Saturday, December 18, 2010

Finding Out If Moonlighting Is for You

By Rebecca May


Moonlighting refers to taking additional work on top of your full time job. There was a time when this concept was resorted to only by underpaid employees and those who are in dire need of extra cash. Many people consider modeling as an opportunity for extra money; consult a local licensed talent agency for more information.

With the current rise of today's cost of living, moonlighting is now even resorted to by successful professionals as well as by people from all fields and income groups. Most people like getting second jobs because of the skill that can be learned while at the same time being a free agent, working on your own time. While extra jobs used to be prohibited especially when you have a full time job, the practice nowadays is that most supervisors do not mind when their employees have work on the side.

The main and most common reason why people like to do a little moonlighting is because of money. Having extra income can be a big help in augmenting daily expenses. According to an author, there are lots of professionals today who seek second jobs because they consider it as a fallback, especially when they feel that their full time job is not as stable as it used to be.

Similarly speaking, psychologists believe that a second job or career brings out a feeling of freedom by not being confined to just one working environment. If, for instance, a person feels that he needs a career shift, a second job will help him decide whether or not he really wants to dive into a new career path. On a similar note, having a second job provides an opportunity to try out different fields of interest much more different than that of the full time day job. A part-time job enables a person to test the waters first before he takes the plunge.

Another worthwhile advantage is that having a second job gives you the opportunity to take on different fields. If you think of switching careers but are afraid of pursuing it, a part-job will be one way of testing if you're prepared to make the shift or not.

Similarly, a conflict might arise between your day job and your second job. Though this is may not pose a problem to some, you should take into consideration that working with a competitor might put you in a difficult situation. Most of the time, employers want your exclusivity. They do not want to share your knowledge to a competitor company and they can go to the extremes of insisting that they have rights to what you know. This is mostly the case when working with software companies or in any industry that specializes in electronics.

Another reason why second jobs are sometimes discouraged is because of the fear that employees might burn out easier and faster thereby being less productive and having less positive output. A second job can also make an employer think whether or not he's paying you enough. This might eventually lead to some future disagreement or misunderstanding later on.

Considering all these, having a second job is not as bad as it might look. Everything will turn out fine as long as you reduce the risk of a burnout or perhaps even a conflict of interest. If your company has policies on moonlighting, try to know what these are. Supplementing your income is not a big deal but you should also think about the risks involved as well as the sacrifices you have to make.




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