It’s ‘among the finest profession selections’

My commute would possibly look fairly uncommon to most individuals: I often catch a 7 a.m. flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco each Wednesday and fly dwelling each Friday evening — touring about 5 hours door-to-door every manner.

I by no means deliberate on becoming a supercommuter. However an sudden dialog become a job provide, and I discovered myself splitting my life between two cities.

I dwell in Los Angeles, however I lead gross sales and advertising and marketing as Head of GTM (go-to-market) on the AI startup daydream. Along with two flights, my weekly commute additionally consists of too many Ubers and extra 4:30 a.m. alarms than I care to depend.

A yr into my supercommute, although, I can say that what began out as exhausting — and actually a bit unhinged — become among the finest profession selections I’ve made.

Here is why I selected this path, and what I’ve realized from it.

The largest driver behind my choice was entry. San Francisco’s AI scene has a focus of builders, thinkers, and off-the-record conversations that Los Angeles simply couldn’t match.

It is simple to underestimate the ability of proximity nowadays, however being within the room adjustments the whole lot. You meet somebody at a panel, seize espresso after, and abruptly, you are a part of the dialog.

That is how I landed this function. I related with somebody in San Francisco over a shared curiosity in search engine marketing (website positioning), which is the method of adapting your web site to succeed in extra customers by means of search. Just a few chats later, they mentioned, “Is it loopy if we introduced you on?” I had no gross sales background, however I mentioned sure and figured it out as I went.

These sorts of doorways do not often open over Zoom. The final three roles I’ve landed all got here from face-to-face interactions. 

Being within the room helped me get my bearings and succeed as I pivoted to a brand new business and a brand new job perform. It meant I may remedy issues shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues, bounce concepts round in real-time, construct belief with shoppers, and increase group morale. That is exhausting to duplicate from a display screen. 

San Francisco supplied an opportunity to step into a much bigger function. At daydream, I lead all our go-to-market efforts. It is high-stakes, fast-paced work that pushes me to study continually.

However Los Angeles is dwelling. My household is right here. So are my closest buddies, some because the 2nd grade. It is the place I reset and really feel like myself once more, whether or not that is by means of dance courses, quiet walks, or just being round individuals who know me past my job title. 

It is also the place I run my private finance teaching enterprise, Doing Well, within the evenings and on weekends. I began it after constructing a cash administration system to beat my very own monetary nervousness, and now we assist others do the identical.

Juggling a enterprise and a full-time job is exhausting, and being in Los Angeles — close to my assist system and plenty of of my earliest shoppers — helps me keep grounded and motivated to maintain my side hustle going. 

I did not need to surrender what both metropolis needed to provide, so I selected each, although it meant dwelling out of a suitcase.

Regardless of the wins you would possibly see now, the primary few months had been exhausting. I left a secure job. I’ve cried in Ubers and eaten solo dinners on the workplace. And I bounced between short-term leases, typically in sketchy neighborhoods, to save cash.

Sometimes, daydream encourages folks to relocate. Since I made the selection to supercommute, the journey prices are on me. So I pay for each flight and lodge out of pocket, averaging round $450 per week. 

At first, I did not really feel grounded in both metropolis. I work remotely from Los Angeles on Mondays and Tuesdays, then in San Francisco Wednesday by means of Friday. Within the early months, I hadn’t constructed group in San Francisco but. And although I had deep roots in Los Angeles, the fixed journey made it exhausting to be totally current.

I began doing affirmations and reminding myself each morning why I used to be doing this: to degree up my profession and tackle larger obligations that push me to develop. Discomfort wasn’t an indication to give up. It was a part of the method. Finally, it turned proof that I used to be constructing my expertise, increasing my community, gaining confidence, and opening new doorways for myself.

A yr into this commute, issues are lastly clicking. I nonetheless pack luggage, hop flights, and juggle a number of tasks, however now it appears like momentum, not chaos. I’ve built deeper relationships, shined in my new function, and stayed related to the life I like in Los Angeles.

Some alternatives are earned that manner — by exhibiting up repeatedly, even when it means flying 5 hours to do it.

Janet Lee is the Head of GTM at daydream, an AI startup that helps corporations develop by constructing and managing their end-to-end natural progress engine, from website positioning to generative engine optimization (GEO). She additionally based Doing Well, a private finance firm that provides month-to-month teaching and bookkeeping to assist folks handle their cash, construct higher habits, and make knowledgeable monetary selections. She often shares private finance and profession insights on her socials @startdoingwell. Discover her on Linkedin.

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