Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Night Shift - it's a fair bitch ain't it?

Yep , after loggin, went to work at a hardwood mill for couple years as a oiler, good $$$, but same as you, wasn’t worth it. Went to work at the prison 22 years ago, best thing I ever did...

Do you like movies about gladiators ?
😃

I don't miss going in at 8AM, getting a cut trunk cable trouble emergency report and working straight through and getting home 24-30 hours after you left the house. Don't miss it at all.

I did not start doing shift work till about 6 years ago. I enjoyed working alone with the tunes cranked, but my body never got used to it. Sleep for me has been elusive for many years. Now , I am waiting to see what is in store for me as I wait on word to start working nights again. Most of my years were pouring concrete in the summer, working for outfitters in the fall and ski patrol in the winter. I miss those days, the body does not! One must do what one must. I will probably be working through lunch time on the day of my funeral!

I have done it but it has been a long time ago.














































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I rotate every week or sometimes during the week, When I get off for a day or two if my last shift was a day shift, my next will be a night shift and if my last shift was a night my next will be a day. Gotta love the 24 hour turnarounds. You learn to sleep when its available and enjoy your days off as much as possible.
I gave up a days job as an engineer with my company to go to production and work towards moving back into a day role as a supervisor. Best decision I ever made. My pay almost doubled the first year. Should go back on straight days in the next year or so. I will have been on swing shifts for 5 years in August.

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, but that sounds like pure torture to me.

When I was a young trooper had to do a couple of years of shift work, rotating every month between days ( 0800-1600), swings (1600-2400), and graves (2400-0800). Anything other than day shift you just learn to live on less sleep. Days were usually easy and fairly steady, time to conduct follow-up investigations. Swing shifts the action picked up and bagging a DUI close to midnight guaranteed overtime = $$$! Graves were normally slow until bar closing time 0500 here in the Valley. Usually the real bad [bleep] happened during graves. I actually enjoyed the variety of experience working all the shifts, but, found the change overs difficult to adjust to for the first few days. I concluded shift work sucked and I had to get out of patrol.

I've done 12-8:30 for the last 28 years. It's way better than days to me. Anything that needs doing after work is super easy as everything is open. Heading to the range works out great, especially during the week. The only guys there are the RM and a few old retired guys.

I work 24 hour shifts. One on, two off with a Kelly day every 21 days. You feel like your dog died when you go to work and Christmas morning when you get off, but it's only nine days a month. That leaves 20 days for the other job.

Glad I don’t change work times, I’d be fuucked, I’m at work now.

I have worked evening and mid night shift for 19 of 34 years as an LE. Nights were more interesting from the quality of work side of things. but from the family side I missed many, many events. I will never get them back. birthdays, Dances, Proms, Homecoming dances, ( two daughters). I regret that, and will of course never make it up. I have worked 5 Christmases in row. I did not realize that. but my wife reminded me!That is the price you pay when you have a job that dictates your lifestyle. the military has it way worse. I could never thank them enough for all that they do at the expanse of themselves and their families.

I just retired from a 12 hr , rotating shift , days to nights, weekends, factory job. 23 years. Been about a month now. Almost feel human again.

I forgot to mention. While I never got enough sleep when working nights, I much preferred to work nights over days. On nights, you merely did your job without all the political, managerial, BS involved when working days! memtb

When I retired after 33 years of rotating shift worm getting back to a normal diurnal life pattern took a while. One thing I learned early on was if the rotation followed the clock it was tolerable. By follow the clock I mean days shift to swing shift to midnight shift. Go the opposite and it really screws up ones body. Had that problem in the military and couldn't convince the CO to set the schedule right. Same crap when I started out in the Weather Bureau, now National Weather Service. Couldn't do much for a couple of years but finally filed a grievance and got things squared away. Somehow, I got stuck with being the shop steward which allowed me to raise a little hell with the boss. For some silly reason I always preferred the graveyard shift. Usually nice and quiet, not boss or day wienies to put up with and damn little traffic with the public. Very little to do for the most part until time to fly a balloon and then it was a bit of a hustle until maybe an hour before quitting time. I tried to get put on permanent graveyard shift and the boss said it was OK if everyone else agreed to it. Naturally one rectal orifice said no so no deal. Funny thing is he was the one who bitched the most about working graveyard shift. Some people's children really should have been aborted. Oh well. I retired in 1989 so frankly, these days I don't give a damn.
Paul B.

Are you a tow boat driver?

MtnBoomer: You ain't seen nothing yet!
I worked the 8:00 P.M to 4: A.M. shift on the PD for 26 years - trying to adjust back to "normal" human hours was WAY harder and took five times longer than adjusting initially to the graveyard shift.
My advice - get on "day shift" as soon as possible and STAY there.
Good luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Amen to that, brother. That's the best thing about the shift. I have the best boss I've ever worked for, but I'm still happier not seeing her.

I worked full time 11pm to 7am back in the early 80's. 40 hours a week. I also took 10 hours in college, my first semester. Fell asleep in ancient history class at 8am-9am. Still made a B in there without studying. Never changed from high school history. Went home at 12 noon after calculus class, slept from about 1-7pm. Studied a bit, and went to work. Anyways. After I got enough seniority, I moved to 3pm-11pm and still had morning classes. Was able to sleep better and stay awake in the next classes, but had to do most of my studying on weekends. I was 18-20 during this time. I couldn't do it today, too old and tired. I never had student loans and took me about 8 years to get an education, but no debt, had money, bought new cars, etc. Kids today can't handle hard work and no play. I still had time to date on Saturday nights or during the day on Saturday's, even on Sunday's, during or after church, or both. No video games, even had time to do a little hunting on weekends, and some fishing. Also had time to tune up my car or change oil.

Lol...close enough.