Moonlighting is great for many reasons.  I think that its important to pursue moonlighting for its many immediate and future benefits.  I’m here to discuss one of the tougher parts of moonlighting, moonlighting while you have a family.  Moonlighting is a time intensive activity that will most likely take you away from your family at times that they are likely going to be home (nights and weekends mostly when you’re in training). 

Finally! Training is over and now it is finally time to become an attending! All those years of training has enabled me to practice medicine without someone watching over my back (that part somewhat scares me!).  Another benefit is a massive bump in salary, likely the biggest increase in salary I am going to see in my entire career.  Getting off on the right foot financially has important implications for long term wealth and financial independence.

The idea of multiple options for additional moonlighting income during training is obviously appealing.  First of all, more money at a younger age has a multitude of benefits.  Second, you have options, so you can pick the jobs that fit what you’re looking for at any given time. Third, you get experience in multiple settings and this gives you a better perspective of the “real world” of medicine. Unfortunately, there are some downsides of juggling multiple moonlighting gigs during training.  This is not to say that it is not worth it, but it is important to understand them when signing up for different jobs.