Staying alive while working the graveyard shift
USU students find jobs in many places, even if they have to work throughout the dark of night.
Students who work graveyard shifts during the school year might do so because it is the only work they can find, even though it might not be the most convenient shift in a schedule mixed with classes, social life and family.
Jared Wight, a senior majoring in managerial economics, said he spends his nights at the front desk of Comfort Inn. He goes into work at 11 p.m. and does not get off until 7 a.m.
“I usually come home and go straight to bed,” Wight said. “I usually sleep from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and then from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and that’s only if I don’t have to go to class, go to a meeting or run some other kind of errand,” he said.
Wight has had the shift since last winter and the sleep schedule is still difficult on his body, he said.
Brandy Armstrong, a junior majoring in pre-nursing, is a certified nursing assistant at the Sunshine Terrace. Her graveyard shift doesn’t end until 6:30 a.m., an hour when most students are either still sleeping or getting out of bed.
Britni Manning, a junior majoring in music therapy and social work, said that sleep is essential while working a graveyard shift. Manning works a couple of nights a week at Avalon Hills, a home for girls recovering from eating disorders.
“At first it was really stressful because it’s hard to stay up all night, especially after you’re up all day,” Manning said. “Usually I can sneak in two hours before I go to my grave shift and it just has to suffice all night before I get home in the morning to go to bed.”
Manning said the challenging part was being able to sleep during the day, when her friends on campus were in classes or hanging out. Dealing with sleeping in with the sun out can be a difficult adjustment, she said.
Working the graveyard can teach a worker how to make the most of available free time.
“I’ve gained the ability to sleep wherever and whenever, a talent I didn’t have before,” she said. “It’s a good skill to have as a college student.”
While balancing sleep and a job with an unusual sleeping pattern can be challenging, Wight, Manning and Armstrong all have classes, extracurricular activities and other jobs to create a more balanced lifestyle.
“The hardest part was getting used to the random sleep hours on top of learning all the responsibilities of a new job and trying to provide quality care for the residents,” Armstrong said. “With time, I became much more efficient in my work, I learned how to sleep whenever and wherever and I figured out how to also have a life. I’m glad I stuck it out.”
Armstrong took summer classes, worked two jobs and managed to get an A in her physiology class. She works days in an entomology lab.
She said sleep is always her first priority.
“I have always been one to get a full night’s rest no matter what, but the opportunity to try something new while gaining experience in my field of study was something I couldn’t turn down,” Armstrong said.
Manning is taking 17 credits this semster and works two night shifts and two day shifts a week along with participating in Latter-day Voices.
Keeping up with the many aspects of college is the biggest challenge for these students. Choosing between sleep and class can be tempting, especially when there is an exam right after clocking out, Wight said.
“Having a social life while keeping grades and working a graveyard shift is doable,” said Wight, who is also in a fraternity, “but there are decisions and trade-offs that go along with the territory.”
“I still manage to scrape by, but there are a lot of opportunity costs for all my decisions. For example, choosing to hang out with friends one afternoon means that I put off laundry or errands that I need to do,” he said. “Likewise, choosing to run errands during the day when businesses are open I miss out on sleep and hanging out with friends.”
The key to keeping everything in check is time management, Wight said. Armstrong and Manning agreed that working the night-shift is less mentally and physically demanding than a day shift, leaving more time to do homework – if they’re alert enough.
“I like the calm nights on the job,” said Armstrong. “I can often study or read a good book. It’s quiet time that I normally wouldn’t get, and I get paid for it.”
Manning said he reccommends that students who work a graveyard shift be wary of how close together their classes and shifts are scheduled.
“Don’t just work a grave, get home at 7:00 a.m., and say ‘Okay, I have a class at 8:30 a.m., so I’ll sleep for an hour and a half and then go to my class and then I’ll sleep for another hour and a half,'” she said. “Don’t do that. Don’t do napping. Make sure that you have a solid block of time that you can sleep and feel your best.”
– marissa.shields@aggiemail.usu.edu