The 20 Best Overnight Jobs (With Salaries And Experience Required)

Overnight jobs are great if you are a night owl and the typical 9:00 am to 5:00 pm job openings don’t work for you. You need to sleep late, wake up slowly, and then work up to a point where you feel you’ve got your groove.

So how do you find an occupation that suits your internal clock? A place where they’ll accept your lazy mornings and slow early afternoons. Somewhere that begins to rock once the sun goes down. Well, you find a night shift job, of course.

Key Takeaways:

• The top four overnight jobs include bartending, warehouse work, truck driving, and 911 dispatcher.

• Overnight jobs such as police officer or maintenance engineer require prior training.

• Due to their high demand, many overnight jobs come with extra pay.

• Make sure to set up a healthy sleep schedule when working overnights.

20 of the Best Night Shift Jobs Around

If you can’t think of any great night shift or third shift jobs, that’s okay. We’ve done the hard work, and these nighttime professions might just fit the bill for you.

1. Bartender
   Average Annual Salary: $22,000

   Bartending is a classic nighttime profession, with many bars not even opening until the sun goes down. Bartenders are responsible for verifying customers’ ages and creating an array of drinks, especially alcoholic drinks.

   If you love that crazy nighttime vibe, then working smack dab in the middle of it as a bartender might be your thing. This is also a career where you won’t have a hard time finding job openings.

   Experienced Required: No degree is necessary to become a bartender. Professional experience in food services is a big plus but if you do not have any, sometimes you can get a job as a bar tender if you are first willing to barback.

   A lot of training for bartending happens on the job, but it is good to know ahead of time how to make several drinks, understand the differences in certain beverages, and be a good communicator with customers.

   Find Bartender jobs near me

2. Warehouse worker
   Average Annual Salary: $28,000

   Shipping and receiving, stocking, loading, and unloading – all of these warehouse worker jobs can be done at night. A lot of companies prefer to have the majority of the warehouse staff on hand at night, so they can get everything done and ready for the day shift. You can probably find work if you search for job postings online.

   Experienced Required: Warehouse jobs are typically entry level, meaning very little experience is required. Important skills include listening, following directions, the ability to lift heavy objects, and comfort with industrial machinery.

   Find Warehouse worker jobs near me

3. Cashier
   Average Annual Salary: $24,000

   Cashiers are needed at places like gas stations, grocery stores, and convenience marts that are open 24/7. Usually, this shift is a little slower than the day, so it can be perfect for someone who likes things laid back or is still learning the job. The hours are also good if you’re going to school during the day or have another job.

   When working as a cashier, you are responsible for scanning items and confirming their prices, executing bills, and handling cash transactions. Having soft skills such as communication skills, customer service skills, and dexterity make cashier positions easier.

   Experienced Required: Cashier jobs are great entry level positions that need no prior experience. You will likely be trained on the job on how to use your register, the Point-of-Sale (POS) system, how to open and close, as well as additional tasks when you are not at your register.

   Find Cashier jobs near me

4. Writer
   Average Annual Salary: $57,000

   If your best ideas happen at night, then the freelance writer can take advantage of that and work nights. When you’re a freelance writer and working remotely, no one cares when you work, just as long as you hit your deadlines.

   Freelance writers are responsible for gathering information to create structured written material that would serve a purpose for the client or company they are working for.

   Experienced Required: Usually to be a freelance writer, you need to have either prior writing experience or an extensive writing portfolio. Most people will only hire a writer if they are able to see their work.

   Find Freelance writer jobs near me

5. Casino gaming worker
   Average Annual Salary: $19,713

   Not one specific job, but all the jobs in a casino are something you can pursue. Most casinos are open all night, that’s 24 hours a day of prime employment, and you can pick your shift and your job.

   Whether you want to be a blackjack dealer, a maintenance worker, a waiter, or a cashier, all of these jobs are something you can do at night in a casino.

   Experienced Required: Even though most casino gaming workers have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED. Regardless, you will likely need additional customer service, sales, or hospitality experience.

   Find Casino employee jobs near me

6. Security guard
   Average Annual Salary: $29,000

   Night shift security guards are needed to be on hand whether the business is closed or open. This is awesome work for people who thrive in night environments, and it comes with a lot of responsibility.

   Plan on working your way into the environment that best suits you, be it a quiet environment or one that’s hopping with customers and energy.

   Experienced Required: Security jobs normally need at least a high school degree and some professional work experience. Work experience relevant to security is helpful but not always necessary. What’s more important is that you can show the ability to be trained, to be alert, and to perform tasks asked of you.

   Find Security guard jobs near me

7. Police officer
   Average Annual Salary: $47,000

   Day and night, a police officer’s work is never done. It depends on where you live, but some third-shift police officers are busier than their daytime counterparts. They might even deal with more serious crimes at night. This is a job that will keep you on your toes, and night owls thrive in this position.

   Experienced Required:Education requirements range from a high school diploma to a college degree. Most police and detectives must graduate from their agency’s training academy before completing a period of on-the-job training. Prior experience in security or law enforcement is usually sought after.

   Find Police officer jobs near me

8. Truck driver
   Average Annual Salary: $51,000

   Truck drivers have a long history of working nights. It’s a great time to be on the road with less traffic. It’s also usually a good time to make deliveries. Many companies like to have their warehouse open and ready for your deliveries at night.

   Experienced Required: Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers usually have a high school diploma and attend a professional truck driving school. They must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

   Find Truck driver jobs near me

9. Waiter/Waitress
   Average Annual Salary: $20,000

   All-night diners can be happening places after midnight, with waitstaff raking in the tips. If you come alive at night, you’ll enjoy this energetic crowd and interact with them.

   Whether you’re catering to a bar crowd, night owl workers like yourself, or a combination, you’ll love the atmosphere when you wait tables at night.

   Experienced Required: Most waiter and waitress jobs are entry level, and workers learn through short-term on-the-job training. No formal education or previous work experience is required to enter the occupation.

   Find Waiter/waitress jobs near me

10. Baker
    Average Annual Salary: $27,000

    Bakers need to get up early to make fresh donuts, pastries, and all those other goodies that regular commuters grab on their way to work. Their workday is just beginning as you’re wiping up the last of the sugar and flour.

    Experienced Required: Long-term on-the-job training is the most common path to gain the skills necessary to become a baker. Some bakers start their careers through an apprenticeship program or by attending a technical or culinary school. No formal education is required.

    Find Baker jobs near me

11. Maintenance Engineer
    Average Annual Salary: $64,000

    Schools, stores, businesses, and banks are professions that shut their doors for the night and then bring in the maintenance crew.

    These late-night workers zip around like little elves, cleaning the floors and desktops, taking out the garbage, cleaning bathrooms, and just making sure the entire place is ready for a new day. The best ones are so good, you almost forget that they’re there; their work appears to be done by magic.

    Experienced Required: A bachelor’s or graduate degree in engineering is usually required. Many maintenance engineer jobs require experience in a role such as maintenance technician. Meanwhile, many maintenance engineers also have previous career experience in roles such as maintenance supervisor or engineer.

    Find Maintenance Engineer jobs near me

12. Healthcare social worker
    Average Annual Salary: $52,388

    There’s never a vacation for healthcare workers. People get sick every day of the year, at any time of day. That means there have to be nurses manning the hospitals and emergency rooms, security guards in parking lots and at front doors, pharmacists preparing medications and the next day’s orders, and nursing home and assisted living personnel taking care of late-night needs.

    Just about any job that is done in the daytime is also done at night. Not only that, but those daytime people will be happy to have co-workers who prefer nights, so they don’t have to cover those shifts.

    Experienced Required: Usually an education in health care or social work is required, but not always necessary. Many health care social workers also have previous career experience in roles such as certified nursing assistant or social work internship.

    Find Health care worker jobs near me

13. 911 Emergency Dispatcher
    Average Annual Salary: $39,000

    Just like health care never takes a break, neither do criminals or emergencies. 911 operators are needed 24/7/365. Whether the call is for a health emergency or someone is breaking into a home, you need to be awake and alert to take the call.

    Your main responsibility as a 911 dispatcher is to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and dispatch the appropriate department, whether it be police, fire, or EMS.

    Experienced Required: 911 emergency dispatchers need experience handling dispatch technology as well as skills related to effective communication and delegation, especially under pressure. Previous jobs in dispatching, healthcare, and customer service are very helpful.

    Find 911 Emergency Dispatcher jobs near me

14. Cab Driver
    Average Annual Salary: $27,000

    Being a cab driver is the perfect profession if you love socializing with new people and driving. Better yet, if you do it at night, you’ll have less traffic to navigate, and your customers are probably going to be happier and less rushed and frustrated. The only problem might be driving the occasional drunk around.

    Experienced Required: To become a cab driver you will need a driver’s license with a clean required. Many cab drivers also have previous career experience in roles such as customer service representative or sales associate.

    Find Taxi/Uber/Lyft driver jobs near me

15. Hotel Desk Clerk
    Average Annual Salary: $21,000

    Night shift hotel desk clerks are needed because not everyone checks in to their hotel during regular business hours. Many people come in from a late flight or decide to stop for some sleep after driving all day.

    Most hotels also need someone to be in charge overnight in case there’s an emergency or a guest needs towels. Whatever the case, you can be that person and enjoy the weird nighttime antics of your guests.

    Experienced Required: A high school degree or a GED is normally required for hotel desk clerks. Previous experience in customer service, sales, or hospitality are sought after.

    Find Hotel Desk Clerk jobs near me

16. Broadcast technician or engineer
    Average Annual Salary: $52,000

    The very technical and specialized equipment needed for television and radio has to be maintained all day and night. If an emergency happens at night, it’s your job to fix it.

    And you’re not just there for emergencies. Often, a station will decide to do maintenance at night when it will disrupt the service for fewer people. This can be the busiest shift for a broadcast engineer.

    Experienced Required: Although many broadcast and sound engineering technicians work first in small markets or at small stations in big markets, after they gain the necessary experience and skills they often transfer to larger, better paying radio or television stations.

    Few large stations hire someone without previous experience, and they value more specialized skills.

    Find Broadcast technician jobs near me

17. Musician
    Average Annual Salary: $67,000

    Some musicians work during the day, but many others get to create their schedules. Those performing in late-night shows, bars, lounges, and clubs all need to be at their best in the nighttime.

    Others who are composing at home or doing their recordings might find that they prefer to work nights, too.

    Experienced Required: It depends on the type of music you want to perform and create. Most musicians and singers need extensive training and practice to acquire the skills necessary to interpret music at a professional level. This can either be formalized in their education or gained through playing experience.

    Find Musician jobs near me

18. Database Administrator
    Average Annual Salary: $74,000

    Many companies prefer to have all of their database upgrades and maintenance done during the night. This is because their workers are typically hard at work, making money during traditional day shifts, and can’t have their work interrupted for hours while the database administrator does an upgrade.

    That’s just a waste of time and money. This means that skilled computer-literate people are necessary for these late-night jobs.

    Experienced Required: Database administrators (DBAs) usually have a bachelor’s degree in an information- or computer-related subject such as computer science. Before becoming an administrator, these workers typically get work experience in a related field.

    Find Database Administrator jobs near me

19. Customer service representative
    Average Annual Salary: $29,000

    Customer service representatives are needed now with more with e-commerce, many businesses are now global, which means there’s no closing time. You could have a customer halfway around the world calling for support at 2:00 am because it’s midday for them. Call center support needs to be there to help people, no matter where they live.

    Experienced Required: Customer service representatives typically need a high school diploma and receive on-the-job training to learn the specific skills needed for the job. They should be good at communicating and interacting with people and have some experience using computers.

    Find Customer service representative jobs near me

20. Highway construction Inspector
    Average Annual Salary: $41,671

    It might seem like you’re dodging highway construction people all day long, but they’re out there at night, too. It’s common for major highways to delay construction until nighttime hours for their crew’s safety and traffic convenience.

    Experienced Required: Many highway construction inspector jobs require experience in a role such as construction inspector. Meanwhile, many highway construction inspectors also have previous career experience in roles such as inspector or civil engineer.

    Find Highway construction jobs near me

Reasons to work the overnight shift

Whether you call it the night shift, graveyard shift, or third shift – you’re working nights, and you love it. Why? Because there are a lot of benefits to it. Not only are you someone who is most awake and alert at night, but you like it for these reasons, too:

• Less road traffic. Hey, you’re not the only one who gets road rage. It’s a huge problem and traffic is to blame. Avoid idiot drivers and congestion by working late and sleeping during normal commute hours. Just be aware of those drunk drivers.

• Fewer coworkers or customers. Most night jobs have a skeleton crew or just the amount of people necessary; at some jobs, it will just be you. If you’re not a big fan of crowds or social interactions, then this is your time to shine.

• More people. Okay, you’re the opposite. You love crowds, the excitement, the energy that comes off of people at night. Then working in a nightclub, an emergency room, an all-night diner, or any profession that picks up steam in the late evening hours can help you indulge your social side.

• More money. Let’s face it; not everyone likes working nights, so a little extra pay is often involved to entice people to do it. If you love nights and money, this is a win/win for you.

• You can avoid meetings. Most workplace meetings happen in the daytime when the office staff is around. By avoiding the office staff, you get to skip out on those dreaded and painfully dull meetings. That’s a reason to work nights right there.

• A good starting place. If you’re new to the work world, starting at a nightshift job can be the perfect place to learn the business’s ins and outs without all of the stress and pressure that you’ll have in the daytime.

  You can also then take this and use it to your advantage, letting management know you’re so dedicated to the company that you’ve paid your dues during the graveyard shift.

• Less competition. Getting a job at night might be easier than landing a daytime position. Because fewer people want to work these hours, there can be more jobs available. It can be your way to start earning money and get your foot in the door for your dream job.

Tips for working the night shift

Whether you’re a natural at night or you’re only doing it temporarily, there are a couple of tips that can help you not only get through but thrive:

• Prepare. If you start a new job in a week, today is a great day to change your sleep schedule. You’ll be dragging on your first day if you haven’t already gotten accustomed to the new hours.

• Make sleep a priority. Sleeping during the day can be difficult; your circadian rhythm is working against you. Even if you do fall asleep, you might find it’s not as deep or as long as you need it to be. Look into blackout curtains, changing the temperature, getting cozier bedding, removing distractions, and other tricks, so you sleep better.

• Set a schedule. It’s not just a Monday through Friday thing; your new schedule needs to be in effect all week for you to really feel comfortable with it.

• Prioritize health. Somehow, it’s easy to fall into bad diets and skipped workouts when you work nights. Take advantage of the slow times at the gym, prioritize your workouts, and focus on fitness and good food.

• You-time. People who work regular shifts tend to have a little me-time at the end of the day. Nightshift workers often don’t get that time because they come home, and their family has all sorts of needs and demands, and then it’s time to sleep again. Your mental health is essential, and taking time to connect with yourself is crucial.

Best overnight jobs FAQ

1. What does third shift mean?

   Third shift means working the overnight hours. A typical third shirt begins around 11 p.m. and ends around 7 a.m. These house may vary depending on the company that you work for, but most third shifts will be in the middle of the night.

2. Do you get paid more during an overnight shift

   The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require extra pay for night work. However, most companies may pay you more for overnight shift since it is often the shift most people do not want.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.