Business Careers for People Who Sleep Late

by Gabby Hyman

So, night owls rejoice! If your circadian rhythms run counter to the American nine-to-five workday, you can still build up a tidy nest egg and thrive in a career that operates in the afternoons and evenings. Here are six rock-solid career choices for morning haters:

Personal Financial Advisor

In tough economic times, people need expert guidance in building investment portfolios, streamlining personal budgets, and managing retirement funds. Millions of baby boomers are retiring. That’s why jobs for personal financial advisers are slated to grow by an astonishing 41 percent between 2006 and 2016.

Many advisers work for firms selling insurance or securities, but a third of them are self-employed. Not only can you sleep in, you can set your own hours. You’ll need at least an undergrad business or finance degree to earn sleeping-late privileges, and you can take exams to receive a Certified Financial Planner credential. You may also need securities-trading licenses. High-end salaries top $145,000.

Corporate Event Planner (are you sure about this one Gabby – from my random event planning experiences vendors like 9 – 5 calls and deliveries, etc.)

Planning, organizing, and executing successful company meetings, trade conferences, and publicity events for corporations and non-profit agencies makes for exacting work. If you like to attend evening events, dress up, and stay late, this can be a perfect match if you have business savvy. Depending on their organizations, event planners can be a combination of public relations manager and travel-hospitality agent.

Most business sectors (financial, manufacturing, health care, high tech) need sharp planners to manage grand openings, festivals, fundraisers, seminars, new product launches, award events, annual meetings, and holiday events. You can prep for this career with a degree in public relations or business administration. PR and promotions managers average between $73,060 and $82,180 in annual wages.

IT Manager ( I believe that just for the mere fact that it’s after midnight and I am blogging and reading about this ish – tryna to launch a online women’s community like no other – Charly Magazine – see the mag link to your right! )

Computers rarely sleep and neither do the companies that rely on IT managers to oversee network systems around the clock. If late morning, afternoon, or evening shifts appeal to you, there’s a digital system somewhere that needs immediate tending. In regions where tech is king (Silicon Valley, for example), IT managers work flexible schedules, wrapping their hours outside of heavy commute times.

Look for undergrad and grad degree programs in networking, security, business, or an MBA program with a focus in technical management. Median earnings for IT managers skyrocket well into six figures, which means you’ll sleep well no matter the hours you keep.

Lodging/Dining Manager

Envision yourself as a kind of Casablanca Rick, plying customers with good service and building a late-night establishment with a fierce customer loyalty? Hotel and dining managers are night-owl classics, often staying after closing to have a cocktail with their staff or devoted patrons. You may be the last to lock up after doing the books.

Prepare for success by enrolling in a hospitality or culinary management degree program, or by earning a degree in business or management. Work for a major lodging or dining company, or at a family-run hotel, bed and breakfast, cafe, or bar. Sign up with an international hotel firm and find yourself waking up late–in paradise.

Management Consultant (arguably most consultants!!!)

Management consultants are engaged to help their clients work smarter, not harder. They are role models of the concept, often choosing when and how much they want to work. If you join their ranks, you’ll probably begin at a management consulting firm, working straight hours until you develop your own clientele and launch your own business. You’ll still have to hustle, but you can take time off between contracts, and set appointments that suit your body clock.

The Department of Labor predicts that “management, scientific, and technical consulting services” will remain among the fastest-growing careers (at an incredible 78 percent) for at least the coming decade. A business degree program is the best place to start. If you already have a degree in accounting, high tech, or health care, shoot for an MBA to bolster your credentials and your salary, which can vary greatly depending on your level of expertise.

Call Center Manager (since reading “The World is Flat” I would ask – answering calls in WHAT country????)

Jobs for call center managers are expected to grow by a dizzying 25 percent through 2016. Call center managers work afternoon and evening shifts supervising customer service representatives. You’ll focus on improving performance metrics, agents training and coaching, and forecasting call volumes.

Managers can hail from within service organizations, but many improve their chances for gaining top management roles in pursuing business degrees. Average national salary for call center managers is $61,512.