Handling a night job?

[Jacq]

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Hi! 🙂 Ok, long story short - I'm 29, just going back to school to finish my
Bachelors at local Univ (have about 2.5yrs to go after switchig major). I have a 2yr old daughter, husabnd & dogs (all very supportive 😀 ) Currently I work as a personal trainer/instructor, and although I LOVE my job and am very good at it, my schedule is all over the place...I train clients very early in the AM at the gym, come home to get my DD ready for playdates/park/etc, run errands, then drive her to my mother's house in the late afternoon (about 20 min away) so that I can return to the gym to train more clients in the evening. Sometimes DD might stay at nana's house, sometimes not so I might have to drive back to pick her up & drive home. So, there is alot of driving back & forth and a lot of wasted time and energy... Recently I've been thinking about getting a night job (11p-7a) instead so that I could work my hours in one big chunk, DD would be home with dad, and that would cut out the shuttling. Since I'm just returning to school after 12 yrs off I'll be taking 2 online classes (soc & hum) and one on campus for Eng requirement, so schedule won't be that bad. Yesterday I was offered a position for a 4 night/wk overnight job with full benefits (possibly working a weekend night). I really like the place, but now I'm starting to wonder if this is a good idea...

Have any of you worked night/third shift jobs with a family & going to school?
How did it work for you? Any suggestions/comments???
Should I just suck it up and look at it as good practice for med school & residency?

Thanks in advance!!! 😉

 

[rendenwolf]

I work 7P-7A every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday while taking 16-18 credit hours during the week. It seems to work well for me, but I have a really supportive husband. I also don't seem to need very much sleep. The hardest part of the whole deal is going to class on Monday morning. I'm usually exhausted by the time my last class is done (around 4:30 in the afternoon).

It can be done. I really believe it depends on what you think you can handle and what kind of support systems you have. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Rena

 

[Skaterbabe74]

It kind of depends what time that english class is lol. One summer I tried doing overnights (9 or 10 til 5 or 6) while taking two early afternoon classes. That didn't work so well. I ended up trying to split shift my 8 hours of sleep into two sessions of 4 - just wasn't worth it. But if my classes had been in the early morning or the late afternoon/early evening it would have been totally doable. I don't have a family, but so long as you have a cool hubby who will let you sleep when you get home (either from work or from school) it's just like any other regular 8-10 hour shift. The hardest part is not letting your schedule get off during your days off cuz it makes getting back to the night schedule hard that first day after a couple off. And don't forget to schedule in that quality time with the hubby! If you both have opposite schedules that isn't always easy, but definitely a sanity saver.

Good luck!

 

[Miliwen]

I may not do overnights, but right now I am doing 7A-5P M, W,F. T and R I will be doing 7a-2p then classes untill 8pm or so. After this semester, I plan on working 6A - 6P M,W,F and pick up 4 hours on Saturday. My job shouldn't have flexable hours. I don't know how I got so lucky. But I was also thinking about dropping my hours to 36 and doing something like rendenwolf. I have worked full time with about 5-6 hours of sleep a night, so lack of sleep won't bother me.

But this comes down to you. If you think you can handle it, then give it a shot. But you may also find out that your body is going to get very tired. I personally would stay away from a night shift. But again, thats me.

Anyways, good luck on classes

 

[Waywoe]

I work 11pm to 7am 5 days a week, evening shift on one of my days off, and pull doubles one weekend a month as well as going to grad school part-time during the day. You get used to it after a while (of course I live alone out in the country which gives me peace and quiet). There are a few nights a week where it is slow enough for me to study 2-3 hours for school and the MCAT.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
I worked the 11pm - 7 am shift as a RRT while working on a BS in Analytical Chemistry. My trick was not going home and hitting the bed but keeping a schedule more like folks who work the 7am - 3pm shift. I would get up, go to work then go to class or come home and work out (if I didn't have class). I usually slept between 4pm and 9pm. I ate my biggest meal around 1AM and didn't eat after 2pm.

On my day's off, I kept the same schedule. I also had dark blinds so that I could completely darken my bedroom (good for melatonin production). I kept myself in good physical condition doing cardio at least four times weekly and lifting weights. I ate a high protein, low carb meal and avoided caffeine. I also kept very hydrated (dehydration can be quite draining).

I interacted with family between 3pm and 4pm but was generally in bed by 4pm. I turned off the ringer on my phone and set my answering machine message to state that I was a third-shift worker and was resting; I would return calls in a reasonable amount of time.

This worked well for me. Even in medical school, I would generally get home around 6pm, hang out with the family for a couple of hours and work-out, in bed by 9pm. I would get up at 1AM and study until 7AM when I would leave for school. I studied during the day and on breaks too. I found that I did my best studying after the house was quiet and the phone was off. On the days when classes would end early, I would study the rest of the day, get home by 6pm and keep the same schedule.

njbmd 🙂

 

[medtechv79]

Hi there,
I worked the 11pm - 7 am shift as a RRT while working on a BS in Analytical Chemistry. My trick was not going home and hitting the bed but keeping a schedule more like folks who work the 7am - 3pm shift. I would get up, go to work then go to class or come home and work out (if I didn't have class). I usually slept between 4pm and 9pm. I ate my biggest meal around 1AM and didn't eat after 2pm.

On my day's off, I kept the same schedule. I also had dark blinds so that I could completely darken my bedroom (good for melatonin production). I kept myself in good physical condition doing cardio at least four times weekly and lifting weights. I ate a high protein, low carb meal and avoided caffeine. I also kept very hydrated (dehydration can be quite draining).

I interacted with family between 3pm and 4pm but was generally in bed by 4pm. I turned off the ringer on my phone and set my answering machine message to state that I was a third-shift worker and was resting; I would return calls in a reasonable amount of time.

This worked well for me. Even in medical school, I would generally get home around 6pm, hang out with the family for a couple of hours and work-out, in bed by 9pm. I would get up at 1AM and study until 7AM when I would leave for school. I studied during the day and on breaks too. I found that I did my best studying after the house was quiet and the phone was off. On the days when classes would end early, I would study the rest of the day, get home by 6pm and keep the same schedule.

njbmd 🙂

wow! I worked night shift once and I hated it. but that's just me...I didn't do classes becuase it was my first time doing nite shift....it took a while to adjust. my biggest problem was I would sleep 7-8 hours during the day and I would wake up still groggy. I guess everyone is different and some people can handle nite shift better than others. my husband works nites from 1030-7am and is taking a chem class w/me this fall....he handles nite shift better than me....I guess to each his own!
It really is just like any other shift just at an odd hour for most human beings. it is doable I've met many ppl going to skool PT and working nites....but raising a family along with it...? that's an extra added weight. hopefully yer husband will be supportive and help out. you might also not get as much sleep as u need...but I'm sure u already know that! good luck!