Should I get a second job? Where?

July 13, 2008 2:32 PM

Should I get a second job, and should I work retail? Suggestions as to where? I have a full-time job now with benefits, I work basically 10 - 6:30, but this is an expensive city (DC) and I'm having a hard time saving money. Since I'm in the web development field, a natural fit would be freelance on content-migration projects. But I've done that and it depresses me to go home and sit in front of a computer alone slogging away at code, after I've just spent 8 hours sitting in front of a computer. What should I do?

So, retail? I've never waited tables and don't want to do that. Any retail places you'd recommend to work? Or is there something else part-time that makes sense to look for as a second job, which would get me out of the house, offer evening or weekend hours (I could also do a really early shift ending at or before 10)? I am really good at juggling a lot of small tasks at once and keeping track of all the details.. and a very good copy editor/proofreader. Are there likely to be office temp jobs that are open during the hours outside my regular job, if I go that route?

posted by citron to Work & Money (29 answers total)

At a summer job at a department store, I met a guy who worked during the week as a tech at a chip fab plant. On the weekends, he worked on the loading dock at the store. It was a nice change of pace for him, got him some extra money, and a 20% store discount.

So my vote isn't for retail on the sales floor, but retail behind the scenes. Lower stress, in my opinion.
posted by zippy at 2:48 PM on July 13, 2008

When you say "retail", do you mean working in a supermarket or Walmart's or Target? Large conglomerates that are open very late (or 24 hours) are probably the only ones who will be able to work with you on the evening schedule. And working Walmart or similar sucks hard.

Also, you say you are against waitering, but keep in mind you can be taking a pretty drastic pay cut for making that choice. Retail is not going to pay more than minimum wage, so even if you are working all weekend you are not going to be making a significant amount to pack away. If you are at a nice place and are willing to put in the work to get good at your job you can easily make twice that or more being a waiter. And really, being able to juggle a billion small tasks and keeping track of the details is GREAT for the restaurant business.
posted by Anonymous at 2:54 PM on July 13, 2008

It might actually make more sense to evaluate your budget and look at trade offs. I also live in an expensive city, so I understand what you mean.

Other than that, I wonder if you could do some sort of consulting, where you could spend a lot of face time with clients. You'd still spend some time in front of a computer, but perhaps $50 or $75 an hour (or much more, if you're more senior) would offset that. Working 6 hours a week for $50 = $16k a year, whereas you'd have to work about 15 hours if you made $20/hr.
posted by acoutu at 2:54 PM on July 13, 2008

I live in DC and needed extra money when I came here as an intern. Since I was just out of school, retail was my only option. I worked at Hecht's which are all now Macy's. They treated me pretty well. They were very happy to have someone who wanted to work evenings and weekends. I worked behind the costume jewelry counter and I think that was good. It sounded much rougher to work in a clothing section because at the end of the night there is so much work involved in hanging everything up again. You'd probably get $9 an hour plus a 20% discount. (That worked out to be really good when things went on clearance.) Shoes, cosmetics and fine jewelry are commission based and they often make more.

As for copy editing and proofreading, I'd try route first as it is likely to pay better. You should call The Creative Group and Boss Staffing. They are always looking for proofreaders and are likely to have these positions. Some may be evenings or weekends. A friend in NYC has had a second job as a proofreader/editor for a major magazine for years. She works through a staffing agency and only works nights after her day job.
posted by i_love_squirrels at 3:01 PM on July 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: No, not going to move. I like my full time job, but have only had this one for about two months, it's a progressive nonprofit so the pay is not high compared to other places, but that's the trade off. I think a part of this question is also trying to find a way to occupy some of my free time in a productive way, the possibilities are overwhelming and it's too easy to just go out and spend money in the evenings, honestly.
posted by citron at 3:02 PM on July 13, 2008

BTW I'd like to second acoutu and suggest looking for ways to cut your budget if possible. I'm guessing as a web developer you are making decent money but maybe could find a few ways to spend less?
posted by i_love_squirrels at 3:06 PM on July 13, 2008

I was in your position in DC last summer. I took a job onboard the MV Odyssey III weekends and evenings working on the marine crew. Great job if you don't mind relatively low pay ($9-10/hr) and standing for long periods in a naval uniform. It's tough work, but it makes for great stories. I'm unsure whether or not they're hiring right now, but there are other boats on the SW waterfront and I'm sure one of them would take you on. Send me a mefi-mail if you're interested and I'll give you a little more info.
posted by The White Hat at 3:15 PM on July 13, 2008

Being in your non-profit job for just two months is a strange arc. I live in DC and have had the exact same experience twice and it's not fun. I ended up doing consulting to make enough to pay off some debt but I flirted with second jobs continuously. One of the problems with non-profits, like many jobs, is that when you are a tech person you can get sucked into working extra hours because of higher-ups who are evangelical for the cause.

My advice to you is to network. In fact next week, Care2 is having a networking night in Adams Morgan which would be a great time to pick up some freelance work and some consulting.

I've messaged you the info. If others want it, mail me.
posted by parmanparman at 3:36 PM on July 13, 2008

On a dollars per hour basis, you will make more in 1 or 2 hours of freelance / consulting than you will in an 8 hour retail shift.
posted by COD at 3:41 PM on July 13, 2008

As COD notes, working retail on your feet for four hours for at most $40 will soon seem foolish when you can make the same in a hour in a comfy chair working freelance.

But the real answer is to polish up your skills and get a day job that pays decently. I dunno exactly what you do, but a tech field job in DC ought to pay you enough to live on. If it doesn't, either your job skills are below par, or your negotiating skills are.

Or maybe web dev isn't your field, and you need to start to make a career in something else.

If you insist on moonlighting, bartending will probbaly pay best.
posted by orthogonality at 3:52 PM on July 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I am *very unhappy* doing freelance in a comfy chair.
posted by citron at 3:55 PM on July 13, 2008

Response by poster: I work for a progressive organization and I believe in the mission of the organization, so I want to work here, but the pay is not terrific. I had a job in this field for a couple years previously and switched not long ago. The pay scale is similiar to a lot of nonprofits in DC. It doesn't mean I am in the wrong field. I think I would *enjoy* the right kind of second job. But I could get by fine without taking one instead of taking one I would hate and would make me unhappy.

Like I said, I am cool with sitting in front of a computer 8 or 9 hours a day working with colleagues who I like very much, but I am not cool with going home and working on a computer in my apartment for longer, I just can't do it, they could pay me $100/hour, wouldn't matter. I don't consider it foolish when being on my feet and interacting with people for a couple hours a day is something I like, whereas sitting on my ass at home, for an extra couple hours, I hate.
posted by citron at 4:04 PM on July 13, 2008

Maybe you should check with a tax prep expert to see how much supplemental income it would take to bump you into a higher tax bracket. You don't want to waste your evenings and weekends working retail, only to discover on April 15 that you now have to pay a hell of lot more in taxes. It might make a difference in deciding what type of work you'd be willing to put up with. Do you want to work at Target, for example, and net less than minimum wage? Probably not.

Are there likely to be office temp jobs that are open during the hours outside my regular job, if I go that route?

Sure there are. I once worked for a freight company that had an entire night staff charged with processing bills of lading and other shipping documents. Banks have night crews that process paperwork and there are plenty of firms with 24-hour customer service hotlines which must be staffed.
posted by HotPatatta at 4:05 PM on July 13, 2008

Response by poster: Also.. I could totally spend less. One of my plans for doing that was to occupy some of my time at a second job! That way I wouldn't spend it, er, spending money. I've done a bit of retail work before and though some of it sucked, sometimes it was fun, and interesting, and left me with quite a few entertaining stories to tell. I did check on taxes and fortunately or unfortunately, I have plenty of leeway for the next tax bracket, no worries on that one. :)

Thank you for all the replies everyone, by the way - lots to think about!
posted by citron at 4:09 PM on July 13, 2008

What sort of stuff do you like? Stores will be hiring part-timers soon for the Christmas rush. Employees usually get a discount. You might have a skill you could tutor kids in. If you like the challenge, buying stuff cheap and reselling on ebay can be profitable. Like the bar scene? Learn to bartend. Or, given that you want to manage your time, volunteer to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. Whatever you do, try to do it in an environment where you'll meet people who have some similar interests.
posted by theora55 at 4:27 PM on July 13, 2008

I worked at RadioShack for quite a while. It sucked as a full time job but I saw some people make some good money even as part time. One caveat of course, you have to like to talk to people and you have to be willing to try to sell cell phones to everyone who walks in the door.
posted by CwgrlUp at 5:28 PM on July 13, 2008

You don't want to waste your evenings and weekends working retail, only to discover on April 15 that you now have to pay a hell of lot more in taxes.

Moving to a higher tax bracket doesn't mean all of your income is magically taxed at the new rate. Only income above and beyond the lower limit is taxed at the new rate.

Don't ever let that stop you from getting more income.
posted by mkultra at 6:18 PM on July 13, 2008

Pet-sitting? Put up flyers around the neighborhood, care for the animals in the morning hours and evening hours, maybe even lunch hours if that's convenient. You can charge more than you would make retailing, get out-and-about walking dogs, it's easy, and you can do it on your own time. Perhaps worth a shot?
posted by greta simone at 6:29 PM on July 13, 2008

i'm in your shoes right now. so i hear you. dc IS an expensive city.

i'm reluctant to get a retail job, but there are certain stores i wouldn't mind working in if only for the potential employee discount/benefits. lush, mainly, or even apple. or even a barnes and noble. one thing i would recommend is trying to get a job with ample parking or very easy metro access. my boyfriend worked at the books-a-million in old town for awhile (free books!) and parking was a drag every.single.day.

i find that retail-wise, the smaller, locally-owned businesses usually pay a bit less, but you get a better experience out of them. good luck!
posted by kerning at 6:34 PM on July 13, 2008

Freelancing doesn't have to mean you're at a computer. You could mostly do meetings with clients, teach, coach, etc. I know more than person who has built an entire consulting business based on face-to-face contact. The only time they go to the computer is for email. You might find it makes more sense to do consulting/freelance in an area that doesn't put you behind a computer.
posted by acoutu at 8:25 PM on July 13, 2008

Tutoring or test prep?
posted by egg drop at 8:38 PM on July 13, 2008

To continue with egg drop's idea - you could sign up as a tutor at the local college. If you're close to a college with an athletic department, see if you can sign up to be an athletic tutor (the pay is markedly higher, in my experience).
You might be able to do some teaching work (I'm thinking basic computer use classes), perhaps at a job training center?
Are you crafty, or athletic? You could teach courses at the community center.
Be careful, too, that if you take up another job you're not giving up the down time you need to be productive and happy the rest of the time. I can't do it, so I live pretty simply.
posted by queseyo at 9:16 PM on July 13, 2008

sounds like you need to find a barista job. i've worked for both local and corporate. getting a gig a an indie place will put you on the super cool list and there is usually an awesome vibe in a place like that. while working at a bux would allow you to pick up benefits (if you need 'em, you'll have to put in 20 hours a week) and a pound of coffee/box of tea every week. in either place, you'd get the chance to interact with people, which is what it sounds like you want to do. i've met some deliciously wonderful people during my tenure as barista, including my feller.
posted by ms.jones at 10:22 PM on July 13, 2008 [2 favorites]

Could teach or tutor on evenings or weekends (either in your field or in a literacy or GED program, for instance) at a local high school or community college?
posted by nax at 7:10 AM on July 14, 2008

If you insist on moonlighting, bartending will probbaly pay best.

Bartending is a fantastically social job. In fact, I would put it as the opposite of sitting in a comfy chair and freelancing. If you find the right joint and get good at it, working only weekend nights seems to fit your schedule and can be pretty lucrative.

Consider, though, that you'll be giving up your free time to hang out with boozers.
posted by GPF at 7:54 AM on July 14, 2008

I'm late to the party, but I currently work two jobs (day job at a nonprofit and night job to help pay the bills) and have since 2003. So here's my advice.

I chose my second job on the basis of two things: 1) compensation, and 2) flexibility. Few things suck more than knowing you are due at your second job at 6pm and it being 530pm and finding yourself unable to walk out the door from your first job. Before I quit my last day job and moved to this one, I ended up with written warnings about attendance from my night job, simply because my daytime employer had such trouble understanding that I needed to leave at a specific time.

Under 1) I purposefully listed "compensation" rather than "Pay" because compensation -- especially in retail -- can take a number of different forms. For someone who loves to read, that 20% bookstore discount might be just the ticket. For a tech head, a second job in an Apple store or some similar location might do the trick. For someone who craves social interaction, being a bartender or working in some similar highly-social environment might provide needed stimulation in addition to a paycheck.

The extra money can become addictive, though, even long after you know you should quit. For me, working two jobs was supposed to be just a temporary thing, but then we unexpectedly needed a new car, then had a baby, then I changed jobs (at which time the "extra" job was a much-needed safety net), all of which led to me putting off looking for a job that actually pays, you know, enough much longer than I should have.

Finally, the structure of working for two masters can take some getting used to. Be prepared for people to sort of look down on you as though it was somehow 'uncool' to work two jobs. Be prepared to miss events that you'd like to attend because you have to work. Be prepared to be exhausted if you have a run of days where your second job wants you on the weekend, so you end up working twelve or more days in a row. On the other hand, also be prepared to meet new chalenges, have more pocket money, and learn new skills.
posted by anastasiav at 8:32 AM on July 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Taking a second job because of the discount it affords is a bad idea, IMO; the exception is working somewhere you can get basic necessities (read: groceries) from. That iPod/shirt/book may come with a 10/20/30% discount, but you're still spending the rest when, the point is to be earning more to make ends meet.
posted by mkultra at 8:51 AM on July 14, 2008

Seconding ms.jones, although I have mostly done this in a few different coffee carts rather than in a cafe. Being a barista is chill work, easy enough, and for me was pretty relaxing at the end of a day filled with assholes in an office. Plus there are daily tips.

(Bonus tip if you go this route: avoid those oddities with food, if you can. The only part I hated about those jobs was making and handling hot dogs.)
posted by alpha_betty at 9:13 AM on July 14, 2008

Taking a second job because of the discount it affords is a bad idea, IMO;

True, but in choosing between a number of possible second jobs, taking into account perks like a discount on stuff you'd be buying anhow (be it books, clothes, or an ipod) vs. another job is a consideration.
posted by anastasiav at 11:07 AM on July 14, 2008