Workin' 9 to 5 - What a way to make a living?
On the "Perfect Host" on DJA Radio, the subject of DJs "missing out" because of working on the weekends seems to be a common thread. I wrote to Jim Cerone on his blog about how people who work 9 to 5 are the real people "missing out"
To: Jim Cerone, The Pefect Host
On several occasions you and others have commented on how DJs "give up" or “miss out” on so many things due to having to work on Friday or Saturday night. I have been in the DJ industry for over 25 years and understand that feeling from experience.
It’s weird when you tell people that you’re a DJ then they look at you with sad eyes and say to you how it must be awful working on the weekends.
I think a lot of that missing out feeling comes from the fact that you work a forty or more hour a week job, you get home from work and then have to work on your DJ business, then spend one or two nights actually out at a reception.
When you fill almost every second of your life working it does feel as if you are missing out on the better things in life. It’s funny how people will think it’s the DJ job that makes you “miss out” and not the job where you spend forty hours working for someone else.
I felt very much like that up until I went “Full Time” as a DJ. When I left the jobs (yes I actually had one full time and two part time and performed weddings on the weekends) Then I heard Mark Farrell and Peter Merry speak and I began to raise my rates. To make a long story short, as my price went up, the jobs dropped off.
Now when people look at me with the sad eyes, I say to them, I work ONE day a week, it happens to be Saturday night; you work Five days a week and I still make more money then you, now who is missing out?
Of course the truth is I probably put in more “actual” time and effort into my business then they put into working their day job, but I LOVE what I do, I work for myself and with the use of cell phones & lap tops I can work my DJ business from almost anywhere in the world.
Which is better, working five days a week with two off or working one day a week with six off?
My wife and I have flown mid week to places like Chicago for lunch and site seeing and was home for the evening news. We went mid week to the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” enjoyed the entire location and never had to wait in line for anything, you can’t do that on a weekend. Now we plan to fly to Vegas on a Tuesday and be back for the Saturday Wedding reception.
Today I don’t feel like I miss out on anything because I’m free to do as I want without having a “Day Job” with only one week of vacation to experience life.
I’ve got a great life!
Jeff Richards: Party Time Productions