The day before I started a new job I voted for commute, which turned out to be the right vote. My estimated 3 hour daily commute became a hypothetical 4 hour, a temporary 5 hour, and a grueling 5.5 hour daily commute in the 2 days I made it to work. The first day I didn't even go to work because there was supposed to be a train strike, which instead took place after I quit.

The first day's commute took 5 hours. I figured I'd be able to trim that down once I got used to the route. The second day seemed to confirm that theory. I made it to the office in 2 hours and estimated the return trip would take the same time. There didn't seem to be much room for optimization beyond that as I hadn't missed any connections nor spent a lot of time waiting. Some waiting was of course inevitable in a commute consisting of walk, metro, train-with-levitating-room-only, train, and walk.

I was seriously considering looking for another job by the time I squeezed in to the train on the way home. By the time I got off that train I was certain.

The crowded train ride should have been a short trip from SW Amsterdam to SE Amsterdam. Shortly after the stop before mine, my ticket was checked without comment. I was wondering why it was taking so long when the train rushed through a station without stopping--a station NE of Amsterdam. When it passed through Hilversum as well without even slowing down, I started to worry. Finally the train did stop at Amersfoort, which is about 50 km past the stop I wanted (Duivendrecht).

I got home around 21:30, still wondering how I could have gotten on the wrong train because I was certain the sign had listed a stop at Duivendrecht. According to the train company's website, the engineer, not I, had been on the wrong train. There's no escaping solidarity, so I quit (by email, as there was a strike the next day).