SCALING UP:

To feed a lifestyle, some are taking second jobs: More in middle class finding seasonal work (Jenn Abelson, December 18, 2005, Boston Globe)

Kevin Kipler spends his days managing corporate flights and military jets at Bangor International Airport. At night, the 41-year-old father listens to gift orders in a cubicle at L.L. Bean, where he recently took on a seasonal job as a quality control coach.

Sometimes, during his 15-hour days, he forgets which job he's at, mistakenly calling people passengers instead of customers.

''It's a lot of work. You sacrifice a lot," Kipler said. ''But you have to look at the bottom line. I've got a mortgage to pay and other bills. My kids are young, and I'm used to buying them a certain amount of gifts. I don't want to scale back."

Given the choice between cutting back or living well, a growing number of people are choosing to take on a second job. The number of Americans with full-time jobs taking on part-time work during the holiday season jumped nearly 9 percent to 12.2 million people over the past three years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Europeans have unemployment as high as 10% while we can all find second jobs and not a few are willing to work them to improve their own economic standing. We just aren't anything like them anymore.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 18, 2005 8:18 AM