I work two jobs, which can be extremely difficult sometimes. However, for new professionals, we often do not have a choice in the matter. Many of my friends are fairly fresh out of college/grad school, and find the pressures of student loan, car, mortgage, insurance payments to warrant a part-time job to supplement our earnings. That being said, a second job is not necessarily a death sentence to your social life and does not need to be something you dread. I've been working two jobs for nearly two years now, and plan on doing so for at least another two years, and my social life is as fulfilling as it has ever been! Here are some things I have learned over the years.
- Do something you enjoy.
Sounds simple enough, right? Well, for many people, it isn't. Many of my friends have found themselves in a financial crunch and rushed to find the first job they could. Well, being a cashier at Wal-Mart has a ceiling of mental stimulation, and probably does not have the longevity needed to provide you with a stable secondary source of income. Although it would give you a plethora of material for another one of my favorite blogs: People of Wal-Mart.
Take your time and be proactive. Try to anticipate your financial situation and realize when you are going to need the supplemental income. Then take your time and search for something you will enjoy. As my blog title infers, I work part-time at a small burrito shop on nights and weekends. I know this doesn't sound mentally stimulating, but I work with very interesting people (many of whom have more tattoos/piercing than can be counted on all fingers and toes), the clientele is respectful and hippielicious, and I can spend a good majority of my time laughing at drunk people. It's also helped me be more assertive and taught me how to say no.
- There is life outside of Starbucks.
I love Starbucks. A lot. Like, so much that I wish Iowa would legalize person/coffee drink marriages. That being said, when looking for a second job, I intentionally avoided Starbucks. I did so for a couple of reasons: 1) I would spend all my paycheck on coffee drinks whilst destroying my liver and 2) it would have been extremely cliche of me. I enjoy doing things a bit out of the norm or unexpected. This is generally because I like to push myself out of my comfort zone. It exposes me to a culture of which I have previously been unaware and helps me learn new things.So when you are searching for a second job, do something you normally wouldn't do. This doesn't necessarily mean DON'T work at Starbucks, it just means that I should not work at Starbucks (or any bookstore/coffee shop/bar).
- Scheduling is key.
While working two jobs, it is extremely important to leave yourself time to have a life. For the first year I worked at the Burrito, I would work overnight Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday evenings. These times worked with my schedule, but left me working 7 days a week and constantly having to talk myself out of walking off a bridge. I now only work overnights on Friday, a couple evening shifts during the week, and have every Sunday off. This gives me the ability to work as much as I was before (actually more so) and still have time to socialize, a day to sleep in, and the very important priority of going to church EVERY week! (DId I mention my version of church is drinking at the gay bar? Yeah, that's important. I genuflect a lot when I'm there so I figure it should count as church)
- Have you considered freelancing?
I have a lot of friends who have real-world jobs during the day and supplement their incomes by freelancing with different activities in the evening. For example, I did a lot of dance in college (I know, how much more stereotypical could I be? Oh, did I mention I was a Theatre major? DING DING DING) so now they work at night for dance studios teaching a class or two. For those of you like me who are higher-educated, you may consider adjunct teaching at a community college. You are paid a fraction of the salary of a full-time faculty member, but it still helps. Also things like tutoring or piano lessons, but those get a little messy while doing your taxes.
- Be realistic and firm.
Once you've found that second job of your dreams, it is important that you be very realistic with your goals for the second job and very firm with your expectations of that second job. Apparently I'm considered a responsible adult (which is very scary considering I don't even know how/have the desire to balance my checkbook), so I amassed a good amount of responsibility at my second job very quickly. I soon found myself in a manager position with people asking me right and left to take on additional shifts every week. Finally it got to the point where I said "I can have no responsibilities outside of weekly schedule" and "I cannot pick up any additional shifts or ever come in early." Once I set my boundaries and was realistic of my expectations of the second job, the workload and stress decreased dramatically.
- Have fun! Make friends!
Remember: this is your "free time" from your first job. It is important that you have fun and enjoy yourself while you're working your second job. Work somewhere that you find intriguing with people you find interesting. Working with friends is a lot more fun and productive than working with strangers.
I hope you find these tips useful! Remember: let me know if you'd like me to talk about anything specifically. Have a great day! And LEAVE COMMENTS if you like what I have to say! I'd like to think I'm not just writing to myself here!
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