I’ve done both and each has it’s advantages and disadvantages but I don’t know which I prefer.
rat race pros- I like having nights, weekends, and holidays off, I never miss prime-time television, social events like concerts-parties-festivals fit my schedule, wife works the rat race also so we have all our free time together.
rat race cons- Schedule always puts you in heaviest traffic, errands like doctor visits-post office-goverment offices require you to take off of work, always fighting the shopping crowds on weekends, wife works the rat race also so personal alone time is scarce.
odd hours pros- Easy to run errands during weekdays, matinees are cheap, shopping and traffic are hassle free, can visit fairs-zoos-museums on cheaper less crowded weekdays
odd hour cons- Seeing family and friends made difficult, hard to go to popular events, always seem to be working alot around holidays
So, what is your preference?
I worked a night shift job once and I will never again do so. It completely handicapped my already weak social life, it destroyed my sleep cycle and threw me into a chronic depression that it took four months to recover from, and made me structure my day around work instead of treating work as only part of my life. For instance, I always had to make sure I was ready for work by nine, so I would have to rush around and get all my living done on a strict 3-9 schedule. When I work day shift, yeah I have to get up early (not a problem for me), but after three I am free to do whatever I want, with nothing restricting me except my own need for sleep. I’m not watching the clock tick down to the time when I have to go to my helljob–I’m already done!
Daylight hours are the only hours for me. Up with the sun, down after Conan’s monologue, just as God intended.
well i do both actually. i am a rat race member, my boyfriend who i live with is the odd hours one. so my day consists of working 8-5, come home, sleep till about 10, get up do chores, make dinner, and stay up with him till about 3, then start all over. it really sucks, and i’m finding that i can’t do it anymore. i’m tired all the time, and i never really have time to do what i want to do.
personally, i’ve worked both, i prefer the rat race. even with all it’s cons, the pros outweight them. i wish he would join the rat race before i fall asleep behind the wheel!!! :o
Haha, I’m the same way, except I’m forced to wake up before the sun if I’m going to get to work on time. But Conan O’Brien’s monologue and opening skit are almost always the last thing I see before crashing for the night.
One thing I don’t like about a regular schedule, though, is weekends. I don’t like having to work five days in a row, and I get bored not working two days in a row. At the job I am starting on Monday, I am going to have two split days off, either Wednesday/Saturday or Wednesday/Sunday, which I much prefer. It feels like two mini-weeks, and the one-day “weekend” occurs more frequently so there’s not as much of a desire to push tons of activity into it. I don’t know many people who prefer this type of schedule though.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’ve got the best work schedule EVER.
Seven days on, seven days off, working in the evenings. I get all the pros of working odd hours - no traffice, don’t ever have to wake up before 11, have to deal with fewer people at work, etc - but since I get every other week off, I don’t have to deal with the cons. I have every other evening free to do whatever. Plus, of course, I get a seven day vacation every other week.
I’ve been in the workforce for over 10 years now, and I think I’ve spent maybe six months or so working a regular morning schedule. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
I’ve worked the graveyard shift (12 am to 8 am) for about a year and a half now, and it’s been difficult. It certainly has its advantages–not much traffic, I don’t often have to deal with work “politics”, I have no problem going to the grocery store or the bank and getting out fast, etc.
But it makes me feel like I am out of step with the rest of the world, and it’s really hard getting to sleep during the day. I feel like I am constantly fighting my natural sleep schedule and that my lifestyle is unhealthy. I find myself sleeping much less on weekdays (about 5 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less) and then making it up on weekends. So I would prefer the “rat race” to the night shift, if only because my sleep habits wouldn’t concern me so much.
If I had my druthers, I’d work days and evenings intermittently.
I love my bizarro schedule!.
I work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day for 28 days and then I am off for 14 days. The only thing I don’t like about it is that every other hitch I have to work day time and I am a night hand.
The money rocks!, I get 40 hours straight time, 40 hours time and a half and 4 hours double time every week. When I’m at work I barely have the chance to spend money so when I get home “it’s on!”.
Mr. Lissar works rotating shifts, evening and graveyard, with 3 or 4 days off in between. So far it’s been okay, although switching back and forth from noctural to regular hours is difficult. I work 4 or 5 to 11 three days a week, and noon to 8 one other shift. I like it. My week is spaced two days off, one day on, one day off, three days on. And I have the mornings and early afternoons to get everything done. I am not happy if I have to wake up early five days in a row.
I also get to do all my shopping and banking when it’s not busy.
Just finished my first week of midnights. I’m not too sure of it yet. I’m not having trouble sleeping during the day, so that’s alright, but I’m finding it just odd. I’m never sure of what to call the times of the day, and I’m still adjusting my eating schedual. It just feels weird going in at eleven at night, really unnatural. Once I’m there it’s alright, but the previous week was a mess. Also, as was mentioned, my life is revolving around work, which I hate. I had planned on using my time as my time, but it’s not working out that way. It seems everything I do is in preperation for my next shift.
My favorite shift is afternoons, 4-11. Get home, watch some TV, go to bed and get up fairly early. Then you have the whole day ahead of you. Easy to get stuff done during the day with the majority of people at work.
I don’t mind days, but I don’t like the politics and the constantly changing priorities.
I work 9 hour days, from noon to 9:30 in the evening (extra 30 mins. for lunch). I used to work from 3pm to midnight. I prefer my current schedule just because I get out of work three hours earlier than before. If I had to switch from working a normal shift to what I’m working now, I wouldn’t have been very happy about it.
If I had my choice, I’d probably pick the rat race hours. It’s true that you can actually do other stuff during an off hours schedule, like going to the doctor. But working off hours can make for a pretty lonely social life (not that I have one). Everyone is at home or having fun while you’re at work. Then when you get off, everyone else is in bed. It just stinks being out of sync with everyone else. Plus I physically feel out of whack. My digestive system always seems screwed up for some reason.
If I could pick my hours, I’d probably go with 8am to 5:30pm. Hate waking up early but getting off at 5:30 makes it feel like I still have a full day ahead of me. Getting off at 9:30pm leaves room for a few errands but not a whole lot else.
When I worked the 3 to midnight shift, people always went - “Oh, it must be nice. You can sleep in and get to do so much before going in.” Couldn’t really do much before hand thought. If I did, I’ll really be dragging by the end of the night. Nothing worse than being at work late at night about to pass out. Now that I work the noon to 9:30 shift, people always make a yuck face and don’t really make a comment about it. I’m just glad to be working.
Actually I have to dispute your ‘EVER’ statement. I work 5 weeks on then 5 weeks off. As I travel half way round the world to where I work, I can stop off on the way back (or the way there) with little to no extra cost to the plane ticket. I can even change the ticket to go other places if I don’t want to go home for my time off. My wife and I were going to spend 5 weeks in Thailand in January, but cancelled due to the tsunami. I get enough airmile points to fly her business class anywhere in the world once a year. I just have to meet her there after making a change to my regular ticket. No cost to me.
And when I go home instead of travelling, I have the entire 5 weeks to do what I want to. I can visit relatives (always a trade off: Do you visit Mum, or go to the Bahamas on your vacation?) during that time and not have to use up vacation time like a typical rat racer does. I can do both in the same shift!
I never want to go back to working 9-5. No time off until your measly yearly vacation. The 2 lousy days off on the weekend isn’t near enough to recover from the BS put up with during the week. It is a slow death.
I could work they day shift ( either 6-2 or 7-3 ) anytime I choose. I haven’t so chosen in over a dozen years. I also prefer a split weekend - I find it is always preferable to have at least one weekday off and then a socializing day you can spend with “normals” ;).
Granted my social life has steadily withered over the years to relatively small circle of RL firends ( luckily these days three of them live within 100 ft of me ) and my health almost certainly has suffered a tad ( weird sleeping and poorer eating habits ), but thankfully I’m enough of a lone wolf to tolerate the social aspects and hey…nobody lives forever :).
i could DEFINITELY do 4-midnight, because that’s when i’m really at my best. i am so NOT a morning person, and in my job now i’m up at 6:30. i love the night time. but as i said before my boyfriend is on the night shift, so i get to live a double life.
i wouldn’t like missing tv shows, and not having weeknights to do anything, but still, i would love to sleep in everyday till noon
