More Than a Day Job

Pedal power: Part-time pedicab driver Nate Chenenko makes $19 to $23 an hour by giving tourists a lift on Thursdays and weekends to supplement his full-time job as a contract specialist. (Richard A. Lipski - The Washington Post)

"Sometimes we find that people don't do their research, and the part-time job does not create the benefit it was meant to," said Joanne Kerstetter, president of Consumer Credit Counseling of Greater Washington, a division of Money Management International, which is the nation's largest nonprofit debt counseling agency.

Juggling two jobs has certainly been a challenge for Shenkelman.

"I have to leave my full-time job on time. I can't put extra hours in so I can make it to my part-time job," she said.

And she doesn't have as much time to spend with her family or friends. Nor is she sleeping as much as she used to. "I also do not get to do as much for myself, like just going to the Mall and walking around," she said.

But she is happy to have the extra income so she can pay her bills and have some semblance of a social life. "I didn't want to never have spending money, to never go out with friends or see a movie," she said.

For Nate Chenenko, having two jobs has made traveling on weekends more difficult.

"My free time has a much higher opportunity cost now: Taking a weekend trip costs me the price of the trip plus the wages lost from missing work at my part-time job," he said.

On weekdays, Chenenko dons a collared shirt, tie and dress slacks and heads to the Navy Yard where he is a contract specialist for the U.S. Navy.

On Thursday and Friday nights and on weekends, he switches to ski pants and a cap and drives people around the District in a pedicab, or bike taxi. Since he started in October, he's been making about $19 to $23 an hour pedaling as many as four people at a time to such destinations as Union Station and the White House. It's a big help, he said, especially considering that he is making about $40,000 a year, and that his grocery and utility bills have gone up.

"Instead of buying or purchasing expensive things, I'm trying to save," he said. "I took this to build up that safety net."

Labor experts said you should avoid any conflicts with your primary employers by checking your employee handbook and making sure you are even allowed to take a second job. If a second job is permitted, be honest with your employer about your extracurricular work. And whatever you do, never do work for your second job while at your full-time one. Keeping that primary job should be a priority.

"When you can keep what you have, that's the easiest and the best," Trumble said.