Working Many Jobs to Pay the Bills

Good news! I picked up another part time shift. As a reminder, in addition to my day job, I work sporadically at three different places: one intermittently throughout the year, one three weeks out of the year (one of which is next week) and one every now and again whenever they are desperate and need someone. I had kept this upcoming weekend free because it is my mother's birthday, but it turned out we are just getting together Sunday night for dinner. That meant my Saturday night was free to pick up a shift. I'm glad because not only can I really use the work, but it also helps out a friend of mine, so all around it is a good thing!

You know, when I first started thinking about a part time job, I was thinking mostly about getting an actual 20 hour a week regular job. I was considering seeing if any stores were hiring, including the little convenience store around the corner from my house. I have tons of experience in retail, so I was thinking about that, or possibly even restaurant work, (though food service has never appealed to me before.) The problem is that I work an odd schedule at my day job (10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) and that would mean trying to pick up extra work on the weekends or finding some place that would need someone from 8:00 p.m. to midnight or something. I have to admit, that didn't exactly appeal. Thank goodness I found another option...

Through my friends Mary Jo, Shelly and Roseanne, I found work that fits my schedule completely. I don't know that ordinarily I would have thought of having several small part time jobs, rather than one regular one, but it has really worked out. In fact, now that I have been doing it for awhile, I think a traditional second job would have really wore me out. This way I have time off and my schedule is pretty flexible. It allows me to make sure that I am keeping some sort of balance in my life.

One of the added benefits to my jobs is how they bring me in contact with other wonderful people. I feel like I have a tremendous social network of friends and good acquaintances. Most know about my financial situation. Years ago I would have found that embarrassing, but now I accept it. I don't feel ashamed of my situation, "it is what it is." Furthermore, I don't know many people who haven't been hit by the recession in some way or another. I also think my honesty about it has helped other people to feel comfortable talking about their situation with me, and that has brought us together. It has also brought an enormous amount of support. I cannot even begin to list all the ways that friends and family has helped me!

Working like this does occasionally make for a busy schedule, but I'll tell you, the many benefits make it all worth while.



Photo by: Katherine of Chicago