that loves his family. he could of forced them to move from a place they love living to make the drive shorter but he didn't. give the guy a break, he's doing what he thinks is right. if the love of his family is worth the drive than so be it, i'd do it too if it meant my family living in a great place.

If i really loved my family, I'd find a way that I wasn't spending 7 hours a day driving rather than with them, even if it meant a pay-cut or a move.

Originally Posted by Railroader

Some people can't afford to live near where they work. Or have other commitments. Therefore they have long commutes.

I will have a 113 mile commute to school this Fall. I can't see forcing my wife to look for a new job, selling our house,and moving away from our family, just so I can go to school for 1 1/2 years.

1 1/2 years ≠ 17 years
Not by a long shot.

[voodoo]

Seven hours commuting, at least 8 hours at work, one hour with the family, eight hours sleeping.

Yikes.

V

[Dork.]

Something tells me that after 17 years of working as an engineer for Cisco (working straight through the dot-com boom as well!), he's pulling in quite a bit of dough. His ranch likely costs much less than a 900 sq. ft. shack in San Jose would cost. Even with having to get gas every other day, he's probably in a much better financial position than most people living there, and is lining himself up for an early retirement.

Although, you'd think Cisco would have a VPN set up so he could telecommute for a day or two every week. Don't they make VPN's?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by NYCFarmboy

why would you care?

Welcome to the UK, where the national sport is poking your nose into everyone else's business.

[Doofy]

Oh. And... 186 miles? That'd only be an hour's commute each way if it wasn't for the stupid commie speed limits.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Oh. And... 186 miles? That'd only be an hour's commute each way if it wasn't for the stupid commie speed limits.

Yeah lots of cars do 186 mph...

[Mastrap]

If he's been at Cisco for 17 years he's very likely to be very well off. Cisco was one of our clients before the dotcom bust and every single person I worked with had shares in the company. Even after the bust, if you weren't stupid and panic sold, he is very likely to be comfortable at the very least.

I suspect that he works from home whenever he can. Cisco encourages the use of technology so people can work from home or on the road.

[angelmb]

You know Mariposa ( he is a Mariposa resident) is spanish for butterfly… has to be that.

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

I suspect that he works from home whenever he can. Cisco encourages the use of technology so people can work from home or on the road.

Dave Givens makes a 186-mile drive -- each way -- five days a week to his job in San Jose.

Of course, this could be creative license on the part of the journalist.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock

he's a family man that loves his family. he could of forced them to move from a place they love living to make the drive shorter but he didn't. give the guy a break, he's doing what he thinks is right. if the love of his family is worth the drive than so be it, i'd do it too if it meant my family living in a great place.

Kids need parents more than they need a nice house or a few acres.

[turtle777]

"This is the only solution"

Bullshit, can't be.

How about working 12 hrs per day for 3 days, and the rest per VPN.
Can't believe that wouldn't be possible.

-t

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Oh. And... 186 miles? That'd only be an hour's commute each way if it wasn't for the stupid commie speed limits.

A guy from England, of all places.

They give you tickets if your AVERAGE travel speed on highway sections is over speed limit. Your number plate is scanned, and then rescanned a couple of miles down the road. Your avg. speed limit calculated, and the speeding ticket automatically generated. So who's in commie land ?

-t

[davesimondotcom]

I'd be looking into buying a helicopter and getting lessons on how to fly it.

That, and telecommuting.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Dakar

1 1/2 years ≠ 17 years
Not by a long shot.

Sometimes 1.5 years can become 17 years. You get in a routine and it's hard to get out of sometimes.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock

he's a family man that loves his family. he could of forced them to move from a place they love living to make the drive shorter but he didn't. give the guy a break, he's doing what he thinks is right. if the love of his family is worth the drive than so be it, i'd do it too if it meant my family living in a great place.

The point is with that much driving each day he couldn't see his family for more than a few minutes each day.

My dad was in the same position once. He had to commute 100k each way to work everyday. He didn't want to move there because he absolutely hated the suburbs.

In winter the drive could take 2 hours one way. In the end he just got another job.

[Dakar]

A. You're going to school, not a job, big difference.
B. Hehe, if you can't get out of that routine you deserve to waste your life away like that.

[Peter]

Originally Posted by NYCFarmboy

why would you care?

He's making a choice to put his family first, while still maintaining a great job.

7 hours a day is a long time but there are more than a few people in NYC commute at least 3-4 hours a day back & forth just to work here but choose not to live here etc.

i dont care really, just find the story ridiculous. Putting his family first... by barely seeing them?
Right.

[Dakar]

Bingo. Methinks he may not mind being away from home.

Is it not uncommon for men to work longer job hours when they are in unhappy marriages?

[olePigeon]

The guy could save some gas if he would take the train. My dad also works at Cisco and lives in Livermore, he takes the AmTrak into work wich stops directly in front of Cisco. Not only that, but the train has free Wireless internet access. Plus, since you're not driving, you can use the hours to do work, sleep, or whatever.

[mindwaves]

This guy is an idiot. He should either move or find another job if he really cares about his family.

[Eug Wanker]

I did a 2.5 hour each way commute (5 hours total) for a few days at school once, because I had nowhere to stay and I was still packing for a move, etc.

By the end of it, after each day of 2.5 hours to school --> 8 hours at school --> 2.5 hours back, I was about to go insane. It was only 3 days I think (or maybe just even 2), but it sucked royally. If I had to do this for a month, I'd kill someone.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Dakar

A. You're going to school, not a job, big difference.
B. Hehe, if you can't get out of that routine you deserve to waste your life away like that.

a. What happens if I am offered an awesome job opportunity that is impossible to turn down? Do I make my family move away from loved ones, friends, and their Church? What if my wife is taking care of a family member who can't make the move?

B. I wish people weren't so bitter. What immediately makes you think it's a waste? I'd call it sacrifice.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by Railroader

a. What happens if I am offered an awesome job opportunity that is impossible to turn down? Do I make my family move away from loved ones, friends, and their Church? What if my wife is taking care of a family member who can't make the move?

B. I wish people weren't so bitter. What immediately makes you think it's a waste? I'd call it sacrifice.

Money < Time
He can pretty much take whatever salary he's making and cut in half since he's spending almost another third of his day traveling.

Bad sacrifice = waste
He's not only sacrificing his own time, but he's sacrificing time from his marriage and children. Let's say he sleeps only 6 hours a night. That leaves him 3 hours per day with his family, IF they're always home when he is.

It's perfectly acceptable to me if someone likes they're job more than they're family, but if that's the case, you can't pretend you're doing it for them. You're doing it for yourself, and that's not a sacrifice.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

A guy from England, of all places.

They give you tickets if your AVERAGE travel speed on highway sections is over speed limit. Your number plate is scanned, and then rescanned a couple of miles down the road. Your avg. speed limit calculated, and the speeding ticket automatically generated.

I know, I know.
That's why I avoid A roads and motorways.

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

So who's in commie land ?

Everyone who lives anywhere which has speed limits. Including me.

[Doofy]

Oh... ...and all you guys who think this bloke is a moron for having a long commute...

...likewise, I think you're all morons for having a longer commute than I have. Which is about a 30 second walk.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Oh... ...and all you guys who think this bloke is a moron for having a long commute...

...likewise, I think you're all morons for having a longer commute than I have. Which is about a 30 second walk.

Some might call you a moron for making yourself that available to work

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Some might call you a moron for making yourself that available to work

I'm the boss. I'm not available to work - work is available to me.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Everyone who lives anywhere which has speed limits.

Ha. Good old Germany is one of the few free, non-commie countries out there

-t

[meelk]

he spends 70 full 24 hour days a year commuting, he is an idiot, theres no getting around it.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Ha. Good old Germany is one of the few free, non-commie countries out there

-t

There's no speed limit anywhere in Germany? I did not know that. /SARCASM]

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Dakar

Money < Time
He can pretty much take whatever salary he's making and cut in half since he's spending almost another third of his day traveling.

Bad sacrifice = waste
He's not only sacrificing his own time, but he's sacrificing time from his marriage and children. Let's say he sleeps only 6 hours a night. That leaves him 3 hours per day with his family, IF they're always home when he is.

It's perfectly acceptable to me if someone likes they're job more than they're family, but if that's the case, you can't pretend you're doing it for them. You're doing it for yourself, and that's not a sacrifice.

What if he loves his job and his family? Perhaps he owns some livestock and hundreds of acres of land that he loves and couldn't buy anywhere else. Perhaps his wife has a job in the opposite direction that she loves as well.

It's amazing how quick people are to judge from very little information provided.

And in regards to the time away from home comments; what do you guys think about men in the Navy or military that must spend HUGE amounts of time away from home? Or fishermen? Or firefighters? Or politicians?

It is sacrifice.

[meelk]

Originally Posted by Railroader

What if he loves his job and his family? Perhaps he owns some livestock and hundreds of acres of land that he loves and couldn't buy anywhere else. Perhaps his wife has a job in the opposite direction that she loves as well.

It's amazing how quick people are to judge from very little information provided.

And in regards to the time away from home comments; what do you guys think about men in the Navy or military that must spend HUGE amounts of time away from home? Or fishermen? Or firefighters? Or politicians?

It is sacrifice.

Sacrifice. lol. More like stupidity. If his family/wife loved him back they wouldnt accept him having to make that "sacrifice".

[jebjeb]

At least this guy gets to see his family everyday. I have worked with a number of guys who will fly down from up north on a Monday morning, stay in a hotel for four nights and then fly back on a Friday evening. One guy (who happened to be one of my best mates at work) calculated that he spent more nights in his hotel room (and I mean HIS hotel room as they always gave him the same room as he was in it four nights a week) over a 3 year period than he had at home and that includes holidays and breaks.

Now I for one would never do this sort of thing but he and his wife made the decision that if they wanted to make the money to help set them up in the future, then he needed to have the work down here in London which bought in the big bucks. Once he gained more experience then he could start having more a choice of locations for work. He has started to spend much more time at home now as those few years really set them up. Of course he missed a whole lot time of his youngest childs first 18 months as he was hardly around.

I realise that doing this for 17 years might be a little different though.

Now this guy might be crazy for doing such a huge commute but did you think that maybe he was doing this so he could enjoy his career but also keep his family happy in the area they want to be?

I am not so career driven but I can understand people like this. He obviously loves his job but also loves where he lives. This solution means he can do all that and at least see his family every single day rather than only at weekends.

One other thing. How (in respect to spending time with his family) is this any different to the large numbers of people who do 12 days every day of the working week (plus maybe the odd weekend day)? I am only guessing, but one would hope he is only doing a "normal" day of around 8 hours which would make (if his day was that long) the door to door day for him 15 hours. I am sure that many people would not be so vehemently against a guy who had a 90 minute each way commute and worked a 12 hour day yet it works out the same.

Now I am going to go to bed and get ready for my 15 minute commute (walk) to my 8 hour a day job

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by Railroader

And in regards to the time away from home comments; what do you guys think about men in the Navy or military that must spend HUGE amounts of time away from home? Or fishermen? Or firefighters? Or politicians?

Spot on, mate. What about the guys that are away for weeks or months at a time and they come back and their kids hardly recognise them?

At least he is making an effort to bring some sort of balance.

[meelk]

Originally Posted by jebjeb

Spot on, mate. What about the guys that are away for weeks or months at a time and they come back and their kids hardly recognise them?

At least he is making an effort to bring some sort of balance.

actually no. its nothing alike. this idiot is driving 7 hours a day. when people in the military go on assignment they go to a place and do their jobs. He is losing 7 hours just getting to from his job AND having to do his job while hes there.
how many of you talking about the armed forces actually had a mother or father who had to spend any time away?
My father did, and it was nothing like this. Being gone a few months here or there, or even on active duty in some place like Iraq for a few YEARS is NOTHING like barely seeing your family every week since 1989.

[TailsToo]

I used to commute 68 miles each way when I lived in South Florida... it was only for 5 months, though.

[Cadaver]

It does seem silly to drive that far & back every day, but if it works for him (them), why should we make such a big deal about it?

To each his own.

I spent a year driving 50 miles each way for work about 6 years ago before we were able to move.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by meelk

actually no. its nothing alike. this idiot is driving 7 hours a day. when people in the military go on assignment they go to a place and do their jobs. He is losing 7 hours just getting to from his job AND having to do his job while hes there.
how many of you talking about the armed forces actually had a mother or father who had to spend any time away?
My father did, and it was nothing like this. Being gone a few months here or there, or even on active duty in some place like Iraq for a few YEARS is NOTHING like barely seeing your family every week since 1989.

Last time I checked -
People that work for Cisco get paid WAY more than military guys (except maybe the top brass)
People that work for Cisco don't have a daily chance of getting shot or blown up -and that's just in training
People that work for Cisco can quit if they decide that their family is more important than their work
People that work for Cisco don't work minimum 12 hour days 6 days a week without extra compensation (on top of their industry-normed pay)
And that's all assuming the military guy is performing his duties at his home station and not at some deployed location (6-15 months at a time) where he MAY get a 15 minute phone call home once a week at some crazy-weird hour of the day/night.
Etc., etc., etc.

Not knocking you at all, just pointing out that the difference between commuting 7 hours a day and the military is MUCH more than you think.

[meelk]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Last time I checked -
People that work for Cisco get paid WAY more than military guys (except maybe the top brass)
People that work for Cisco don't have a daily chance of getting shot or blown up -and that's just in training
People that work for Cisco can quit if they decide that their family is more important than their work
People that work for Cisco don't work minimum 12 hour days 6 days a week without extra compensation (on top of their industry-normed pay)
And that's all assuming the military guy is performing his duties at his home station and not at some deployed location (6-15 months at a time) where he MAY get a 15 minute phone call home once a week at some crazy-weird hour of the day/night.
Etc., etc., etc.

Not knocking you at all, just pointing out that the difference between commuting 7 hours a day and the military is MUCH more than you think.

ahah. my father was air force for 20 years. due to his job we were also stationed with the army at times.
Do you have any personal experience, or are you just talking out your ass?

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by meelk

ahah. my father was air force for 20 years. due to his job we were also stationed with the army at times.
Do you have any personal experience, or are you just talking out your ass?

23 years, three months 24 days active duty. Two years reserve service too.

I do have a bit of experience, from being a low-level Airman to being a Senior NCO who had to choose who went to the desert and who didn't. I served with Army, Navy and Marines, as well. I recall the Marines marching out of the jungle in Panama to be told they had their choice of tents; their response was a resounding "Tents?! YES!!!!" Frankly, there were many times I felt like packing it in, but I felt at the same time that they'd get someone less capable to do my job, and that would let my troops down.

I have indeed talked out my ass on more than one occasion. But not this time.

[macaddict0001]

If it was me I would buy a kawasaki and turn that 7 hour commute into a one hour commute.