<p>I have a “real” job, and a p/t job as well. Took the p/t job (it came up fairly unexpectedly and is in a completely different workplace) as a safety net when budget cuts started decimating staffing, and that probably will continue although the staff are the very last to find out. Now I find myself second-guessing, since after about 6 months of working 1.5 jobs I am feeling very guilty about not being home more to enjoy the empty nest. And then I riccochet back to “taxes going up, jobs insecure, you are a 50-something in a competitive job market”…</p>
<p>P/t is usually about 8-12 hours a week, usually a couple nights and a weekend. My real job is 37 hr/wk. Tired, guilty, unsure, perhaps overthinking vs. practical, safe, risk-averse…I thought y’all would have some less biased input for me to ponder, and I am driving myself crazy trying to be sensible and all that.</p>
<p>What is your reason for still working at your PT job? What benefit is it giving to you? Do you need the money? Do you still need your safety net?</p>
<p>So, you have the 2nd job as a hedge against the possibility you could be laid off? Are you banking the extra to build a better safety net and/or paying down debt? If so, I’d look at this from the dollars perspective. How much could you build by staying 6 more months? Even if you don’t get laid off, does this financially advance you?</p>
<p>Does it make any sense to look now for a more stable FT job? I know that is easier said than done in this market, but worth considering. Also… how hard would it be to pick up another PT job if you leave this one now (if you lose the FT job and need something to bring in some income)? How are your savings levels?</p>
<p>If you have enough saved to cover you and your expenses including cobra for the amount of time it would take to find a new job, then I say go ahead and quit.</p>
<p>Otherwise bank that extra money until you meet that criteria.</p>
<p>Work is not really related to my primary job, apart from generalities. The idea is that at least it is <em>something</em>, if/when there are more layoffs. Which is possible, but not a foregone conclusion. And yes, I am looking for a more stable FT job. (At 51, I/we could start a whole thread on the daunting task of competing against 30-somethings and newly minted grads)</p>
<p>Yes, the money is being banked, but this is a minimum wage job with no benefits so it’s not a lot of money, but then neither is my day job. If I lose my real job (and that is a real possibility; we lost 40% of our staff last year and now I have the least seniority) I will still have health coverage via DH’s job.</p>
<p>Your first job is only 37 hours - second job is 8-12. That makes 45-49 hours. There are people who work way more than that on one job. I’d say if you don’t hate it and think it may help at some time in the future - why not keep it. Unless it is really getting in the way of your personal life, you hate it, and you don’t need the income. That’s what I would be considering. Dump it if you hate it - definitely. But otherwise what’s the downside to keeping it?</p>
<p>Although what you say is true, as people grow older it becomes increasingly difficult to work long hours and maintain a high quality of work. Few of us have the mental and physical stamina that we had in our 20s and 30s.</p>
<p>Until recently, I was doing about 15 hours a week of freelance work on top of a full-time job. I did this largely to keep my hand in as a freelancer just in case I got laid off at my full-time job. But I have cut back the freelance work to almost nothing because the heavy workload was impairing my performance at my full-time job. I don’t want to get fired for doing poor work. </p>
<p>But I’m older than the OP. Perhaps this is not an issue for him/her.</p>