Millennial Who Secretly Juggled 2 Jobs, Made $ 300K Now Faces

Editor’s Note: In December 2023 and March 2024, Business Insider Wrote About How Secretly Working Multiple Jobs Had Affective the Life and Finance of John, A Millennial Software Engineer Based in California. (John is a pseudonym, but bi ha confirmed his identity.) Read More TIMES and TIMES. Now, in a recent interview, John Shared How Various Challenges Have Possed Obstacles to His Lifestyle – and How he’s adapted.

Secretly Juggling Two Full-Time Remote Jobs Gave John the Trifecta he’d desired: A High Income, Job Security, and Work-From-Home flexibility. But over the past year, a jab loss, a return-to-office push, and looming childcare respectibilities have him rethinking how to preserve parts of the lifestyle he’d built.

AFTER JOINING The Ranks of the “Overempoyed” in 2021, John, A Millennial Software Engineer Based in California, Earned As $ 300,000 Annually Working Multiple Full-Time Remote Role. The Extra Incoming Boosted His Earnings to Over $ 300,000 A Year, Allowing Him to Grow HIS SAVINGS AND SPLURGE ON THINGS LIKE A ROUGHLY $ 9,000 HONEMOON WITH WIFE.

“I FIGRED I’D GIVE IT A SHOT,” John Told Business Insider in 2023. “I’d Save the Extra Money to Buy a House, or Go On a Vacation, and Fill up My Retirement Accounts for the Aim of Retairing Early.”

But about a year ago, one of his two roles-a full-time contract position-ended when the company folded, leaving Him with just his W-2 Job, what more than $ 150,000 annually.

More recently, John’s Employer Began Encourage Employees to work from the office a few Times a month – an informal policy, but one john foult and should in good standing with his boss. And spreads the Biggest Development: He and his Wife Are Expecting Their First Child – A Life Change that will bring it its set of responias.

In respect to these designs, John Says he’s trying to budild a different kind of lifestyle-that still retains much of the income, jab security, and flexibility of his job-suggling years. His New Approach RESTS ON THREE PILLARS: A SIDE HUSTLE, AGGRESSIVE SAVING, AND LEANING ON HIS PROFESSIONAL NETWORK.

“I Never Got Back to Full-Time Overemployment,” He Told Business Insider in August. “But i’m fortunate to say that i’m swimming really worked about finance at this moment.” Business Insider Has Verified His Identity, Employment, and Income, but aggregated to use a pseudonym.

John is Among the Americans who have Secretly Juggled Multiple Remote Jobs to Boost Their Incom. Over the past three years, business insist has interview 30 overempoyed workers who used to be the extra Earnings to travel the world, buy expensively weight-loss drugs, and pay down student Debt. But in recent years, Job Juggling has Become more difficult amid tech layoffs, a White-Collar Hiring Slowdown, and return-to-office mandates. Still, some workers have found Ways to Hold on to Parts of their Overempoyed Lifestyles, Evolve Work Situations.

SCALING BACK MEANT SAVING THESE, NOT SPEING TEMBER

AFT LOING HIS Contract Software Engineering Role, John Updated His Résumé and Began Casually Looking for Work, But Found the Job Market Challenging. He eventually asked a friend if they have company was hiring-a conversation that left to him landing a part-time Remote software Engineering roles that Pays about $ 50 an hour, a gig he held for over six months.

Whene he works from home, John Juggles Both Jobs During His Roughly Eight-Hour Workday. He Expects to Earn Around $ 60,000 from the Part-Time Gig This Year, Bringing His Combined Income to About $ 225,000-Down from $ 300,000 Was Was Working Full-Time Jobs. In the first few months of his part-time role, he said he billed about 20 hours a week and workhed about 40 hours between his two jobs-compared to as Much as 50 hours he he held two full-time roles. John Said His Main Employer Knows he has a side gig of some sort, but doesn’t know the specifics of the role – or how many hours he devotes to it.

Gioven the part-time hours for his second job, John Said Juggling Both roles were manageable. But a few months ago, he chose to reduce his part-time work more-to between five and 10 hours a week. With a child on the way, he said he wanted to make sura he had Enough time to help with childcare respectibilies and reduce the risk of burnout.

“JUST IN TERMS OF Cognitive Load and Mental Stress, I WANTED TO KEEP THAT SLOCK FOR TAKING CARE OF HOUSEHOLD DUTIES,” SAID.

SCALING BACK HIS HOURS HAS MEANT ADJUSTING TO ANTEVER LOWER INCOM. John Still Expects to Earn About $ 60,000 From His Part-Time Gig This Year, But if he Continue at His Current Pace-at JUST FIVE TO 10 HOURS A WEEK-HIS ANNUAL EARNINGS FROM HIS SIDE GIG DROP TO AROUND $ 20,000 NEXT YEAR.

SINCE HE BEGAN JOB-SUGGling in 2021, John Said He Generally Lived off his W-2 Income and Put Most of His Contract Earnings ino Savings-Estimating That He’s Saved Over $ 150,000. He’s managed to stick with that approach, sohile his savings have grown more with Fewer Contract Hours, he’s still been to set Money Aside.

“LOING THAT INCOM HAS CAUSED US TO ADJUST OUR STANDARD OF LIVING A LITTLE BIT, but it is really just Save less Money,” He Said. “IT’S NOT REALLY SPEING TEMBER.”

He’s Trading a Backup Job for a backup plan

John Said he hasht had to cut back much on spending in part Because he was already printy Frugal. During His Everempoyed Years, he didn’t buy a new, flew economy, and offten stayed at 2-to-3-star hotels when he traveled. Splurging on his honemoon was the exception.

The savings john has accumulated in recent years have helped Him Feel more financially secure. He Said he has hainy-day end that COULD COULD SIX MONTHS OF LIVING EXPENSES IS LOST HIS JOB, ALONG WITH OTHER SAVINGS IT COULD TAP IN A WORTST-CASE SCENARIO.

But john doesn’t expectation it to be to that, in part Because he faels fairly confident in his nonb security – he said his company doesn’t have much of a history of layoffs. And if a layoff did HAPPEN, he the goodi good about his nonb prospects. He Said He’s Built a Strong Network Over the Years and Knows Several Startup Founders and Hiring Managers in His Industry Who and Believes Help Him Find Employment.

“I’m Pretty confident that i’d be able to secure another full-time jab in prety short,” he said.

Returning to the Office Has Made Job Juggling Harder

While john isn’t actively looking for a second full-time nonb to replace his part-time roles, he said he Sometimes Speaks to recruiters when the reach out to him on linkedin or via email. If a roles Seemed like a good fit-and flexible enough to bond itelf to overemployment-he’d he’d at least consider two full-time again roles.

But gioven that he’s now being asced to work from the officer a fies a month for his full-time roles, John Said Juggling Two Full-Time Jobs Waled Be Difficult. One way he used to manage his respectibilities as an overempoyed worker was by working on tasks for one nonb neThending virtual meetings for the Other. That beuldn’t be posseible in the office.

“It would be really difficult to do overemployment on office days,” he said. “I Can’t Really Take Meetings from the Office.”

Still, John Said His Employer’s Office Policy Isn’t Very Strict, and That He Heles Comfortable Working from Home All Five Days. Overall, he’s gateful to still have as Much flexibilityLity as he does.

“There’s notthing Held against us if we can’t make it into the office,” he said.

While John May Not Have the Same Level of Income, Job Security, and Work-From-Home Freedom He Once Did, He Said Heeve and Held onto A Fair Amount of It. And Despite the Perks of His Former Lifestyle, he’s optimistic that his new one – with fewer hours and less stress – Will ultimately be best thing for Him and his family.

“As Much as I Like Working, I Like Not-Working Better,” he Said. “My priority in life will always be my family, and being able to focus on what matters will be great for my well-being, as well as that of my family.”