I just tallied up the total extra income I earned last month from my second job. A little over $800. It’s not quite as much as I made delivering pizzas, but it will do. The nature of my current moonlighting gig is much different than my pizzeria job. With this new gig, I can mostly work from home and I charge a much higher hourly rate than I earned delivering pizzas. But I work fewer hours, and I do not have a steady stream of work, so I have to deal more with monthly income fluctuations. Since I work full-time during the week, I tend to complete the projects for my second job at night and on weekends.
In some ways, it’s harder than delivering pizzas.
When I delivered pizza, I had a definite schedule, and therefore, I did not need to give myself a pep talk or find the motivation to do my work. I simply went to work. Now, I have the option to procrastinate on projects since I don’t have anyone looking over my shoulder. My only responsibility is to get things done by their due dates. How and when I accomplish this is entirely up to me.
When I delivered pizza, I had a definite schedule, and therefore, I did not need to give myself a pep talk or find the motivation to do my work. I simply went to work. Now, I have the option to procrastinate on projects since I don’t have anyone looking over my shoulder. My only responsibility is to get things done by their due dates. How and when I accomplish this is entirely up to me.
Now I am sitting here with two projects hanging over my head. Both are due tomorrow and it will likely take about four hours total to complete them. If I start now, I can be done while there is still daylight. But finding the motivation to work on Sunday is kind of like watching PBS NewsHour. I know it will make me a better person in the end, but I can think of a million better things I’d rather be doing.
Music tends to motivate me, so what I’ve done is compile a playlist of songs about work. Some of them (ok, most) have pretty bleak lyrics, but they’re still motivating because they’re catchy, honest, and written about people who probably have it a helluva lot worse than I do. Here they are, enjoy!
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC (ok this one’s about a different sort of work, but I still like it)
I love your playlist and I can relate BIG TIME to your procrastination issues. I am an independent contractor and therefore, my second job is much like yours - get it done by a certain date, no other parameters to take into account. That is just a recipe for procrastination right there!
ReplyDeleteYou may want to add to your playlist:
Fire When Ready by Perfect Stranger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4gVv7cO274
National Working Woman's Holiday by Sammy Kershaw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hDvXk2X-1M&ob=av2e
Thanks for the song suggestions! Love Fire When Ready. I think that song was written about the attorney position I quit two years ago. :p
ReplyDeleteWorking Woman's Holiday is good, too. Sort of a "pat yourself on the back for working so hard" kind of song.
And I sort of underestimated how long it was going to take to finish my projects. Eight hours into it, I realized I was going to have to get up early today to finish before work. Yikes!
I know plenty of MSWs and other Master's degree-holders who are working second jobs. But "higher education" is a great investment, right?
ReplyDeleteBest. Investment. Ever.
ReplyDeleteI know a few MSW's and masters in [humanities]. You know what they're all doing now? Going into nursing. I swear, healthcare is going to be the next bubble. I've even considered nursing myself, but what I've learned from the law school debacle is not to earn a degree simply because I think it will get me a job and financial security. I also need fulfillment from what I do or I'm only going to be miserable.
I would love to hear what kinds of second jobs these advanced degree holders are getting, Nando...
One lady has held up signs for Little Caesar's Pizza. She said that she gets $25 cash each night, for 3-4 hours of work. (Usually, I see Hispanic men dancing on the side of the road, in order to attract attention.) One of my co-workers worked at a university clinic, but she could only get 1-2 shifts per month. According to her, plenty of other MSWs are fighting over shifts which reduces everyone's opportunities.
ReplyDeleteAnother of my wife's co-workers is employed at a used furniture store on the weekends. One guy is an usher or vendor for the local AAA baseball team. I have STRONGLY CONSIDERED working part-time at the McDonald's down the road from my house. However, I have never worked in a restaurant - let alone a fast food joint. The bigger obstacle is that my work schedule is odd. Sometimes, I need to work weekends or attend city council meetings on evenings. I knew one former scamblogger who worked the ticket booth for an NBA team.
"Higher education" is merely meant to serve the "professors," administrators, board of trustees or regents, politicians, developers, construction crews, etc. - not the students. Much in the same way that "the war on poverty" is not designed to end poverty, but to provide work for legions and bloated salaries for non-profit managers.
Lastly, when I was at Third Tier Drake, I had one call center job after my first year. A classmate - who BARELY missed law review - was also on my call center team. One girl was almost finished with her Master's degree from Drake University. Another woman was a licensed nurse. Due to budget cuts, she reported being overworked one night. Some 300 pound man needed to be turned over in his hospital bed. She pulled some back muscles (spasm?) and the hospital let her go. (Apparently, she got a small settlement from the bastards.) It is a dangerous, strenuous job, and I would rather take drive through orders at McD's than work as a nurse.
I value the blog.Thanks Again. Awesome.
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