Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic normalized remote work, striking that balance between working from home and returning to the office has been a major priority for workers and employers alike.
For TikToker Sophia Celentano (@sophiacelentano48), striking that balance has one caveat: She has to fly between cities once a week to get to her office as a hybrid worker.
In a viral video that has been viewed over 430,000 times as of this writing, Celentano explained what it takes to maintain her position as a corporate marketing intern. While recording her morning routine, which included doing her hair and makeup, she said that on the mornings she is expected to work in person, she wakes up at 3 a.m. to catch a flight from South Carolina to her office in the New York/New Jersey area.
@sophiacelentano48 super commuting slay #corporateintern #marketingintern #nycintern #summerinternship #supercommuter #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Sophia Celentano
She believes that arrangement is more cost-effective than living in New York City full-time.
“Honestly, it’s cheaper for me to stay at home in Charleston,” she said. “I still live with my parents and just pay for plane tickets one day a week.”
On the day the TikToker recorded the video, she planned to commute to Newark, New Jersey, where her office is located, from her boyfriend’s home in Richmond, Virginia. At the end of her day, she would fly back to her parents’ place in Charleston.
However, her biggest complaint about her job isn’t the travel required but having a hard time finding outfits to look the part.
“No one prepared me for how hard it was gonna be to find business casual clothes that fit me and don’t make me actually feel like I’m playing dress up,” she lamented.
In the comments section, viewers were shocked by the TikToker’s abnormally long and far “commute.”
“Not a single job in the world is worth this,” one user commented.
“This is so insane for an internship,” a second said.
“I think you may be a little delulu but I support you,” a third wrote.
“Commuting?” another asked. “Babe that’s a business trip.”
“Babes there is no way that flying once a week is cheaper than renting a place with roommates outside of the city,” a further commenter argued.
Despite what others think, the TikToker has no problem with her current work arrangement.
“I understand this is a very untraditional thing, but it works for me,” Celentano said in a video she made in response to negative comments her commuting clip received.
The Daily Dot contacted Celentano via TikTok comment for further information.
