To quit my second job, or not to quit my second job?

[RoJoHen]

Howdy!

As some of you probably know, I have been a bartender for [most of] the last 5 years.

About 2 months ago, I started a new full-time job at a school, but I kept my bartending job one night per week as a source of extra income and to allow me to keep cash in my pocket (I hate using my debit/credit card and would always rather have cash on me). I also kept my bartending job as a way to keep my foot in the door in case my new job didn't work out.

However, my new job is working out just fine. I'm not making great money at the moment, but it's an awesome company with good people, and there is a lot of potential for growth down the road.

Monday has been my bartending night. I work with the same people, and it's always been my most consistently fun and lucrative night, but it is just starting to wear me out. Even just doing it once a week throws off my diet and sleep schedule for the whole week. I work 9 hours at my new job and then have to go straight to bartending for another 5-6 hours, and I'm lucky if I have time for more than one meal throughout the day.

I think I'm just trying to decide if it's worth it to keep bartending for a while of if I should just say goodbye and focus on my one job. I'd take a hit to my income, but it also might force me to be a little more financially responsible. I dunno...I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.

Anybody here have two jobs? Are they both part-time, or is one or both of them full-time jobs?

 

[MANT!]

Had 2 jobs for over 2 years, mostly as a way to pay off some back child support after a period of unemployment. As my primary job's pay became better and better, I eventually didn't go to the 2nd job so much, however a manager at the Radio Shack where I had my second job was stealing stuff out the back room and as the corporate watchdogs got closer, he started firing part time employees as a way to throw them off for a while longer...SO right about the time I didn't need that job any longer, he fired me...


I will tell you this, having 2 jobs was exhausting, and added excessive stress to my week, so I was damn glad to be rid of it...

 

[Spot's Meow]

It's hard to say what you should do. It sounds like you are already starting to feel more tired and stressed because of the second job, and I feel like that will probably get worse over time rather than better. It would probably start to wear you down and your health or well-being may decline. Or, you may still be in a transition period and things may get easier as you settle into the new routine more. So I guess if I were you I would wait it out another month or two and see how I felt at that point. If you are still very tired and worn down from that extra time bartending then I would quit.

I have had two jobs at the same time. In fact, in my last semester in grad school, I had two jobs, was taking a full course load, and writing my thesis at the same time. It was very tough. The only reason I was willing to put myself through all of that was because I knew it would be temporary. Soon my thesis would be done, I would graduate, and one of my jobs would be ending. If I knew that I would be keeping the two jobs indefinitely I'm not sure I would have been so willing to put up with the extra hassle.

Also think about the reasons why are you are still bartending. After all, did you really want to continue doing it forever? It sounds like (from this and past threads of yours) that you would like to move on to new career choices. Bartending is like a connection to something you are comfortable with and can rely on, but it has to end at some point (unless you truly do want to be a bartender as your career). The extra cash sounds nice, but is it worth it? You have to decide if your time is more valuable than extra spending money at this point.

 

[Captain_Nick]

I'm in exactly the same position as you are, only I work more than one shift a week in my second job. On Fridays I race straight from the office to the pizza shop and work basically for 13 or 14 hours in a row. The extra money is awesome, but I do work seven days a week and that can get a little tiring. Of course I don't work when the footy is on. Lucky for me the store owner supports the same club I do so getting time off is never a problem.

I have thought about giving up the pizza job but at this point I couldn't afford it.

 

[RoJoHen]

Also think about the reasons why are you are still bartending. After all, did you really want to continue doing it forever? It sounds like (from this and past threads of yours) that you would like to move on to new career choices. Bartending is like a connection to something you are comfortable with and can rely on, but it has to end at some point (unless you truly do want to be a bartender as your career). The extra cash sounds nice, but is it worth it? You have to decide if your time is more valuable than extra spending money at this point.

Well, to be perfectly honest, I love bartending, and I could totally do it forever. I just really don't want to do it at TGI Fridays, and I don't want to do it on top of another job. I would love to, ultimately, own my own bar and do that for a living. I just have no way to really get started with that at the moment.

I am probably going to quit. With summer right around the corner, we will start to keep the bar open later, and that means an even longer work day and even less sleep for me. The biggest thing that has been suffering right now is my fitness. I love going to the gym and weightlifting, but it's hard when I'm so exhausted for half the week.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

How old are you and what are your priorities? If you feel you still have many possibilities in the future and plenty of time for it it may be just as good a decision to enjoy yourself and the extra money you are getting. If you are starting to feel you need to lay the groundwork for your future than you should definitely devote your full energy and resources to the new job.

 

[RoJoHen]

How old are you and what are your priorities? If you feel you still have many possibilities in the future and plenty of time for it it may be just as good a decision to enjoy yourself and the extra money you are getting. If you are starting to feel you need to lay the groundwork for your future than you should definitely devote your full energy and resources to the new job.

Well, that's the thing. I like the extra money, but it's absolutely killing my fun. It's really just making me tired. I don't need the extra income, but it's nice to have.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Also think about the reasons why are you are still bartending. After all, did you really want to continue doing it forever? It sounds like (from this and past threads of yours) that you would like to move on to new career choices. Bartending is like a connection to something you are comfortable with and can rely on, but it has to end at some point (unless you truly do want to be a bartender as your career). The extra cash sounds nice, but is it worth it? You have to decide if your time is more valuable than extra spending money at this point.

Well, to be perfectly honest, I love bartending, and I could totally do it forever. I just really don't want to do it at TGI Fridays, and I don't want to do it on top of another job. I would love to, ultimately, own my own bar and do that for a living. I just have no way to really get started with that at the moment.

That sounds like something you would do really well at. I hope you can find a way to pursue it. But either way it sounds like you are done with TGI Fridays, with this particular bartending job. Keep in mind that just because you quit this job, does not mean you can't go out and try to find a new bartending job if you really miss it in the future.

 

[RoJoHen]

Oh, I know. It's just nice having an extra $150 in my pocket for doing very minimal work for a few hours one day per week.