WHEN ONE JOB ISN'T ENOUGH, SOME TAKE TWO

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 26, 1992                   TAG: 9201270179
SECTION: NEW RIVER VALLEY ECONOMY                    PAGE: 34   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long
WHEN ONE JOB ISN'T ENOUGH, SOME TAKE TWO
Shirley Parks of Giles County usually sleeps three to six hours a day. The rest of the time she works at Sears in the New River Valley Mall as a personnel specialist, at Uni-Mart (formerly Getty Mart) in Blacksburg and at caring for her mother, who is a dialysis patient.
Darryl Jones of Christiansburg works from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Furniture Factory in Christiansburg. He comes home for a short break, then goes to Charley's restaurant, where he is a dishwasher.
Davy Jones of Blacksburg works full time at Tele-Works, Inc. in Blacksburg, and spends his weekends at the Speedway convenience store on Toms Creek Road.
Situations like this have become commonplace as people in the New River Valley are finding it hard to survive on one income.
\ When Parks, 36, was divorced two years ago, she was left with lots of bills and a daughter about to enter college. At the time, she lived in Roanoke and was driving to Pearisburg three times a week to take her mother to Radford for dialysis treatment.
"If I had just one job, the bill collectors would be hounding me," Parks said. "Not foreseeing the divorce, I ran up the credit cards, and I want to get them paid off."
An average day for Parks goes like this: On the job at Sears by 8:30 a.m., leaves at 4:30 or 5 p.m. Drives 45 minutes to her home in Pearisburg to take care of her mother. Three days a week she takes her mother to a treatment center for dialysis.
After that, Parks relaxes and reads or sleeps for as many hours as possible. Then she gets up, grabs a bite to eat, gets dressed for work and heads back to Blacksburg for her 11 p.m.-7 a.m. shift at Uni-Mart.
Sometimes, after she gets off work at Uni-Mart, Parks says, she'll take catnaps in her car before going to Sears. And she keeps a schedule so she doesn't get confused about where she needs to be.
"Sometimes you think you just can't make it, but once you're up it's OK," Parks said. "It's all in what you set your mind to do."
Parks is caught in a Catch-22. She works 25 to 39 hours a week at each job - a total of 50 to 78 hours a week - but neither is full time. She said she earns $18,000 to $25,000 a year. If she had one job that offered benefits, she said, she might not have to work two jobs.
"But even then, I think I'd always work a lot," she said. "As long as the jobs are there. Even if I won the lottery, I'd work. When I'm sitting at home, I could be working. I like to stay busy."
Parks thinks a lot of people in the New River Valley are too choosy about what jobs they take.
"There are jobs out there," she said. "I see a lot of help-wanted signs but people can sometimes make more on unemployment."
\ Darryl Jones, 37, has worked in shipping and receiving at the Furniture Factory in Christiansburg for five years. He had been living with his father after his divorce five years ago, so one job was enough. But he moved out, and - with a son to support and a new apartment - Jones needed more money. So he got the dishwashing job at Charley's in the New River Valley Mall.
He says things are "pretty stable now" and he feels financially secure, but it hasn't always been that way. When Charley's closed in August, Jones had to cut back and not buy any extras.
"I was used to making both incomes and I could really see the difference," he said. When Charley's reopened under new ownership in November, Jones' life returned to normal.
Despite having to work two jobs, he feels lucky in the midst of the economic recession. He receives benefits at the Furniture Factory and has managed to save money for his son's future with Christmas clubs and retirement benefits.
Jones lives across the street from the factory and saves money by walking to work. He says it helps, but there are still things he would like to buy one day - like a new car.
"I haven't traded my car in years," he said.
When asked about having two jobs while some people only have one, Jones said, "A lot of people won't just take anything. I'm not particular. As long as I can work and make an honest living, I'm happy."
\ Davy Jones, 24, office manager for Tele-Works Inc. and a part-time cashier at Speedway Center, had to turn down a scholarship to New River Community College because he couldn't afford it.
That may sound strange. Scholarships usually help out. But this scholarship covered only books and tuition, not living expenses. Jones turned down the scholarship to keep his full-time job and is working toward his degree one class at a time.
"It [having two jobs] makes things a lot smoother," he said. "I make about $200 extra a month." He said he earns $14,000 to $16,000 a year at his full-time job.
Although Jones admits his job at Speedway isn't absolutely necessary - especially now that his parents are employed - he said having the extra money to help with bills was nice.
"It also enables me to go out and do the things I like to do," he added. "I feel pretty lucky to have two jobs in today's economy. Neither pays a lot, but they're secure and I enjoy them."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB