????親愛的安妮：在過去的幾年里，我從小鎮到城區的辦公室上班，每天單程要花近兩個小時。當初接受這份工作時，我還沒有意識到路程這么長——當然，糟糕的交通狀況是罪魁禍首。我熱愛這份工作，但是每天在通勤上消耗大量的精力卻讓我吃了不少苦頭（頭痛、背痛、失眠）?？墒俏耶敵踉阪偵腺I房子的時候正值房地產市場的高峰期，現在的房價已經遠低于當時，所以我又不能搬到城區。

????我想在住所附近找一份工作，但是有兩個問題：第一，聽起來有點荒唐，但是我在小鎮上的確沒什么認識的人，因為一天中除了睡覺的時間，我不是在車上，就是在辦公室（或健身房），我絕大部分的活動都是在市區里。第二，這附近也沒有理想的大公司，所以沒有明顯的求職目標。您有什么好的建議嗎？——疲倦的趕路人

????親愛的R.W.：您沒有提到具體位置，但愿您不是在洛杉磯。德州農工大學（Texas A&M University）本周早些時候公布的一項研究顯示，全美國最擁堵的七條道路有六條位于洛杉磯市內或周邊。

????這份報告中所提到最糟糕的一條路位于“道奇體育場（Dodger Stadium）附近向北約3英里長的110公路”，通勤的上班族每年堵在這條路上的時間長達140萬小時，而所耗費的汽油多達210萬加侖。

????當然，大多數通勤路線的狀況并不會這么糟糕。美國人口普查局（the Census Bureau）的最新數字顯示，美國人平均通勤時間為單程25分鐘。還有13%的幸運兒不到十分鐘就可以抵達工作地點，只有2%的人要花90分鐘或更長時間。

????既然你屬于那一小部分人，你的身體倍感壓力也就不足為奇了。去年一份蓋洛普民意調查研究發現，上班族的通勤路程越長，越容易出現健康問題，其中包括頸部與背部的不適。該調查還發現，通勤時間超過90分鐘的上班族中，心理壓力方面的疾病——慢性焦慮癥的發生率高達40%。

????那么如何在家門口找到一份好工作？通常情況下，最有效的辦法就是借助人際關系。但你目前還沒有建立本地的朋友圈子，所以你的情況比較特殊。為此，全美高級管理者職業交際網絡ExecuNet的編輯給出了如下五條建議：

????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: