While you’re shopping at the York Galleria, stop in at Victoria’s Secret and say hi. I’m there a few mornings a week.
When I was in college, I did it all. During my last semester, I had an internship, a part-time job, 15 credits worth of classes, an editor position on the student newspaper and the lead role in a Shakespeare play. I would wake up at 5 a.m. and go to sleep at 1 a.m., wake up a few hours later and do it all over again. Consequentially, my life felt a little empty after I graduated, got married and whittled my life down to one full-time job. There were enormous expanses of time during which I had almost nothing to do. I went to the gym. I watched all of the seasons of “Lost” while knitting a massive lace shawl. I worked on my cooking skills. There are times I still joke to my coworkers that adulthood is like one big vacation.
So I took another job about a year and a half ago, or rather, reapplied to work at one of the jobs I had while I was in college. When I’m not working until the wee hours of the morning on the Night News and Digital desk at the YDR, I’m slinging bras, straightening panties and selling lingerie at Victoria’s Secret in the York Galleria. Just for something to do.
I love my part-time job. Having a second job motivates me to get up in the morning and not waste my day away, sleeping until 2 in the afternoon. Sure, I’m tired during the week (who isn’t?), but I’d rather be dead-on-my-feet exhausted most nights than feel unproductive. The employee discount and the extra cash in my pocket isn’t such a bad thing, either.
Some of the downsides? Sometimes I have to work when my husband is home and spend less time with him. Sometimes I want to go on a run or go to the movies with my coworkers and I have to work instead. And like any job, sometimes there are days that are just tough to get through.
One of my favorite things, though, is getting to know new people, whether they’re customers or coworkers. I work with a colorful and talented group of ladies there (one of them fences!), and it’s a privilege to know them all. And it’s really rewarding to help shoppers feel comfortable and confident in their clothes and happy with their purchases (I mean, have you ever worn a bra that doesn’t fit? Ouch!)
Having a second job isn’t for everyone. Next week I’m working 25 hours at my part-time job, on top of the 40 hours at the YDR, for a delightful 65-hour work week. Working that much makes me that much more grateful for the days and times I have off to spend with my friends and family.
Do you work multiple jobs just for fun?
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