Night Shift

itguy7

So I'm being considered for a position with a fortune 500 company and I DON'T want to turn down the opportunity. It's an excellent IA analyst position and the only bad thing I see is I'll be coming in working the night shift (8PM-8AM roughly). 12 hours nights and working Mon-Friday. So 3 day weekends is a plus.

My question is, have any of you worked that shift? Is it hard to shuffle life around? I'm pretty young and don't have many responsibilities outside of work besides my girlfriend. I like spending time with her but she has one more year of college to complete which I don't see her weekdays. During the summer I'm guessing I won't see her much.

Do you gain weight from sleeping during the day instead of night? How about metabolism changes, slower, faster? Seriously I will turn it down if it affects my health. That's #1 priority to me. Also if it causes problems in my relationship I won't do it. That's what keeps me happy above all. Work to live, not live to work is my motto.

If I work that shift I'm guessing I'll get home around 9am and then be able to have a nice morning. Then fall asleep about noon-7pm I'm assuming. Is it hard to adjust and stay on time? I'm so curious. I really want to do it because it will improve my IT experience and pay.

Thanks!

Iristheangel

Hi, itguy! I'm currently working the night shift AND the day shift (two full time jobs). The best advice I can give you is Benadryl. One and a half of those little pink pills will knock you on your arse. Take it about an hour before you need to sleep and start reading a technical book. You'll knock out before you're finished reading one chapter. 5 hour energy will be your friend for the first week or two. Keep those on hand.

As far as weight changes, I haven't noticed any so far. If you worry about metabolism, just make sure to work out for an hour a day. You'll still have time with a 12 hour shift.

For your relationship: it depends on how solid it is and how much she's willing to support you. Some spouses get upset if they can't spend the night with you and others will have your back. It just depends on what kind of girl you're with.

Psoasman

I change shifts every 4 months and am on graves now (12am - 8am) I have young children, so I end up sleeping in the morning and before coming into work. It's not ideal, but I make it work for the 4 months. I am doing WGU full time on top of that, but my director lets me study at work, so that saves time for my family at home.
I work at a casino and get free meals, so I have to watch the heavy food at night. Doing P90X and running after I wake up keeps the weight under control.

itguy7

This sounds like a lot of routines and discipline. I don't know if I'll try it. After reading a few discussion forums of nurses working night shifts, and how they do it, I've become a little nervous. There's so many pros and so many cons. But again, I'm young and my body could handle it. I'm just worried about my happiness/health.

And Iris, WHEN DO YOU FIND TIME TO SLEEP!? Two full-time jobs sounds insanely difficult. I didn't even know there were that many hours in the day to work two jobs and get a full 8 hours sleep.

Iristheangel

I usually sleep from 5PM to 10PM. I'm getting just as much sleep as when I wasn't working two full time jobs since I used to go to bed at midnight after studying for exams and school and wake up at 5AM to be at work by 6AM. The only thing that has really changed is the hours that I'm getting the sleep

the_Grinch

I was working four ten hour shifts for about six months and loved it. I was the night guy from 8 pm to 6 AM Mon to Friday. I was always a night owl and it only took me about a week to get use to the shift. As far as eating went, I lost weight because there was no more "hey, let's go here". I couldn't leave at night and there weren't any places open. I saved a ton of cash as well which was pretty nice. The biggest thing to think about is when do you do things with your girlfriend? The guy I replaced was getting married and his fiance was on days. All the needed planning and family stuff was during the day so he either had to take days off or had to suffer through with no sleep. He also would change his schedule, so on Friday he would not go to bed so he could be up with the finance during the day on weekends. By doing this, his work definitely suffered and the schedule was killing him.

What I would say is have a serious discussion with your girlfriend on the exact nature of the schedule. Also, seriously consider what you might be giving up in the terms of social life. You will probably not be able to use vacation time for a bit so you may miss family events or other social gatherings. Other then that, I think you'll find it isn't difficult to get use to the shift, but you might end up sleeping more then you think. I did find I was sleeping a lot more then I expected. But on the flip side, I found more time to do workouts and the like. Invest in some really good blackout shades!

itguy7

I am becoming more and more hesitant to take the position though, if offered obviously. I wanted to see what IT pros are working and what that shift has done to them. I just want to be a normal worker working days. I don't see any added benefit to working nights except maybe asking for more because of it. Money to me though isn't everything and I'm not a natural night-owl. But who knows what will happen. This could be one of those things where you have to work at the bottom to get to the top. Ugh.

the_Grinch

If it gets you where you want to be, you should consider it. It is always best to make an informed decision and I believe you have done it the right way. Usually night shift will pay more and most companies will tell you upfront your chances of moving to another shift. When I interviewed at Verizon Wireless, they were upfront that the people on the graveyard shift (12 AM to 8 AM) usually took about two years to move to another shift and/or team. Does it take some time to get use to? Sure, but you will make it work. I always found that I called out less and had to use less vacation because of the automatic three day weekend (four in your case). Plus it was easy enough to work holidays because I could be there for all the major stuff and then go to work. That netted me a ton of comp time, which in turn led to me not needing to zap vacation time (especially since comp time could be carried over, along with sick, but not vacation). Weigh you options based on pay, home life, and where you want to be professionally. I understand the work to live not live to work, but sometimes you gotta live to work for a bit so you can work to live later on. Good luck!

Drovor

I worked for almost 3 years on grave working 4x10s, usually Weds-Sat 9pm-7:30am. The shift itself was not that bad although towards the end of the shift I was drained and had to drive in morning traffic. Some people on grave sleep before their shift but I slept after my shift as soon as I got home. I didn't have a problem falling asleep but if I woke up a few hours later it was difficult to fall back asleep and ended up taking naps later in the evening. With my shift it made it extremely difficult to be able to socialize on the weekends and go to family events.

The most important advice, if you haven't already would be to discuss it with your girlfriend. Although it is important to get the job/experience I am not sure it is worth losing someone over it but at the same time she should be understanding. Might be worth it to at least tough it out for a year and see if you can get another job later on with the experienced you gained. Otherwise it will probably take a few years before a day/swing shift would open up.

MrBishop

I don't have a normal sleeping schedule really anymore because of working overnight shifts years ago. I think it has helped me tremendously and getting things done at night when I normally would be to tired to stay awake. If you can afford to not take the job because you have a good amount of experience then decline. If this is a job that will launch your career, then you might want to rethink your decision. I do understand your relationship concerns, but if you don't have kids etc. The girlfriend shouldn't be your sole reason for why you reject an offer to work! I'm sorry but women like men who are financial secure and if you're not going to make an effort to do so, then eventually they'll find someone else that will. I'm not attacking your relationship, I'm just saying you should be concerned about #1 first! Relationship will come and go!

kurosaki00

wow 12 hrs?
5 days a week? (you said mon-friday)
isnt that a bit too much?

If it was like mon-thursday...

I mean I would right now do it, even though my gf would probably kill me.
But if its good money, good environment... why not
give it a try, something new.

Rakurai

I rotate between night and day shifts every 2 months, and getting used to sleeping can be a little difficult. My shifts are 6-6, work days are wierd, but has its pluses.... work 2 days, off 2, work 3, off 2, work 2, off 3, and yes, this includes weekends. For sleep I usually get off 30 min before 6, so I am home by 6-6:30, and bed by 7, to sleep till noon. I am married and now have a 10 week old, so sleep can be less during the day time.

The good thing about the work is.... we only actually do work about 10% of the 12 hours. This gives time for me to go to the gym for a couple of hours, some people do sleep, although it is highly discouraged, and I have been doing INE videos for CCNA, will be doing college too.

EDIT:

And I'll agree with MrBishop, after I did my first night shift through a 14 day (NTC) rotation I had no "normal" sleep schedule. That was in '07 and I still ahve sleeping problems.

Drovor

Rakurai wrote: »

I rotate between night and day shifts every 2 months, and getting used to sleeping can be a little difficult. My shifts are 6-6, work days are wierd, but has its pluses.... work 2 days, off 2, work 3, off 2, work 2, off 3, and yes, this includes weekends.

I understand why companies would want rotating shifts in a 24/7 environment but to me that is just torture on your body to have such a revolving schedule.

Drovor

MrBishop wrote: »

I don't have a normal sleeping schedule really anymore because of working overnight shifts years ago.

For me I was able to adjust back to a normal sleeping cycle after a short amount of time. But now that I have a 6 month old there is not much time for sleeping anyways!

itguy7

Thanks everyone for your replies. It really has helped. Knowing others have done the same (or similar) makes me feel a bit better. I wish I could know if it would be right for me. I wish I could find out who I'll be working with and if I'll like them. Unfortunately it's always a risk when getting a new job it seems. Anyways I'll let you know if they offer me something and if I accept. Cheers!

discount81

itguy7 wrote: »

This sounds like a lot of routines and discipline. I don't know if I'll try it. After reading a few discussion forums of nurses working night shifts, and how they do it, I've become a little nervous. There's so many pros and so many cons. But again, I'm young and my body could handle it. I'm just worried about my happiness/health.

And Iris, WHEN DO YOU FIND TIME TO SLEEP!? Two full-time jobs sounds insanely difficult. I didn't even know there were that many hours in the day to work two jobs and get a full 8 hours sleep.

I use to do a 11pm-7am or Midnight -8am shift a few years back, I was working as a contractor we were virtualizing existing servers into 1 virtual server overnight.
Finish at 7 or 8am, go home, have a small meal, go to the gym or run errands till around 11am or noon
Sleep till around 6 or 7pm, then either relax before work, or socialize with friends till 10 or 11 at night, then go to work.
Friday I finished in the morning, go home and sleep and then I could meet some of my workmates who did a normal shift at 5pm for some after work drinks.

I loved graveyard shift, I did this for 18 months at the time I was single and it worked out great.
Felt like I had SOOOO much more free time than I do now, because I had the few hours after work as my own free time, and also a few hours before work as free time.
Now with a normal job I wake up about 1 hour before work, eat, shower then go to work and the only free time I have is after work, and all I do is cook dinner and go to the gym which takes up essentially all of my night.
It's weird but I see my friends much less in a regular day job than I did in a night shift role.

In saying all of this I am a NIGHT PERSON through and through, I hate mornings and I am useless if I wake up before 9am
I earned literally half my wage of what I do in my current role, otherwise I would seriously consider going back and doing it again.

discount81

In regard to sleeping schedules patterns, it never affected me I was able to change over a couple days into a daytime sleep pattern.
And when I needed to change back the same thing, I never really missed sleep or had problems sleeping.

But I think I was lucky in that regard.

shodown

I worked that shift before and it has good and bad. Good is that during the day you can sleep and you won't 'get many disturbances and when its time to find another job nobody will know your looking. Bad is that in the DC area not to many good food options late at night in the district, also sleeping can become a problem if you adjust back to a day schedule during the weekends. My best advice to give you is to study at the job, drink plenty of water and cut out all the crap food. Eat as healthy as possible, exercise and you will be fine. I use to do the 5 hour energy and other drinks to stay up all night. Once I cut out a lot of meat, only ate fruits and veggies, and drunk plenty of water, I was able to stay up from 6pm to 6am and even go home to play video games, study without feeling tired. Once I got back on the crap food my energy levels sunk.

Iristheangel

I used to work two full time physically intense jobs back before I got into IT. Adrafinil was my friend back then.

lantech

I've been working the 7PM to 7AM shift for two years now. I'm lucky that I've always worked during the week so I have friday through sunday off and every other monday. Sleeping can be hard during the day so make sure you get your room blacked out. You can cover your window with a blanket to help block out the light.

Don't have any health problems because of my shift. But then again I can be on my feet a lot during my shift.

My wife doesn't really like my hours but she understands it's what I have to do. If this job could be a stepping stone in your career then you should take it. You have to do what you have to for your long term future and not just think about now.

Mike-Mike

I'm considering a night shift job... not crazy about it, but if it lets me get a higher level job, then I'll take it

herman.lavender

If you're single it may work for you...if you have a family, and don't want to pay for child care...it may also work (however, you will need to find a way to get some rest).

I did it for a year and a half...at first, I tried my best not to fall asleep...after about six months, I counted on getting my rest on the job. It takes a certain type of person and is not for everyone. I have to admit...it's better than 2nd shift...IMO.

DB Cooper

I did the night shift for two years, and never got use to it. Even on my days off, I felt screwed up. I wasn't designed for it, and never could adapt. It really screwed up my social life. But it paid off, and I learned what I needed for a better job.

herman.lavender

Oh...that's what I forgot to mention...if you don't like it, you will have your day hours to interview for something better (well, as far as hours are concerned).

VisionITTech

Night jobs are tough...I agree with some of the other post, it takes a certain type of person and lifestyle.

notext

The one big positive I found working nights is the fact that I had so much more free time because getting things done off work is so much easier when everyone else is working. Grocery stores, banks, retail are all a breeze. It gives me so much extra time for fun. I find I do eat more junk but I exercise more, usually on my mountain bike, because I have the time to do it.

tprice5

I work 4am-Noon Mon-Fri. I love it.

Notext nailed it. So easy to get things done since everyone is working when you are off. Plus, since you are so concerned about your health, you will have plenty of day light to run (I can't stand running when it is so early it's dark).

The human body is extremely adaptive. You'd be surprised with how quickly one can adjust to a work schedule change. We cycle through the night and morning shifts and it really only takes me a nights sleep or two to be adjusted.

Take the job. It sounds solid.

XiaoTech

I worked night shift for almost five years while in college. Depending on your lifestyle, as everyone else has already stated, you can get used to it. Nightshades, some ambient noise, and you're good to go. Better if you keep your sleep schedule consistent on your days off, and try not to wake up like normal folk. You'll mess up your body over time.

the_Grinch

I always listened to Slacker Radio or some online lectures on Philosophy.

astrogeek

"My question is, have any of you worked that shift? Is it hard to shuffle life around? I'm pretty young and don't have many responsibilities outside of work besides my girlfriend."

I've been working 10hr graveyard shifts 4 times a week for about the past 2 years, but before my current job I was working much longer night shifts when I was starting at 4pm and getting off at 6am, doing this 5 times a week - That's 70 hours a week, now that was tough! So in comparison I find my current shift hours much easier to deal with.

Because you are young and you say this is a good opportunity I would say go for it, if you are looking for experience you probably won't have much of a choice anyway so you would likely turn this down only to realize nobody is going to hire you for a 9-5 job. I would take it.


"Do you gain weight from sleeping during the day instead of night? How about metabolism changes, slower, faster? Seriously I will turn it down if it affects my health. That's #1 priority to me."

People react differently to these types of shift changes, if the change adversely affects your health it is most likely because you to changed your eating habits and/or you aren't getting enough sleep. So it's not so much the change in hours that is changing your health, but the way in which you are dealing with the change. I've been working night shifts for years and I have what could be a pretty serious health condition that tends to get worse when I miss out on sleep - I've learned to manage, so I'd say so can you. It's more mental than anything else.



"If I work that shift I'm guessing I'll get home around 9am and then be able to have a nice morning. Then fall asleep about noon-7pm I'm assuming. Is it hard to adjust and stay on time? I'm so curious. I really want to do it because it will improve my IT experience and pay."

That is similar to my sleeping schedule, make sure to invest in blackout curtains!


"12 hours nights and working Mon-Friday. So 3 day weekends is a plus."

Keep in mind one of those days will most likely be your "catch up" day where you basically sleep all day to catch up on any sleep you lost. I often come home at around 11am after my last day, lay down on my bed then wake up at around 6 or 7 that night. This helps me "reset" my time clock so I can be awake during the daytime on my off days. It's generally better to NOT change your time schedule during the week, but unless your friends are also night owls you probably won't do this so that 3rd day for rest will be a blessing.


"I just want to be a normal worker working days.But who knows what will happen. This could be one of those things where you have to work at the bottom to get to the top. Ugh."

Unless you have other jobs in line that offer better hours you might not have a choice, I'm in my first IT job so I'm just racking it up to starting off on the bottom. It does suck, and honestly I'm getting tired of it, (especially since I changed careers primarily to get out of these crappy night shifts lol). But I also love where I work so that keeps me motivated and thinking forward. Again - much of this is all just how you deal with the change mentally.