Most people opt for straightforward 9 to 5 jobs with weekends off. Often these are people who have regular sleeping and waking-up routines. But about 41% Americans are awake at 2 A.M. and are in fact at their most productive. Looking for the right job can be pretty interesting and quite challenging for night owls. However, you can find your own niche and make $30,000 to $50,000 doing what you do best: stay awake the rest of the night while everyone else is sound asleep. Check out these 5 jobs; you might want to try out one of them for size.

• Police Officer. Somebody has to work around the clock to keep dark streets, people and property safe from harm. A police officer on night shift is expected to patrol the neighborhood and respond to calls of distress. Police officers have to remain awake and thwart criminals (who happen to be night owls, too) who use the dark to cover their tracks when committing a crime. A typical police officer earns an average of $47,000 per year, but most police departments provide night shift differential pay; amounts may vary according to specific departments.

• Nurse. Almost all health care workers are needed to provide 24-hour care, and any hospital work could be a potential night shift job; but nurses are among the significant engines that make health care facilities run. According to Labor Department statistics, Registered Nurses can earn anywhere between $46,786 and $67,219. Salaries for night shift nurses can significantly go higher up to an average of $64,000, depending on the location. Associate degree programs can start you up and running within two years but the pay scale is much lower; if you finish the 4-year bachelor’s degree program you set yourself up for higher salary and a lot of room for career growth opportunities.

• Air Traffic Controller. Most workers at air traffic control towers and centers perform their duties on basic 40-hour workweeks. But as you very well know, these towers don’t close and operate 24/7/365. There have to be workers available to man the place for the night shift. Average annual salary for this type of work is $117,240.

• Computer Support Staff. These are the guys that provide technical support to customers and clients and they need to work night shifts and weekends because computer users know that annoying little problems don’t choose any particular time of day to occur. This makes a great opportunity for talented technical people with night owl propensities. Most computer support staff enjoy an estimated average annual salary of $40,000.

• Reporter/Photojournalist. You probably don’t realize it but you wouldn’t have anything to read or photos to tell last night’s events on your morning newspaper if it weren’t for the night owl reporters and photojournalists who stayed awake practically the whole night. Reporters can easily fetch an average yearly salary of $36,770, while photojournalists can make $38,000 or more per year.

If you couldn’t sleep at night or you like staying awake all night by choice, one of the jobs mentioned may very well suit you; plus there are many more opportunities for night owls out there. It might take a bit to find the perfect match, but a job that fits your body clock to a tee may be crucial to your productivity and satisfaction in your chosen career.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 6th, 2010 at 8:29 am and is filed under Applying for a Job, Career Changes, Free Advice, Job Search Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.