beatupsuitcase

I have been lurking around....ALOT. It's my first post I know but please answer me this.

For the guys there now, junior or senior, please think back and remember your first few years with FedEX. How did you manage the schedules vs. your family at home? At the previous cargo gig i did, it was a stand-up overnight 5 nights a week. 4-5 hours of sleep a night (i guess equivalent to a sort) and managed by a nap in the day of 4 hours every other day (gotta have some time to run errands or exercise) 2 years of that and i was not only programmed to fall asleep every 8 hours but the grumpiest most short tempered bastard possible...I never got a full sleep ever and it showed. My wife does not want me to be that again. I don't blame her. I don't even want that, but.....the schedule at FDX is NOT what that was..but it does fly all night and I prefer being on a physical day schedule for my family. Being tired and grumpy is not going to work for me, but it would be a huge issue for my wife. I am at the point, that where I go next is the LAST place I go so I would like to learn as much about this as possible from the guys there now. so I would like to hear how you minimized the fatigue and gave the most possible ""up-time" to your family without the fatigue messing with your relationship. How do you make it work for you. How does your family make it work for you? I'd like to be rested enough to do things instead of sleeping at home while the wife and kid go to a parade.....or sleeping instead of going to the park or going on a drive with them. how did you do it? how did you remain functional and not a grumpy SOB when you got home?

I have a friend there now on the Airbus. He is somewhat of a night owl to begin with but a simple 5 hour nap when he gets home, waking up around 2 + falling asleep around midnight later on puts him back on a regular schedule and happy for the family. I do know that for anyone junior on a domestic schedule, you will work through a sort, most likely not sleep during it, and be up all night for many days a week and have a bunch of time off later on to recover, but changing back and forth every other week on that schedule? I have read alot and many have talked here about the benefits of working there, but I just haven't found yet the real discussion on how to keep yourself and your family together on the schedule.

is it a type of schedule (days on vs. off) of preference to minimize the fatigue?

To interview at FDX right, would require prep. and to do that to win, it will cost money i would rather not spend unless i was serious. (and yes, i'm in a position where an interview could be likely so i'm trying to discover my seriousness) So, I want to know as much as possible now, before spending the money i don't have alot of on something i wish i hadn't and hating where i go.

maybe i'm thinking too much into this.

love to hear the thoughts on it from the guys there.
thanks.