After 8 months of working for a major trucking company, I decided it was time to turn in the keys and find a job that got me home more frequently. With the increased time at home came a trade-off, and that was being force to work the graveyard shift. I’ve worked night jobs like this in the past, first as a gas station attendant, then as a security guard, and also as a driver for a different trucking company. Since it’s tough for many people to transition to the overnight schedule, jobs like this usually pay a premium or have other benefits tied to them to lure applicants in.
Personally, I enjoy these kinds of jobs. My favorite part about being off sync with the rest of the world, is that I’m off sync with the rest of the world. I am usually one of the only people shopping at the local department stores and grocery markets at 2:00am on my days off, therefore the checkout lines are almost non existent. There’s also no traffic to speak of, and many of the red lights that catch me during the day time are in their dormant flashing mode which makes for a quick cross town trek, when necessary. I also like that overnight jobs are missing all of the corporate suits and bean counters that typically make the lives of employees like me miserable. Having no boss hovering over my shoulder makes my nights so much more enjoyable.
Truthfully, it’s tough making plans with the rest of the world when you work the night shift. Going to after school basketball games, or having lunch with a friend is a little more difficult when they have these events at three in the afternoon. Last weekend I went to a soup cook-off at 2pm, and while it is normal for the rest of the world to have a bowl of chicken cheddar soup and a Budweiser on a Saturday afternoon, to my body it is only 2am and I’m just waking up, not about to go to sleep. Making adjustments to my sleep routine can be a little difficult for my body to adjust to, but it means that if I’m going to go to events like this, I will have to be fully committed to going. Gone are the days of just going to a social event just for something to do. I really REALLY have to want to be there if I’m going to wake up at (what is my) 2am.
Overall, I like the change. I can see myself running this schedule for a while. In a few weeks I will make an assessment based on how my fiance and the rest of my family are dealing with the change, and if it doesn’t make sense to continue on this schedule then I will look at transferring to something on a day schedule. The company I’m at has many opportunities, so as long as I continue to work hard and stay focused, there will be a chance to make a switch when the time is right.
