For me in a big city it’s the annoyance of always being a part of the crowd. My free time is the same as everyone else’s now so traffic is always terrible on my days off (weekends), stores are always packed before/after work. Even walking my dogs becomes annoying because every other dog in the neighborhood is outside too.

Thankfully I work from home so I try to get out and walk the dog during lunch; if I have any errand to run I can just take my lunch later when everyone else has gone back to the office.

The other hard part for me is the afternoons; they drag on endlesssly. As a night person waking up in the morning was just killer, but I’ve finally adapted after… 10 years.

My biggest problem with 9-5 work weeks is you never have a free day to achieve anything such as doctor appointments or going to the government offices to renew something.

Meaning you're at the mercy of your manager to find days you can go do that stuff.

I value free time very highly and a 9-5 job that doesn't demand constant OT results in a nice work-life balance, IMO. I personally found the transition very pleasant. Main negative was getting time off for chores that must be done during work hours. But, many places are pretty chill about that.

I used to work overnight, 4 10s and it was like 10p-8a or 9p-7a. I switched to 8a-5p and it took weeks to turn around completely. I had been using mio energy in water for a couple of years at that point and I went from two 20oz bottles at night to four of them during the day. It was eye opening how completely draining working overnight was for me.

Couple of points: Nurses get put upon. Will you leave on the dot at 1700? There are nursing jobs where you hand off to the next person on duty ie staff nurse, so when you go home you don't have to worry about anything, but most of the 9-5 jobs the job has defined responsibilities. Even if one is off the clock there are still thoughts running around inside your head. It takes a bit of skill to be able to put them aside every day.

It's really hard to fit everything you need to do at the weekend on a 9-5 compared to the flexibility of shifts. You have to be rigorous in terms of doing personal work in the evening after the job has finished.

Tbh have to look at career progression as well. Its not a straightforward choice.

If you go 9-5, is it possible to go back to doing shifts if you want?

I prefered nights over 9-5 but I also felt like I was doing more important work then.

I also work 3x12s and mostly love having the 4 days off. The downside is being able to do virtually nothing on those days besides eat and sleep. I think one advantage of the 9-5 week is being able to still do a few things more often. It’s hard to practice hobbies and maintain the house with gaps on days that I’m working.

What you value changes slightly as time goes on. Having the more consistent day might be more appealing now. And if you dont like it, there are always nurse jobs that are in need. Maybe there is something in between the hospital and that gig, like dialysis nursing. Worth a try.