I am the 5 percent.

I recently joined the 5 percent of workers — 6.8 million of us in the last year alone — who hold down more than one job in this country, according to federal statistics.

After my oldest child went off to college, I got a part-time job working in retail sales at Christmastime. The extra money, I figured, would come in handy around the holidays and would help fund the art supplies, books and needs of the college kid, who also has her own job.

I was right.

In fact, I decided to keep the job after the Christmas sales ended. It was an easy call. The hours were flexible, my family fared fine with my new schedule, and the hustle-bustle of the job suits my slightly hyperactive Type-A personality. It was a win-win-win as far as I could see.

Am I making you uncomfortable telling you all of this?

For some reason, some of my acquaintances, God bless them, have been a little embarrassed when they have run into me at the store where I work.

They shuffle their feet and stare at my name tag. Is everything OK? they ask, trying to keep things light but wondering do I, you know, still have my full-time job? When I say, yes, I still work full time, then they get really quiet. Two jobs?

We Americans, for all of our striving, are a bit hung up about money and work. We put ourselves into categories. I have a professional job. I do certain kinds of work; I don't do other kinds of work. We don't build our lives one small paycheck at a time.

Many of you already know this, but the world is changing. In fact, it changed radically in just one generation. When I was growing up, which wasn't really all that long ago, my mom didn't work and my dad's insurance salesman's salary paid for our middle-class lifestyle in Manheim Township, trips to Disney World and most of my college education at Penn State.

Today, wages at many companies have stayed flat while the cost of living has steadily increased. A college education costs a mind-blowing fortune, more than $100,000 at the state-related school my daughter attends. We get some help, but not a lot. So we do what we can.

My three teenagers all have had or have small jobs, ranging from cat-sitting to lawn-mowing to barista-ing. My husband works long hours at his job. We want to live a life with the minimal amount of debt and to send our kids out into the world that way.

I know this doesn't make us particularly special and that we share this philosophy with many of you here in the land of the Pennsylvania Dutch, who practically invented frugality. Lots of us worry and wonder how this will work out for future generations.

For me, moonlighting works.

I like my second job, which is completely different than my daytime gig. I like the customers.

And I really like my co-workers, most of them women who work another full-time job and do the retail thing nights and weekends. They are strong and funny and straight-up, and they have been a great example to me.

As my dad used to say, all work has value and dignity.

So if you see me at my other job? Smile back at me.

cstauffer@lnpnews.com