Can 7:00 - 4:00 then 4:30 - 11:00 be sustainable? (M-F)

N2IT

Just wondering if any of you have worked two jobs before and if so how did it turn out.

Great opportunity, but semi risky and a lot of hours. Lot's of pluses as well, so that must be factored in.

Both jobs are really close and both are great companies. The second job is very flexible with my start time, as long as I would stay to 11 pm.

Thoughts?

Weekends are off

Qord

How long is your commute?

I've almost always worked 2 or more jobs until recently. My last was a 1-9 pm, and the other had an end time of 9:15 am with a variable start time. Wasn't too bad, but it really made schoolwork a big task. Not much time leftover.

ipchain

I've personally never worked two jobs, but your schedule does not seem too demanding, so I'd personally give it a try.

spicy ahi

I worked for a couple of months at two jobs. They were both about 20 miles or so from my house as well as 20 miles from each other so there was a lot of driving. I would start my day off at 8am at job 1, work until 4:30 then jet home and take a nap for an hour or so. Then head off to job 2 and start at 7 pm and work until 3:30am. Head back home and take a 3 hour nap. Rinse and repeat Monday to Friday. I did that for about three months before job 2 wanted to move me to the day shift to help out there. I had to quit job 2 because job 1 paid double and job 2 was adamant about moving me to the day shift. Other than the 1/2 hour commute between sites and home, everything was actually working well. The only downside was that my weekend was shot. I'd get home at 4am on Saturday and literally not wake up until 5-6pm in the evening. The money was great though, and working so much meant I had no time to spend it.

the_Grinch

Guy at my old job worked four 10's Monday thru Thursday and then at our place would work three 12's Friday thru Sunday. I once asked him why he did it and he said it was to get money to pay off some debt, but what ultimately happened is he spent at the new level and then couldn't do without it. Also, he got caught sleeping all the time at our place, but because no one wanted the shift there wasn't much they could do. I'd say you should have a really good reason for doing it. I worked at UPS and as a manager at a movie theater and it kicked my butt. I think now I would be a little better prepared, but sometimes you just need some free time.

ptilsen

I would say no to this. It's not sustainable. Besides, why ultimately do crappy work at two jobs when you can do great work at one? There might be more money for a while, but since it's not sustainable you risk losing both.

undomiel

What is your end goal? Is this to get out of debt faster? How long are you looking at doing this? If I recall correctly you're engaged or married, how will your home life fit into this schedule? For me the only reason I would do such a demanding schedule would be to get rid of my debt a whole lot faster and I definitely would not be looking at it as a long term solution. I value my time more than that. You'll also want to keep a tight hold on your budget so that your standard of living doesn't expand to the new money you're making, as what happened in The_Grinch's example.

Asif Dasl

I think this is unique to America.. working 2 full jobs. You really need to ask yourself is this worth it? You will make a lot of money but probably pay a good chunk in taxes. Is the ball-and-chain cool with this?

You could do this for 6 months to a year but it's going to take a toll on your health too - probably weight & your mental health. Stop buying crap too - increase assets, decrease liabilities. If it's all part of a masterplan then cool, but in life every decision you make has a price somewhere else in your life - is that price worth it to you? Do what you feel is right, not what someone else thinks is right.

Essendon

I have worked two concurrent jobs in the past, with one having normal hours M-F 9-5, the other from 4am-4pm Saturday and Sunday. Could only do it for 4 months before I got completely burnt out. It would take me up to Tuesday to recover from the weekend job because the hours were odd, my performance at work was affected, I used to get irritated at minor things (not good for the household) and my health was affected too. You may be able to sustain for longer than I could Patrick, maybe give it a go and see how it works out. But I must remind you, just like everyone else has, that it's not going to be easy. It's going to require more effort from your significant other too, because she'll need to do more as you wouldnt be around to help her out.

powerfool

I have only been able to do this when I didn't have any other responsibilities... I actually worked two full-time jobs for a while that were flexible schedules and would normally completely overlap. I kept extremely good track of my time as one job was 100% client-billable, so it had to be tracked to the quarter-hour, anyhow. There is no way I could do it if I was in school, expected to study for certifications, expected to read anything for pleasure, or expected to have family time. Now, if one or both of the jobs were telecommute positions, that would make it much easier (as it was in my case).

Personally, I think I am going to start working on side-work that would have minimal hours (looking for 100 hours over the course of a year, at my expected billable rate of $125/hour). I figure I can use that to grow my salary the way that I want and build a little bit of savings over the next couple of years when we have to re-compete for our current contract and things could get flipped upside down. Of course, I also hope we diversify our local market more by then, and I may certainly be able to score some remote work in the event that the contract falls through... but I would much rather be prepared.

Many people usually have a reason for pushing themselves this hard. Mine was always the motivation to get a little bit ahead as we have always had a decent amount of medical bills since we have been married (finally getting there). Now, I want to be as close to debt-free as possible (mortgage, one car payment at 0%, and student loans are it right now). I have three kids and the oldest is starting high school this year...

Do you have any specific reason? Motivation is a big factor.

N2IT

Great point brought up. It was just a thought that could happen and lead to greener fields. I have never been patient when it comes to waiting my turn. I'm always trying to expedite things through connections, advice, hard work, education, etc.

I will be turning down the offer. Thanks for your comments.


**The reason was to get in the doors at a very large service provider and get that recognition on my resume and experience.

BradleyHU

it all depends on how far they are from your house. if they are relatively close(within 30 minutes), then it might not be so bad.

N2IT

I turned it down. I'm going to focus on my current position and MBA. It was a great opportunity if the circumstances were right. That wasn't the case however.

YuckTheFankees

I think you definitely made the right decision N2IT.

N2IT

Thanks Yuck!

Yeah I have a lot going on besides I love my free time. With the kids and then after they are asleep. I love hopping on some personal projects at home. They relax me and help me wind down.

bigdogz

N2IT,

I am glad to hear that you turned it down. It can get to you after a month or so. Not to mention as the others have said you have no time to study for other certifications.
When I was quite younger I was working 2 jobs - 1 Full time and 1 part time, both contract. My full-time job ran 40 - 60 hours a week. The part time job was 30+ hours on nights and weekends. I did this for 6 months to save some money but I had no social life between 2 jobs and maintaining a house.

YuckTheFankees

I don't have a family yet but from people I know, it really gets to them when they can't spend enough time with their kids. If you were going to take that 2nd job, bye bye family life. Have you started your MBA yet?

Plantwiz

I'm late responding, but I did hold three jobs for a number of years before I was married. I didn't have debt to pay-off, but I was able to save up for things I wanted. Working the extra hours kept me from spending anything too, because there simply wasn't time. I think it is sustainable if that is how you are wired. I love to work!

Looking back, I am glad I did it. I met some great people and learned a ton about people during those times. I also would get job offers from the work and when one thing would end, I could slip into the next job. One job was always my 'main' full-time. The 2nd job was flexible and I could start after my first job ended as long as I got in 4 hours or finished the project. Therefore a 30 minute change over worked for me. In that case, I told them I could start by 6pm and made certain I was never late. The third job was a weekend job and was easy to do as it was merely retail.

Not everyone can do this. Not everyone should. Each employer deserves your full attention and sleeping on the job would be unacceptable. So, passing on the opportunity was likely a wise choice if you have any reservations about fullfilling what you said you'd want to do. There is very little time for 'social' hour outside of the people you work with and the customers who enter the shop. If that doesn't fit your personality, it would be unwise to pursue such an adventure.

My evening job was landscaping and it filled the void a friend of mine had with his daytime crew. I could install plants and prep beds for them the night before or the evening after they did some work, so in essence he was able to complete his projects more timely for his clients. I had the benefit of working alone most nights and didn't have to deal with the paperwork and such of the day.

It has only been recently that I've not worked at least two jobs. It is not that difficult if one is able to plan and hold to that schedule. There is time for the kids, but there needs to be some flexibility in study habits and with the spouse...and the understanding that you may miss an event or two, but WILL make the next. So long as one parent is present, the kids are typically happy someone watched their game. Just don't miss all the games

dales

Good call, if you were single you might be able to pull it off for a while but working that amount of time is definately not good for any relationship. You can only watch your children grow up once, I'd rather be a few quid poorer but spend more time with my children than having stacks of cash but never seeing them or being too tired and grumpy to play with them.

tpatt100

If I was single and it was to save up for a down payment for a house or pay off debt I would do it. I could only do it for the max of a year though and to be honest I would be so miserable I might buy more junk to make myself feel better.

Keener

I agree with the others on here. Good call in not taking the 2nd job unless you had to. While not a 2nd job, I have tried doing other side businesses while working full time and it does cause issues with the family, and it did with myself. Even when I did spend time with my wife and daughter, my wife wouldn't always remember it and would still make comments about "working" all the time (I didn't feel I even gave enough to the other stuff sometimes). Also, with my personality, I would see things not getting done because of time and I would try and pile more things on top of my already busy work load so that it would get done. That dragged me down too!

I am now finally starting to get a handle on thins and focusing on growing my career until I can make the things I truly enjoy doing what I do full time.

Best of luck!

Psoasman

N2IT wrote: »

I turned it down. I'm going to focus on my current position and MBA. It was a great opportunity if the circumstances were right. That wasn't the case however.

Good move. Working full time and school and family takes a lot of time.

blargoe

N2IT wrote: »

I turned it down. I'm going to focus on my current position and MBA. It was a great opportunity if the circumstances were right. That wasn't the case however.

Agreed, I think you made the right choice. I did a lot of moonlighting and was eyeing a second (part-time) gig a few years ago, it would have been a bit of a stretch then, and today's reality, it would be near impossible. The only way I would consider any extra work now is if I were going to transition into the second gig being my primary gig (moving toward consulting/contracting, for example)

N2IT

Appreciate the replies.

Things will look up just got to stay positive!

Mstavridis

Hope you don't have a wife/girl-friend, cause if you take that on she will probably leave you.