亲爱的安妮：在过去的几年里，我从小镇到城区的办公室上班，每天单程要花近两个小时。当初接受这份工作时，我还没有意识到路程这么长——当然，糟糕的交通状况是罪魁祸首。我热爱这份工作，但是每天在通勤上消耗大量的精力却让我吃了不少苦头（头痛、背痛、失眠）。可是我当初在镇上买房子的时候正值房地产市场的高峰期，现在的房价已经远低于当时，所以我又不能搬到城区。

    我想在住所附近找一份工作，但是有两个问题：第一，听起来有点荒唐，但是我在小镇上的确没什么认识的人，因为一天中除了睡觉的时间，我不是在车上，就是在办公室（或健身房），我绝大部分的活动都是在市区里。第二，这附近也没有理想的大公司，所以没有明显的求职目标。您有什么好的建议吗？——疲倦的赶路人

    亲爱的R.W.：您没有提到具体位置，但愿您不是在洛杉矶。德州农工大学（Texas A&M University）本周早些时候公布的一项研究显示，全美国最拥堵的七条道路有六条位于洛杉矶市内或周边。

    这份报告中所提到最糟糕的一条路位于“道奇体育场（Dodger Stadium）附近向北约3英里长的110公路”，通勤的上班族每年堵在这条路上的时间长达140万小时，而所耗费的汽油多达210万加仑。

    当然，大多数通勤路线的状况并不会这么糟糕。美国人口普查局（the Census Bureau）的最新数字显示，美国人平均通勤时间为单程25分钟。还有13%的幸运儿不到十分钟就可以抵达工作地点，只有2%的人要花90分钟或更长时间。

    既然你属于那一小部分人，你的身体倍感压力也就不足为奇了。去年一份盖洛普民意调查研究发现，上班族的通勤路程越长，越容易出现健康问题，其中包括颈部与背部的不适。该调查还发现，通勤时间超过90分钟的上班族中，心理压力方面的疾病——慢性焦虑症的发生率高达40%。

    那么如何在家门口找到一份好工作？通常情况下，最有效的办法就是借助人际关系。但你目前还没有建立本地的朋友圈子，所以你的情况比较特殊。为此，全美高级管理者职业交际网络ExecuNet的编辑给出了如下五条建议：

    Dear Annie: For the past several years, I've been commuting almost two hours each way, from my home in a small-ish town to my office in a major city. When I took this job, I didn't realize it would take so long to get to work -- and it wouldn't, if the traffic weren't so horrendous. I like my job, but the hours I spend on the road every day are taking a toll (headaches, backache, insomnia). Moving closer to the city isn't an option, since I bought my house at the peak of the real estate boom and now owe more on it than it's worth in this market.

    I'd like to start looking for a job near where I live, but two problems: First, this might sound crazy, but I really don't know anyone in the area, since I spend nearly all my waking hours in the car or at the office (or the gym) in the city. And second, there are no big employers nearby, so no obvious places to start searching. Any suggestions? — Road Weary

    Dear R.W.: You don't say where you live, but for your sake, I hope it isn't in L.A. A study released earlier this week by researchers at Texas A&M University says that six of the seven most congested roads in the U.S. are in or around Los Angeles.

    The absolute worst, the report notes, is "a 3-mile stretch of northbound Highway 110 near Dodger Stadium," where commuters spend an annual total of over 1.4 million hours stuck in traffic, burning up 2.1 million gallons of gas.

    Of course, most commutes aren't that bad. The average commuter logs about 25 minutes each way, according to the Census Bureau's latest figures. A lucky 13% travel less than ten minutes in each direction. Only 2% commute for 90 minutes or longer.

    Since you belong to that tiny minority, it isn't surprising that you're suffering from signs of stress. A Gallup study last year found that the longer a person's daily trek to work, the more likely it is that the commuter will experience health problems, including painful neck or back trouble. The study also found that the highest incidence of psychological stress, notably chronic worry (40%), occurred among people whose commute takes 90 minutes or longer.

    So how do you look for a job in your own backyard? As with any other job search, the most effective approach is through in-person networking. In your case, since you don't know any locals (yet), staffers at ExecuNet, a nationwide career network for senior managers, recommend starting with these five steps: