I’m a German nurse interviewing for 9 to 5 office jobs.
If I get one of these jobs, I wanted not to completely leave nursing: my system pays better than other local hospitals and I don’t want my experience to go to waste. I wanted to work 2 to 4 weekend days per month, only second shift (shift starts at 12:30 and ends at 21:30), 'cause this is considered the easy shift and I want the extra money, but if I don’t like it, I can always change units or just work my office job.
I’m curious to hear answers from both sides of the Atlantic
Personally, I wouldn’t even consider it, as I value my time and health far more than getting some extra money. 40 hours is already quite a lot IMO.
I’m with you, but for many young people these days it’s almost not an option. But I’m also in Canada so…
a nurse in germany earns a living wage. You won’t get rich, but you can live comfortably (if you don’t plan to have a family).
At the very minimum, I’d suggest waiting until you are actually working that 9-5 office job, before considering giving up your weekends. You may feel very different about things, once you are in that position.
My own situation is that I work generally 8-4 in a fully remote position. I like what I do and often spend my personal time reading and learning within the same field, just because I like that sort of thing. Even still, when the weekend starts, I have zero desire to go work somewhere else. I have a family I want to spend time with, hobbies I want to engage in, and just generally not be “on the clock”. There is a lot more to life than work, go do that.
That said, if money is an issue, I can certainly understand the desire to work more. My income is high enough that I don’t have to stress over money. So, the pressure to earn more just isn’t there. Any extra income would either just be used to pay stuff off faster or go into savings. If you are in a position where money is a significant stressor, then the extra work may make sense. Some extra time with your nose to the grindstone now could pay dividends in the future.
Overall, I’m in the camp of not spending all your free time working. Work to live, don’t live to work.
I’m already at 40 hours. I don’t want the extra money. I want less work.
In my opinion, the probable burnout isn’t worth it. Burnout is like a heat injury, once you get it you become more susceptible to it for a time. I recommend maintaining a healthy work-freetime balance now so you know how to do it in the future.
It depends…
- Am I always tired and exhausted from my full time job? If so the weekend shift had to be like walk in a park - happy people, good colleagues, good pay, no bullshit. If it’s another exhausting job, then hell no. Maybe for a short period of time to get extra cash if that’s really needed.
- Is my full time job really easy on nerves and I’m coming home relaxed and in good mood all the time? Why not keep in touch with medical field to stay relevant there?
Edit: also depends on other factors, like family, children, etc. Having a child, you’d have to be really desperate to get another job instead of taking care of the kid.
I work full time and sometimes get asked if I can do overtime.
My salary covers my “expected working hours”. mon-fri, 9-5.
Out side of working hours, the cost goes up. I am not giving up my personal time unless its for an increased rate to cover the loss of free time
Not sure if you’ve ever worked an office job or not but don’t underestimate the exhaustion you can get from sitting at a computer all day. Nursing is extremely demanding so you’re obviously no stranger to hard work and exhaustion - but maybe give the office work a go for a bit and see how you feel.
I used to scoff at the idea that a 9-5 office job could be tiring when I had a more physical job. Turns out it really can be, just in a different way.
Try things out and then see if the extra money is worth losing your weekend respite.
No way in hell.
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It really depends on how much you can tolerate. I don’t know if full time is 40 hours in Germany like it is in the US.
If you have an option to try it for some time and fall back to plan B, why not do that? Then you can tell if the money is worth the extra work time.
I always find that starting any new job is exhausting! There is so much to learn - not even the “work” itself, but processes, personalities, and systems that differ from workplace to workplace. Unless you are struggling hard financially, give yourself some time. For me, it takes at least 4-6 months in a new job to feel ready to add something else. (Now that I own my own business, it’s just adding the next thing in the business…then 4-6 months later, the next thing…). You will have to feel out your own balance and where you can draw the line. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to make more money, if that’s a goal. But you can’t do it at the expense of your sanity, relationships, health, etc. Make it sustainable.
I’m in the US for context, but have lived all over the world, and don’t participate in the hustle culture here. I work hard for my clients and there are crunch times, but on average it’s about 30-35 hours a week. That’s a sweet spot for me! I hope you find yours.
As an American, it really depends if you have the stamina for that kind of work.
Thanks for posting this in English, I tried parsing the German post but I bounced hard off VZ-stelle, which I now realize means vollzeit.
And no, I would not work more than full time. It’s called full time for a reason.
As an American usually that means they’re swamped and need the extra labor but aren’t willing to pay for another employee. Germany might be different in general but it could also depend on the company.
This is a personal question.
My advice would be that if you can’t make this decision for yourself based on the details of your own life, then you should probably do some psychedelic therapy.
Come visit us in Colorado and you can do that
