Careers on the Night Shift

There is a whole economy of people working while you are sleeping. Most employees work during the day, but the workforce at night operates from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day. Shifts can be split up to include evening hours which run until approximately 10 p.m., overnight hours, which go until 3 a.m. and early morning hours which run between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. Who are these people and where do they work?

Types of Night Careers and Employees
Almost all jobs are the same in the daytime as in the nighttime. These are professions such as police, doctors, nurses, truck drivers, customer service agents, security guards, reporters, restaurant servers and airport personnel. Many places are open because they are preparing for the next day. This is especially true for news stations, newspapers, magazines, and bakeries. Other places are open because they provide a necessary service.

People who choose to work at night in these fields do so for the convenience or because that is the only shift for which the company is hiring. They don’t mind working after dark because they need the income, a second job, or they need to be home during the day. Some will take a 2nd or 3rd shift position to get into a company, hoping later to move to a day shift. It takes a special type of person, however, to work when their body wants to be sleeping. Our bodies are designed to follow a circadian rhythm and we can experience deleterious health effects if we force ourselves to say awake. This is not to say that we cannot adjust to sleeping during the day, but not everyone can do it well.

Evening
While these careers can be found at all hours, there are some that are more particular to certain shifts. For instance bars, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters, and casinos usually hire people to work from 6 to 10 p.m. Many businesses stay open after 5 p.m. to accommodate their customers. You will see eateries, grocery stores, hair salons, gyms, and music or theater venues and media stations operating in the evening.

Overnight
There are other types of businesses that find it necessary to stay open overnight. Emergency services are available to everyone at any time. Manufacturers have production lines creating products to fill orders. Transportation and warehouses employ people nonstop to move inventory, people and products to stores and destinations.

Finding Work
If you think you can handle working unconventional hours, almost any job you desire can be found at night. You just have to decide what you would like to do and where you can go. Are you a professional? Do you have a specialty? Are you an entry-level worker? Do you need extra training to fit the job market?

After you have examined your skill set, look around and see the companies near you. You may not be aware of all the little businesses tucked away in your city. Almost every town has restaurants and entertainment. It is also likely that there are hospitals nearby. If you are in a populated area, there might be casinos or airports. Certain towns have at least one large manufacturing concern. One way to determine a list of businesses is to stop at the local Chamber of Commerce. Another way is to visit the local American Job Center. http://www.careeronestop.org/localhelp/americanjobcenters/find-american-job-centers.aspx
Finally, look at our job board for immediate job openings and apply online.