About working two jobs . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

It seems to me that working two jobs is not the desired way to earn one's living. It seems to me that working two jobs could be the result of a few things.

One could work two jobs because one cannot find a single job that allows one to make ends meet. That's probably the most common reason, although I don't actually know that to be a fact.

One could work two jobs because one wants to get something extra. One could work a second job for a few years to save for the down payment on a house. One could work a second job to get the down payment on a car - or maybe the whole price of the car. It could be to put a kid through college. All good enough reasons.

One could work because one has an propensity to acquisitiveness and self indulgence. A boat. New teevees. Extra beer to drink in the barcalounger in front of three teevees tuned to different sports events. That sort of thing.

Apart from the third option, America used to promise no need for the first two. Apart from the third, no one should be satisfied if life causes them to *need* to work two jobs.

America used to be better than that. The haves are most definitely taking it away from the wanna-haves.

I read on a right wing site, some moron proudly telling the world he works two jobs and has done so for a long time. Kudos for thinking he's doing something to be proud of. Too bad he has no clue that he shouldn't *have* to work two jobs to live a decent life. Unless, of course, he's in the third category.

How many here work two jobs?

How many here see working two jobs as something desirable?

[peace frog]

1. ...or three jobs

To quote Commander Codpiece: "Uniquely American, isn't it."

[FSogol]

2. I have two. n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

3. By choice? Of necessity?

[FSogol]

9. Sending 2 sons thru college without them or me incuring debt.

I do part time consulting from home in addition to my 9-5 (hah) job.

[SheilaT]

4. About a year and a half ago I had two part time jobs

because I hadn't yet found one full-time job. I was working probably not quite forty hours a week altogether.

The biggest hassle was travelling between the two, even though I live in a relative small city (Santa Fe, NM) and the two jobs weren't all that far apart. It made me realize that the issues of working more than one job go far beyond the money aspect of it. There's an inconvenience tax as well.

There are also those who work as much overtime as they can get at the workplace, because they need or want the money. In that case it's like a second job, only the actual hours are erratic, and there's not the part about driving to another workplace.

Personally, I try to work as little as possible, because the things that matter the most to me are not happening at the job.

When I was a small child my father worked a second job for some months -- I think less than a year -- to earn the money for a down payment on a house.

[eilen]

5. I have 2 jobs but they are in the same place

and I occasionally get overtime.

I could work one of them full time but then I would have to give up the other and I really like it. It is a different pace and works on a higher level in that we can make a difference in how a particular patient looks at their health and is more focused on preventing acute crisis. The first one I enjoy too but if I did it fulltime, I would drop, the second one is slower paced. Both managers are great and my colleagues are professional (some less than others but overall a good group).

[MedicalAdmin]

6. I work the hours of 2. 5 jobs.

I am part owner and administrator of a medical clinic. I work about 100 hours a week and I haven't drawn a salary in several years. There are several reasons for this, but that main one is that I refuse to sacrifice quality for patients and that would be caused by letting go of any of the other staff. As income is down, that means that I had to cut somewhere.

I talked to my wife about this and she was OK with it. It'll either pay off someday, or it won't, but in the meantime I sleep well at night and am fine looking in a mirror.


However, during my adult life I have mostly worked 2 jobs to get by. I am Gen X. And the kids coming up now have it LOTS worse than I did and I thought my life was hard growing up and finding a job post college. It was nothing compared to now. We need to do whatever we need to to fix this shit of we won't just lose a generation, we will lose it all.

[slackmaster]

7. My policy is to have one GOOD job that pays well.

I recommend it.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. No doubt we would all like that.

Those types of jobs are harder to find these days.

[KG]

8. 1 FT, 2 PT. and still don't make as much as i did before the housing crash.

i'm in my 50's. i'm tired, and i should be past all this kinda shit...

[Nikia]

11. It could be smart if one of the jobs is in a field that you want to make a career of

But is seasonal, part time, or pays very little. Sometimes this can lead to enough experience and/or contacts to get a good full time in the desired field, enabling one to quit their "day job". This might be smart for new graduates or career changers.