He’s not working an extra day a week, he works from home 4 out of 5 workdays per week. 1.5hrs commuting. Young, no kids (mentioned at least), tons of flexibility. It’s 7.5 hrs travel per week, not 12. Do it while young & free / if there are no kids or major commitments in the picture. That base salary is also a stepping stone to higher salaries. I’ve made a number of jumps and without bouncing around, it’s generally really hard to get to a certain income.