Thinking about getting a job soon? Have you really considered all your options?
Working overnights had never crossed my mind. I had been working as an assistant soccer coach for three years until the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020. Due to the mandatory quarantine all across the country, I was left without a job as I was finishing my last few months of high school. I knew college was up my alley, so I applied to any job that was available, including an overnight position at Lowe’s. To my surprise, I was reached out to for the position as an overnight stocker, and from May 2020 to December 2023, Lowe’s became my second home. I managed working overnights full-time while committing to college for almost four years. It was tough at times, but I think my experience taught me a lot and shaped me into a better person that perhaps I wouldn’t have become if I would’ve landed a job during the day. Working overnights isn’t for everybody, but I’m thankful I got to experience it at a young age. Here are the reasons why an overnight job can benefit your life:
#1: You improve your time management skills and learn how to prioritize
Balancing work and school are as hard as it is, but balancing overnight work and school is on a whole different level. You’re basically sleeping when everyone else is awake and vice versa. You’re pretty much forced to prioritize everything in your life, from family and friends to your partner to your academics. Above all, I learned to prioritize my health. I had to make sure I took classes that would allow me to rest at least 7 hours a day most of the week. Of course, there were some classes that were only offered early in the morning, so I had to gut my way to class on little sleep, but on those days I made sure I had time to take a nap in between classes or after school was done. I made sure to leave some time throughout the day to communicate with my girlfriend and on some occasions I made sure to leave some time to catch up with friends.
I always planned my weeks in advance and whenever possible, I would knock out the following week’s assignments for classes to give me extra cushion for other things. Weekends were used to sleep in as much as possible and finish as much homework as possible for the next week. Staying ahead of my classes was vital to my success in college. In addition to sleep, eating was my other health priority. A lot of times I was barely hungry because of how occupied I was, but I reminded myself to eat as much as possible to avoid health problems. I think my biggest takeaway from working overnights was that it made me more responsible. Working overnights pushed me hard to manage my time better, which is an important skill to have in life.
#2: You realize who really cares about you
Of course, my family was fundamental in the whole overnight lifestyle working out successfully for me. Nothing beats the fact of waking up to lunch or arriving home to dinner without having to worry about cooking or buying something. My parents would always encourage me to rest before going to work and my mom would always make sure I had lunch to bring to work to make sure I was eating enough. The thing about overnights is that you realize who your true friends are. I got to see who would make time to hangout in alliance to my schedule and who would check up on me from time to time. There were some people that would make it feel like they forgot about me until I showed my face at their door. The kind of people that only seek you when they need something or want something from you. The same went for some family, but it’s clearer with friends.
#3: You learn what motivates you
There were many times I had to wake up on one or two hours of sleep to go to class or an appointment. Imagine taking a test on one hour of sleep, and on top of that imagine getting home late from work before the exam because of how busy it was or the traffic. I would be so annoyed sometimes that I didn’t know how I was going to push through the day. At my lowest points during my spell at Lowe’s was when I dug deep to find motivation to push forward. Whether it was to graduate early, or to see my girlfriend on the weekend, or to work towards a vacation, feeling the pressure of working during the night and going to school during the day really pushes you to find ways to motivate yourself.
I think finding motivation to do things wouldn’t have been a challenge if I worked during the day. It would’ve been a more comfortable lifestyle, but as they always say, pressure makes diamonds.
#4: You get better practice driving if you’re a fresh new driver
This may not relate to everybody, but for me, when I first started working at Lowe’s I had just gotten my license. In fact, the first time I drove alone was on my way to work. In Staten Island, the traffic is calm once it hits past 8pm, especially on the highway. I felt so much more comfortable driving at night with less traffic than during the day with all the road rage and sometimes crazy drivers. My route to work was mainly all highway, so after one week I felt great driving anywhere on the highway, such as to Brooklyn or New Jersey. The way back home was always calm as well, unless I got out late. I feel like driving in the dark helped me feel safe behind the wheel and turned me into a good driver. Not to mention during the summer it felt great driving with the windows down at sunset and sunrise!
#5: You value what you had when you were awake during the day
I look back at my time working overnights and I remember all the times I thought to myself how much I didn’t appreciate a normal life. Sleeping in during the day prevents you from watching games, going to church, going to the supermarket with your family, going to a museum, and so much more. The daylight in itself brings you more happiness in my opinion. The worst part of the year was winter, because I would go to bed in the dark and sometimes wake up in the dark. It’s hard to plan activities with friends most of the time since they are awake in the day, but like I mentioned earlier, it allows you to see who’s there for you. I think we all need a wakeup call from time to time to value the things we have.
BONUS: You get to work more days
I was able to work five days a week overnights. I think it’s so much easier to work more when you have to work overnight because you take most classes during the morning and afternoon then late at night. Most people I know worked only on weekends because they had their classes throughout the day all week. Most classes we need to graduate aren’t offered at night. Even the ones that were offered at night for me gave me enough time to go to work after. I was lucky enough to go to school locally for my degree because it saved me so much time in my commute and I could drive straight to work when necessary.
Jobs during the day require you to change your shifts most of the time throughout the week, whereas overnights you have the same schedule all week. It’s much easier to plan a week when you know you’re always going to punch in at the same time. If you want to work more while you’re in college, consider overnights. I mean who doesn’t need the extra money!
I hope this provided some insight into why an overnight job can be transformative. It’s definitely not for everyone and not everyone will have the same conditions I did when I worked overnight, so consider your options carefully. If you have the determination, the transportation, and the capacity to try overnight shifts in college, go for it. I’ll be rooting for you!
