Making a Second Job Work

When you're young and not earning much money, just going out to dinner may mean going into debt. If making ends meet is a challenge, perhaps you should consider a side job.

Almost two years ago, Amanda Gleason, then 23 years old and one year out of college, noticed a disturbing trend: "Most of my friends were graduating with student-loan debt and falling victim to credit-card debt as well." That prompted the Chicago resident to start a "Web log" or "blog" on the topic: YoungandBroke.TypePad.com .

What started as a lark for Ms. Gleason has turned into a side job that augments her income as a full-time marketing analyst. The site typically receives between 1,000 and 1,500 visitors each day, she says, and she earns $100 to $300 a month from advertisements, referrals and links to Amazon.com.

"It is nice side income that goes right into my savings account," says Ms. Gleason.

A second job can also be "a great way to test out a new career before you make a total leap," says Mari Adam, a financial planner in Boca Raton, Fla. In contrast, "if you quit your job and discover that you don't like [a new field], it can be hard to go back."

One of Ms. Adam's clients, with a day job in marketing, dipped her toe in the waters of interior design. As it turned out, it didn't feel right, says Ms. Adam, "but at least she still had the marketing job."

Here are a few things to consider before you don an apron and start asking, "Do you want fries with that?"

Strike a Balance

Think about what you like to do and when you would be able to work. Maybe you can take on an occasional freelance project, but you couldn't commit to tending bar every Saturday and Sunday.

Weigh pay possibilities. "You have to balance what you like to do with where you earn the most money," says Shawn Boyer, chief executive of SnagAJob.com, an online listing service for hourly and part-time jobs.

It's also important to make sure the second job is conveniently located. "You don't want to use up all of your extra income commuting," says Mr. Boyer.

Don't Break the Rules

Some employers have formal or informal policies that may constrain your second-job search. At the minimum, you generally shouldn't be doing work for a competing firm, working directly for a company client, or doing outside work on your main job's time.

Under most states' laws, employees have a "duty of loyalty" to their employers, says Salvatore G. Gangemi, an employment attorney in New York. That tacit agreement disallows employees from working for a competing company or taking company business or time for themselves.

If you are uncertain how a particular company would be viewed, ask your employer in advance. If, however, you decide to work in a field that is entirely different from your day job, "you generally don't need permission," says Steve Gross, global head of the rewards practice at Mercer Human Resource Consulting, in Philadelphia. "But you don't want to damage your relationship with your employer" either, he adds. So "it's always better to ask."

Alerting your employer to your intentions could also lead to increased duties or added projects that pay, notes Mr. Boyer of SnagAJob.com. "Employers just don't know [you are hungry for added assignments and pay] unless you tell them."

Don't Overdo It

Problems may arise if the extra hours you put in at the side job interfere with your main job. Say, you're too tired to do your day job well because you were waiting tables until 1 a.m. the night before. Or you have to miss an important company retreat because you have other obligations.

"While the extra pay is useful, the extra work does begin to wear you down physically and mentally," warns Randall Hansen, founder of QuintCareers.com, a career-development Web site.

Write to Diana Ransom at diana.ransom@wsj.com.

ADVERTISEMENT The Wall Street Journal Online Get News, Columns, and Tools on the Issues that Affect You and Your Family Sign Up Now!