I'm a part-time baggage screener at BWI, and my current schedule is 4-8pm 5 days a week. We're doing schedule changes pretty soon, and I'm thinking about going to the AM shift (5 - 9am). If I do, then I'll have to be out of bed at 3:45AM and leave around 4:00-4:15AM to get to work on time.

I'm thinking it'll be a good idea because as of now, I really don't have a day, so to speak. I just wake up and putz around the house until I feel like going to work (usually leave at 1pm, to get overtime). I'm back home around 8:30pm every night. I can never go do anything during the day, because I've always got work hanging over my head. Working AM, I'll be able to leave the airport at 9AM, and have the entire day to do whatever I want (work on my car, go to the guitar store, go to Best Buy, purchase and ride the motorcycle I want)

The only downside I can see is the nights - from your experience, am I going to be passing out at 8pm? I heard somewhere that the sleep you get before midnight is better than the sleep after midnight, so when you wake up really early, you don't need as much sleep.

Either way, I figure if I'm tired, I'll powernap. If we're going out on the weekend, I'll just take a huge nap and slug it out the next day.

What do you all think?

XXL

 

Stick with the 4-8pm.

Won't be late to work as much (don't know the penalty)

Better night life.

Can still get stuff done in day. (maybe you should wake up earlier)

Either way- at only 20 hours a week, anything shouldn't be too much of a drag on your life.

Your reminding me what it used to be like to be single and without mortgage.

 

I personally would be all over the morning shift. To be done with work at 9a.m. every day. To me having to go in to work in the middle of the afternoon would seem to be to much of disruption.

 

I was never really a morning person, but I took a newspaper route a few years ago and got up every morning at 3:00 a.m., ran the route until about 6:30, took a shower, drove a school bus 25 miles to school, then taught all day, then drove the bus home. I had the route for 853 days; my wife and I ran it together. There was only one day during that 2 1/2 years that we turned it over to someone else. Although it was tough, it helped me to appreciate the early morning much more.

I would take the morning shift, a nightlife is overrated, anyway.

 

I guess it all really depends on whether your a morning or night person.
Being a night person, I could never see myself getting up that early every morning. Especially in the winter time.
I worked night shift years ago, 11pm to 7am. I loved it.

 

I would grab that morning shift, I get up at midnight in the truck and gone at 2am home between 10am and noon have all afternoon to do what I want go to bed around 5pm except on friday I just stay up, and go to bed around anytime I want like midnight then have all day sat, and sat night try, and not get more than 6hrs sleep then take a 4hr nap sunday night, and off again, works great to me

 

I like the mornings myself.Try getting up a few mornings around 4:00 to see if it agrees with you.Some people just aren't early birds.Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

I get up at 3am to leave by 0410 to drive 30 miles to the station to be there at 15 mins till 5,how dare night shift run a late call.I liked the afternoon shift in dispatch,mornings dont agree with me,no one else is up and I have trouble trying to staying awake while driving.

 

A 5 to 9 shift isn't bad. I worked nights for 10 years and a 5AM start doesn't really count as early..lol. Think about it...light traffic!