Third Shift

[fredchabotnick]

I just had an interview today, and found out that while I really wasn't qualified for the position that I applied for, I am qualified for another one. I think the interview went well, and hope to be offered the job...but. It's third shift. I've never worked anything other than first shift. Does anybody work third shift, and can you give me any advice or suggestions?
Thanks!

[Irish]

I worked(except when self-employed)third shift,more than any other.Once
your body,gets used to those hrs,some like it better then any other shift.
The MAIN thing,that people don't realise,is that you have to treat your hrs,
differently.EX:People used to say to me-"How can you drink a beer,at 8:00,
in the morning?"I would tell them-"It's like 8:00,at night,to me."You also,have to get your sleeping hrs,changed.It's a matter of changing your routine.Once
you get used to it,I would RATHER work 3rd shift.The biggest trouble,is that I
haven't changed back!It's 11:41 now & I am working out.I usually,don't go to
bed until (approx 2:00)We have a TV,in our bedroom,so I usually snack,etc.,
until 2:30/3;00. Irish :rolleyes:
P.S.I worked mostly 1st & 3rd shifts.I HATED 2cd shift.When you get off,everything is closing & a large majority,of people on the road are shitfaced!

[scotzoidman]

Spent most of my adult life working some kind of night shift & sleeping when the good people of the world were working...I'm a bit of a night owl when left to my own devices anyway, so adapting to the sleep schedule was never a prob...except that lots of people assumed I shouldn't be sleeping during the day, & called me to get my lazy ass out of the bed...I usually thanked them by calling their ancestery into question...
BTW, Irish, you are right about 2nd shift suckage, kept me out of lots of evening activities, including the kinda stuff that involved my kids...& the cops assume that if you're out driving at 2 am you must have been drinking...

[Irish]

While I think about it.One thing that I HIGHLY reccomend,is an awnsering
machine,for your telephone.I resisted one,at first,but altho,it takes getting
used to,it is well worth it.All of my relatives & parents,lived in Conn.I always
awnsered the phone!There is NOTHING worse then finally getting to sleep &
jumping out of bed,only to find it is someone selling tickets,to the Policemans
Ball or a telemarketer.(This was before the No-Call days) Irish
Scotz---I once saw how much the % of people,that were impaired,increased
by the hr,of night!It was amazing! :rolleyes:
P.S.I worked for over 6yrs,as the ONLY person there.Believe me,your employers,do not want you falling asleep!The home office,used to expect a phonecall,at 3:00,just to know that everything was OK!

[cowgirltease]

I used to work 8 hour rotations where I work and now they have us working 12 hr rotations. I liked the 8 hour nites. They went by fast Now the 12 hr. ones are a bitch but still I like them because all the asshole bosses aren't around to get in your way and tell you how to do your damn job. :rolleyes: Which 98 percent of them don't have a clue to what you do. My problem is sleeping when its daylight. Blackout your windows or wear a sleep mask. Drinking a beer in the morning really does help you sleep. Almost everyone I know makes a pitstop on their way home for a beer in the morning. Yeah you get lots of funny looks. You're right Irish, the damn phone will drive you nuts when you're trying to sleep. Also don't eat spicy foods during the night or you will end up with a bad case of heartburn. Your body functions slow down until it adjusts to night shift.
Hope this helps. :)

[dicksbro]

Used to work third back in the mid to late 60s. I did enjoy it because if there was something I wanted to do during the day ... I could ... then sleep in the afternoon/evening. If there was something that evening, I could try to get my rest in the morning/early afternoon. You do need good drapes on the windows for day sleeping.

Only really bad day was Sunday. Tried to stay up with the family on the weekend, then was tired Sunday evening when I went to work.

Good luck on the job and hope your experience is a good one.

[Steph]

When I worked night shift, I liked having a beer on the patio in the mornings and wondered what the neighbours thought. :)

There were times people had to call and wake me up (and I never sleep in normally) but they just chalked it up to the hours.

I hope you get the job!

[fredchabotnick]

Thanks everybody. It'll be a moot point if I don't get offered the job or don't accept. But I appreciate hearing about all of your experiences. It'll be interesting to see how my body adjusts
ps, I'm thining of buying velcrow and putting a piece of black cardboard over the window. It won't be elegant, but it'll be easy to take down and put up, and should work well.