Applicant Tree

Whenever we talk about work the hours nine to five pop into our heads. But not all people have the schedule that society considers to be the norm. Security, law enforcement, transportation, and casino jobs all require night owls to keep business running smoothly until the sun rises the next day. Do people actually prefer working the night shift? What are the pros and cons of such awkward hours?

My best friend recently switched from working the day shift to the 11 pm to 9 am night shift. This change has affected our friendship and our time spent together drastically. My friend works in a home helping mentally challenged girls with life’s everyday tasks. She gets home in the morning and will do errands and hang out until she goes to bed in the afternoon. She will usually wake up around 7 pm and leave for work around 10 pm. This means that I get a 3 hour window to hang out with my friend at night when we are both home from work. She rarely gets any good sleep and is too tired and cranky to hang out. The cons from working a night shift can be lack of social life, insomnia and health problems.

The cons might have you thinking why would any sane person want these hours but there are a lot of pros that come with the third shift. My best friend has a lot of down time. When she goes to the house at 11 pm all of the girls are sleeping. She doesn’t have to wake them up and start cooking and cleaning until 5 am! For truckers and law enforcement it is just as slow and this means time to read a book, watch TV, or study. Not only is work slower and more relaxed, but there is no traffic to deal with. The commute is easier and you get off of work in the morning when stores are opening and you can do your errands or grocery shopping right away.

There are many pros and cons to consider when thinking about working the night shift. Is it worth it to you to not have to deal with cranky customers in return for your night life with friends taken away? It is all about where your priorities lie and if the night shift will help make your life easier or not in the end.