anyone ever work overnight shift?

[bravofleet4]

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I was lucky enough to be offered an acceptance somewhere, so I no longer have to worry about becoming a doctor. i've decided to send out a few job app's out there b/c I'm looking to raise some cash for medical school. while I would love to work as a lab tech, I'm pretty much willing to do anything since I won't be staying there for any longer than a year.

It might not be anything since i've only been offered an interview but it's for a position at target. the problem is that it's for the overnight shift 11 PM - 7:30 AM. Does anyone have any experience working these hours? It's full-time so that's something but what's the sleeping schedule like? Do you go straight to bed after work and wake up in the afternoon or do you sleep after lunch and then wake up at night to go to work? I'm just wondering if I'll be able to have the energy to hang out with friends during the day or go to a class at the local CC.

 

[chman]

I was lucky enough to be offered an acceptance somewhere, so I no longer have to worry about becoming a doctor. i've decided to send out a few job app's out there b/c I'm looking to raise some cash for medical school. while I would love to work as a lab tech, I'm pretty much willing to do anything since I won't be staying there for any longer than a year.

It might not be anything since i've only been offered an interview but it's for a position at target. the problem is that it's for the overnight shift 11 PM - 7:30 AM. Does anyone have any experience working these hours? It's full-time so that's something but what's the sleeping schedule like? Do you go straight to bed after work and wake up in the afternoon or do you sleep after lunch and then wake up at night to go to work? I'm just wondering if I'll be able to have the energy to hang out with friends during the day or go to a class at the local CC.

I have. Some people like it, some bear it, and some can never get used to it. I was able to adjust. You will sometimes feel like the world is on a complete different schedule than you though.

If you plan to do this while still taking a full load I advise against it though.

 

[bravofleet4]

no, i'm planning to take 3 online course but for the one class I decide to take on campus does it have be early in the morning or late in the night out of necessity?

 

[chman]

no, i'm planning to take 3 online course but for the one class I decide to take on campus does it have be early in the morning or late in the night out of necessity?

I would probably take it in the late afternoon, that way it is the same as a morning class for you. You wont want to do it in the morning, because you will want to sleep.

 

[brooklynblunder]

yea but those are my peak hours. go to the gym at like 9 pm (or even 8 AM!)

pass out during the day. I guess it depends on the area though, you might get tired of the job if you don't have anyone else around or no where to go out to take a break

 

[dukemed22]

If you've already been accepted, why would you be taking classes at a CC (just curious)?

 

[bravofleet4]

1) keep my parents health insurance
2) stay around people my own age (moving back home is very boring)
3) take classes i'm interested in
4) it's an excuse to get up in the morning (too broke to go travel or pick up certain hobbies)

i'm still volunteering btw

 

[PinkIvy08]

I delivered papers one summer. While technically not a full-time job, it was 7 days a week, from roughly 2:30am-7am. I'm not going to lie to you - transitioning was rough. Personally, I'd sleep in shifts. I slept ~ 4 hrs immediately after work, got up, went to class and/or work, errands/studying, sleep ~ 4 hours, delivering papers. If you can give yourself ~2 weeks to get acclimated, you might be fine.

Personally, I hated it. But, I think I didn't like it because of never having a day off...which meant never seeing anyone. Perhaps this is the biggest thing to get used to. As chman said, you have to get used to everyone else operating on a completely different schedule. I say give it a shot. You never know until you try! Worst case scenario is that it's not for you and you quit.

Oh, and I'd keep applying to jobs even if you take this one. Just my two cents!

If you've already been accepted, why would you be taking classes at a CC (just curious)?

If I had the money and/or the time, I would absolutely love to take courses at a local CC. I really wanted to take Spanish and some art courses, just for myself. You'd be surprised how much you can miss being out of a classroom once the real world smacks you in the face

 

[mvenus929]

I've only worked one true 'graveyard' shift (from 9 pm to 5:30 am), and I did it so one of my coworkers could have the day off. I hated it. Then again, my schedule at work is 5 am to 1:30 pm, and the only thing I hate about that schedule is waking up early. When I used to do 4-8am shifts, I would fall asleep as soon as I got home. No fun.

My dad works graveyards as a nurse, though. 12 hour shifts, 3-4 days a week, so it's a little different. He has a really weird sleeping schedule.

You'll get used to it eventually, and you'll find what works best for you. Personally, I'd rather roll out of bed and go straight to work than go to bed as soon as I got home from work, but to each his own.

 

[DocMcCoy]

I worked at a bar through most of undergrad 3-5 nights a week about 10-4am. Needless to say, I tried to schedule a lot of late afternoon classes. Like anything else, you get used to it. Plus the money is hard to beat. I'd sleep till about 11 and feel rested.

 

[MidnightSun32]

Well if it's at Target, I'd much rather work overnights than during the day with customers. 🙂 I did it for a long while because one of my supervisors quit and it took forever to replace him (and someone had to be with the overnight stockers). I didn't like it (for the long term), but that's mainly because I couldn't sleep right after getting off of work. Instead, I'd just stay and work a longer day (I think I sometimes have workaholic issues). However, since I'm the one that has to deal with the irate, incredibly needy customers who want me to make my world revolve around them, it was a nice break to catch up on the rest of my work 🙂 Also, I do my best "thinking" at night so even now, I do a lot of school assignments, associates' schedules, P&L reviews, and other work paperwork late at night. It's still nice to just fall into bed and sleep rather than having to stay at work 🙂

Sorry for the rambling, back to the point, I think I went to bed mainly around one or two pm, if I was out of work by then, and slept for a four-six hours. I think you'd really just have to find your own groove, especially since everyone operates differently. I was still able to have a life outside of work/ school with working those hours, so I'd say it's possible. Good luck though 🙂 🙂

 

[futureboy]

My mom worked that graveyard shift when I was young. You can get used to it, as long as you don't have to take care of annoying kids (like my siblings and me) that keep bugging you so you can't sleep.

 

[Isoprop]

I've worked overnight shift (aka graveyard aka third shift) for two years. If you have obligations during the day (like classes), IT SUCKS. Also, even though your body gets used to it after a while, I noticed I get sick or depressed a lot. The human body wasn't adapted very well to stay up at night.

The flexibility is nice. I got to hang out with friends or make appointments very easily.

Here are two tips for anyone working nights for long periods of time:

1. Make sure you sleep in a really, really dark room. Try to emulate night when you sleep as much as possible.

2. If doing this full time for more than 6 months, give yourself at least a month to adjust when you become diurnal. The transition sucks.

 

[Isoprop]

By the way, the last time I worked night shift was years ago. I still pay for it today (extreme sleepiness during the day, hard time falling asleep at night, and periods of time where I wake up every 2-3 hrs when I sleep).

 

[MidnightSun32]

I've worked overnight shift (aka graveyard aka third shift) for two years. If you have obligations during the day (like classes), IT SUCKS. Also, even though your body gets used to it after a while, I noticed I get sick or depressed a lot. The human body wasn't adapted very well to stay up at night.

The flexibility is nice. I got to hang out with friends or make appointments very easily.

Here are two tips for anyone working nights for long periods of time:

1. Make sure you sleep in a really, really dark room. Try to emulate night when you sleep as much as possible.

2. If doing this full time for more than 6 months, give yourself at least a month to adjust when you become diurnal. The transition sucks.

I definitely agree with what you said. I think the reason why I just stayed later at work in the morning, rather than trying to sleep, was because my room wasn't dark enough (and I should have tried to make it resemble night better, but didn't). I think I finally fell asleep later in the day because I was just so tired. Good advice.

 

[CatchingUp]

I've been working the graveyard shift for the past few years. I have also been taking full course loads at the same time. Some semesters have been better than others. Personally, I found early morning classes easier to manage. That way, by the time I got out of class and got home I was ready to CRASH. Otherwise, I found myself oversleeping for afternoon classes ALOT and falling asleep during evening classes. It takes some getting used to. And I have developed a number of medical conditions that could be attributed to it therefore I am now looking to no longer work the shift. BUT it is convenient, as I got most of my studying done during the shift.

 

[The right Path]

This is my experience working nights. Specifically Fri, Sat, Sun 1900-0730. It is difficult because I have kids, but the reason I do it is because I have kids. Plus the differential! Strange logic, I know.

I try to get some sleep Friday during the day when my toddler takes a nap. On Sat and Sun. days, I try to sleep as much and as best as I can (ability varies depending on how many people (i.e. neighborhood kids) are over at our house).

Monday morning when I get off my last shift is hell! I have to stay up after getting off work with my toddler. I nap when she naps, but it's never enough. I feel like a zombie all day and then either I pass right out, or I have a hard time getting to sleep that night because I haven't changed out of night work mode.

It's grueling, but it saves me from having to send the toddler to germ infested daycare. However, I plan to switch to 0700-1930 (days) Sat. and Sun. only sometime before Fall 2011, because I think I'll be a wreck trying to keep up that schedule and doing post-bac classes MWF. Even if I drop my Fri night shift, I'd still have to contend with the Monday morning syndrome.

That's just the way I roll. Everyone I work with at night does things a little different according to their own situation, so you just kind of figure it out as you get there. Some people just can't deal with night shift, however and try to get out of it as fast as they can.

Good luck to ya.

 

[KickStart]

Working at Target is a cakewalk. Just get your sleep on during the day and you will be well rested for the night. 👍

 

[chman]

One other thing that is very important when working the graveyard is to make sure and get some outside time in the daylight regularly. Just set aside some time to walk or run everyday. Otherwise, you will become depressed from lack of daylight, not to mention you will be looking pretty pasty (if you are white). Sounds funny, but it is very true.

 

[PinkIvy08]

One other thing that is very important when working the graveyard is to make sure and get some outside time in the daylight regularly. Just set aside some time to walk or run everyday. Otherwise, you will become depressed from lack of daylight, not to mention you will be looking pretty pasty (if you are white). Sounds funny, but it is very true.

True true. Get that Vitamin D!

 

[pelu]

OP, I work an overnight shift every Sat from 3pm-7am as an EMT for the past year now. It took me a few weeks to get used to, but eventually your body will adapt. I even have this new ability to 'sleep' while waiting for a call, but as soon as dispatch calls our truck I wake up immediately. I don't think you'll be getting any chance to sleep at Target, but constant snacking and caffeine helps me especially during a busy night. You'll find that you're hungrier when you're not sleeping, which makes sense since technically we fast while we're asleep.

Also, if you work out an hour or two before you're shift you'll probably have enough energy to last you through the night.

 

[YaBoyAR]

if you have a life, your body will not adapt. School = a life.
i have worked a 2am-10am shift since January, and let me tell you, the off days can't come soon enough.

Finding a normal sleep schedule is nearly impossible, I find that sleeping from 5pm-1am works best for me, however, forcing yourself to fall asleep at 5 everyday is difficult. If you want to do it, you can do it, that's for sure. But if there is an another option, i'd go take it.

I get off at 10, am at school at 10:30-3, little time in between to study/unwind, and then it's back at it again. I would only reccomend this to my worst enemy

 

[artx2008]

I was lucky enough to be offered an acceptance somewhere, so I no longer have to worry about becoming a doctor. i've decided to send out a few job app's out there b/c I'm looking to raise some cash for medical school. while I would love to work as a lab tech, I'm pretty much willing to do anything since I won't be staying there for any longer than a year.

It might not be anything since i've only been offered an interview but it's for a position at target. the problem is that it's for the overnight shift 11 PM - 7:30 AM. Does anyone have any experience working these hours? It's full-time so that's something but what's the sleeping schedule like? Do you go straight to bed after work and wake up in the afternoon or do you sleep after lunch and then wake up at night to go to work? I'm just wondering if I'll be able to have the energy to hang out with friends during the day or go to a class at the local CC.

I do not think that it is worth it. I worked couple of night shifts in a lab; it was terrible.
Anyway, you won't raise any cash working at Target. Save your health and energy. Don't even go to the interview.

 

[bashir]

OP, I just don't see how it could possibly be worth turning your life upside down for a job at Target. It's hard for me to imagine that you won't be able to find a job you like at least as well and get paid at least as much for during your normal waking hours. If it takes a little longer to find a job, I would think that would be a small price to pay (unless you desperately need cash as soon as possible).

 

[epsilonprodigy]

Oooh boy. I mean, you can tolerate anything for awhile, but I worked many night shifts in the PICU and wow, it's amazing I didn't kill some poor kid. I was a caffeine sucking mess, shaking like a chihuahua because I was always so cold. Lots of people say they gain weight working nights, but I dropped weight like crazy.. I had heart burn up to my earlobes and could hardly eat a thing. I would just go home and go to sleep, but never felt like it was "real" sleep. Even though it was the same amount of sleep, for me personally, it's easier to have a long day or early morning even if you do get less sleep.

That said, it's a skill we're all gonna need.....

 

[AngelicaPMD]

I worked mid shift (11:00 PM to 8:00 AM) for two and a half years in the military. My body didn't really suffer for it, but my life certainly did. And you wont appreciate driving around, taking care of chores when you're tired and cranky. This was exacerbated because I lived in the middle of nowhere, where all the businesses opened late and closed early.