My job-nightshift, depression and a change of pace

musicismylife78

Im looking for encouragement and advice. If you wish to judge me or make fun of me, please go elsewhere. I will report rude comments to the Mods. Im very serious about this.
so i got my first job ever, in 2008, at a grocery store, post college, degree in sociology. i had no previous job experience before that.

My main passions in life are music and art. For me, having the evening off, or at least being done with work by 8pm at the latest is imperative and absolutely necessary. In fact i view getting to do my art, and taking in the art of others as necessary as breathing.

I quit that grocery job, a year and half into it. I was made to work night shift, and they didnt respect my wishes to be done with work by 8pm even though i talked to them about it. It was routine for me to work from 3pm until midnight, or 1pm until 10pm, which didnt work for my music concert stuff.

I quit, and had enough rent and money saved up to live off it for 9 months. I was forced out of neccesity, and because i was running out of rent, to take a job, any job.

I got a job at another grocery store, same type job, different store. I have worked exclusively the graveyard shift, again, i was forced into the situation.

So anyways, the situation is this: ive done graveyard shift for a year now. I dont like my job, or my work and the hours are impossible to do. I cant do this job anymore.

I really have no interest in pursuing any jobs in my degree field, but i do have an interest in anything arts related.


So im looking for advice. What jobs are daytime exclusively? i applied at a library and got close 2 times, getting an interview, but was denied both times. I disliked math in school and wasnt great at it, so a bank may not be my strong suit. What other jobs are daytime only?

What would you do in my situation? Im done with this job. I want to move on. I dont want to move to dayshift on it, and they wouldnt let me anyways. I want a different arena and job.

I feel trapped. The job and the hours have made my life hell, my days off are spent in a haze that feels drug induced, but its really my body trying to adjust to normal hours, and i feel like ive been battling depression and just feeling stressed out and upset for a year now. Im not able to do this job anymore, my body and soul are telling me this. Theres no way to live a normal existence as long as I work these hours. But I have rent to pay.

Art related jobs? you know of any? jobs where work ends by concert time?

i know obviously day shift, or shifts that start at say 7am or 8am are high priority for alot of folks and usually go to people who have been in a job for years. But are there any jobs where id be almost guaranteed a morning shift like that? Im not talking night shift. The earliest i'd wanna work, is 7 or 8am. anything before that and its essentially nightshift.

drunkiemunkie

how about a social worker? Your degree should get you in. there is always room to advance. hours are perfect for you. you would get to help "some" people. the pay has got to be a little better than the store. State job so benefits should be decent. just 1 thought. hope it helps.

mickeyrat

have you thought of temp service work? You may find a position that meets the hours you want to work.It may take several assignments but , thats a way to earn while " looking".

Released1980

Wow.. I had lived that life for quite a while. Slightly different circumstances but same exact side effects. I have worked for the same employer for 13 years. In order for me to get a promotion to s supervisory position I had to first become a night supervisor. As you know, the absolute hardest year and a half of my life. Stress went through the roof, soon after started xanax, valium, anti depressants, pot , alcohol, anything to make me forget about how shittiy I felt ALL THE TIME. But it was something I had to do to be able to advance my career. Since then my career has progressively gotten much better. I make a considerably decent salary and AK also home at a reasonable hour everyday, able to tuck my kids in bed. I so very much understand your problem with working nights, but must say the old cliche.. what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. To achieve what we want out of life we must work through shit to obtain it. To restrict yourself and refuse to work any type of night shift jobs, it will only hurt you in the long-run. Like I said , I know it sucks. But things have away of working themselves out. Good luck to you in the future, just guess I wanted to let you know that your not alone.

small town beck

I think the social worker idea is a great. Have you considered seeing an employment counselor?

Released1980

Oh yeah, as far as a day job goes.. Paint houses, landscaping, newspaper delivery, construction, make killer eggs.Good Luck.

FrankieG

Are you looking for a job or a career?

Bank tellers don't have to be good at math at all. My Aunt is a bank teller and she uses a calculator for all of the addition/subtraction. You only need to be good at counting and following all of the protocol and procedures.

Just some ideas: secretary, cashier, government employee, waiter/waitress, telemarketer.

Pap

I know it's not exactly your case, but I would recommend you to pursue an MA in Arts. You have to like doing postgraduate studies of course. You will have plenty of time and you just have to find a way to balance studies with whatever you like doing in your leisure time. As far as the tuition fees, the accommodation fees and the living costs you can apply for a scholarship which covers all of those expenses. Also, you can ask your parents to help you financially if they can. You can also work and do postgraduate studies simultaneously. I know that's difficult and in addition you won't have any free time. After the end of your master (1 year/full time) you will be more suitable to pursue a career in Arts and you will also have the option to continue at a PhD level (then you can become a professor in Arts if you like). Good luck! All the best! Take care! Good night!

cat72

I work for an insurance company. I love the hours 8-4:30. I worked retail for 20 years, so I was so over the night shifts.

LikeAnOcean

Government jobs.


I'm kind of the opposite. When I worked in retail I loved closing and staying up late, hitting the bars after.


I'm pretty much 9 to 5 now, but every now and then I get asked to work a night shift for a period. I'm talking middle of the night. Starting at 3 am. I hate that and if get stuck doing that again, I'm definitely finding another job. I almost have three years experience with my current job, so the experience will look good on my resume.


I would never quite a job before I find a new job though, no matter how shitty the hours, even though I also could go about 9 months without work before my savings run dry.

Look on the bright side. Night shifts make scheduling daytime interviews easier.

stargirl69

drunkiemunkie wrote:

how about a social worker? Your degree should get you in. there is always room to advance. hours are perfect for you. you would get to help "some" people. the pay has got to be a little better than the store. State job so benefits should be decent. just 1 thought. hope it helps.

I am a childrens social worker and it is not a 9 to 5 job ... when an emergency comes up it has to be responded too any time day or night,there is also an on call rota that all social workers need to commit to regardless of their years of experience.

Have you thought of some art gallery work,band photography during gig's would combine the two,art and craft festivals,tattoo artist.

Go Beavers

Along the social work line, have you every thought about a residential treatment center for kids? Definitely challenging but they often hire people with related degrees with no experience. Depending on the program, they may let you do some art related work with the clients, too. Do you mind if I ask what city you're in?

redpoint

I own (with 3 other partners) several businesses, so I can give you a perspective from an employer's view. Btw, we don't spend the days sitting on yachts counting our money... if I had a nickle for every time I heard a customer say, "I bet the owners of this place are really rolling in the dough", I'd be a lot better off. I usually hear it as I'm scrubbing the floor, taking out the trash, etc., which makes me a little more bitter. Starting your own business might not be a good idea, lol. Anyhow, enough about me...

I think you're going to have trouble finding a decent paying job for a while for a number of reasons (sorry, I'll be a little blunt here):
- It sounds like you've only got 2 previous jobs, ever (and I assume you're in your early 20's), both for short periods of time. Employers don't like the looks of applicants that "jump ship" often because you spend a lot of time and money training, etc. and typically those employees are not reliable.
- Although you probably got a solid education, your degree is a difficult one to fit into a career. I know a couple sociology majors that are assistant managers at Wal-mart.
- The way you describe the hours you're willing to work sounds very picky - almost like saying, "I wanna work earlier in the day, but not too early...BUT I have to be off early in the evening, and if there's a concert or art show, I'm going to need the day off for that too."

If you're looking for a job that you will, eventually, be able to make decent money at, my advice is to look at some of your other interests (besides art and music) to see if something fits that could make you happy.

Do you like working on cars? Try to put in some apps at Oil Change Centers - they usually have daytime hours.

Do you like the outdoors? Maybe landscaping, but those can be seasonal depending on your climate.

You said you like art - maybe drywall, painting work.

Are you into computers/ electronics? Best Buy, Staples, etc.

From there, stick it out for a couple years and get some solid experience. After that, you'll have a little more clout and experience when applying for other jobs.

Unfortunately, most of us have to work doing things we don't always enjoy, but it allows us the means to do the things that we really do enjoy. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

StillHere

can you combine your degree and love for art...say something like working with children using art therapy? its a legitimate field..and it should be day work..by appointment only type of thing. I know in NJ you can contact certain children and family service agencies or even the state dept of children and families and work with them on an hourly appointment only basis. Since you love art so much, this might be an avenue for you to consider. I'm sure most states have some sort of "mentor" programs as they are called in NJ that will allow you to do something like this.

mcveddrment

i think redpoint said it best. Unfortunately, experience is everything. You're fresh out of college with no work experience and already you are unhappy with the hours. I have worked a variety of jobs over the last 20 years and the last 13 as a public school teacher. i can honestly say that the only one I was truly happy with cleaning up bathrooms and taking trash out for the city parks and recreation. I have undergrad and a master's degree but I have literally gone through some shit to get there. Hang in there and do what your employers ask and after some years of loyalty, you will get rewarded. Good luck and go back to work, whatever you can get.

mookeywrench

Try to get promoted within, tell your mgr you're interested in becoming a daytime supervisor. With 3 years of grocer's experience there shouldn't be any reason the you'd be out of consideration.

Maybe a schedule change and different responsibilities are all you need.

Thoughts_Arrive

I am currently unemployed (got made redundant over a month ago) and I have no friken idea what I want to do in life. Thought about various career paths but then changed my mind.
I cannot go back to study due to my mortgage, need to work to pay it off.
I am stranded!
So I guess I am in the same boat, my days are boring and feel drug induced as well.

comebackgirl

I would stay away from social work if you want a 9-5 job. I work a lot of late nights, some weekends and i'm always on call. Entry level jobs with a bachelor's degree are almost guaranteed to give you 2nd, 3rd and weekend shifts. What kind of art do you do? Maybe pursue graphic design positions or illustration. I agree with some of the previous posts that you will open up more opportunities if you pursue a graduate degree in the field if that's an option for you.

Who Princess

mickeyrat wrote:

have you thought of temp service work? You may find a position that meets the hours you want to work.It may take several assignments but , thats a way to earn while " looking".

This is a good suggestion. If you have basic computer skills or customer service experience, can show that you're dependable, etc., this could help you explore your interests and you'll still have an income. There are probably jobs out there that have never occurred to you and this could be a good way to learn about them.

When I first got out of college I worked at several temp jobs until I found something in my major. Some of the assignments I got really sucked but I enjoyed a lot of them. Many times, I got job offers from the temp assignments.

jethrojam420

comebackgirl wrote:

I would stay away from social work if you want a 9-5 job. I work a lot of late nights, some weekends and i'm always on call. Entry level jobs with a bachelor's degree are almost guaranteed to give you 2nd, 3rd and weekend shifts. What kind of art do you do? Maybe pursue graphic design positions or illustration. I agree with some of the previous posts that you will open up more opportunities if you pursue a graduate degree in the field if that's an option for you.

seems to me that being a teacher is the only way to be entry level 8-4 these days. I had to work 3 years overnight, 4 years 2nd shift, and am only now 1st shift. I love my crappy factory work a heck of a lot more now then i ever did working those shifts, but as redpoint said, you need to build a resume in order to command things like pay and hours.

In life you have to spend money to make money. it sucks working those shitty hours, i would always be tired and alone. but in the end it was the best move i ever made.

Oh and btw. Apply to be a middle school teacher. perfect hours for you and your degree....

small town beck

Did you start a similar thread a while back? :? It seems familiar, if so it seems you've been struggling with this for a while. Some people take a little longer than others to get to where they are going. Welcome to adulthood :shock: