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During the COVID pandemic, as remote work became the norm, the idea of secretly juggling two full-time jobs gained traction. This was the “overemployed” craze, and the /r/overemployed subreddit ballooned to nearly half a million members. The dream was to earn double the income, accelerate the path to financial freedom, and subtly defy corporate America.
As we’ve come back to physical offices, overemployment has become less common, but I was shocked when an engineer recently told me he was working two full-time jobs. He was enjoying the extra pay, but he was also stressed out about keeping secrets from both his managers. Beyond the anxiety of juggling two jobs, overemployment is clearly a career-limiting move for engineers.
Beyond the obvious contractual breaches—most full-time employment agreements explicitly forbid this kind of moonlighting without consent—overemployment is simply a bad idea.
With overemployment, you’re essentially trying to “get by” in two roles. Instead of building strong relationships and genuinely contributing, you must perform a delicate balancing act, hoping neither employer catches on. This is incredibly short-sighted. Your career growth isn’t about accumulating company logos; it’s about the skills you acquire, the impact you make, and the people who can advocate for you. You’ll grow exponentially faster—and frankly, have a lot more fun— if you commit fully to one role.
The temporary financial bump of overemployment comes at a steep price; your coworkers will likely stop trusting you. This concern increases as you become more senior. At the Staff or Principal Engineer level, your job will depend on the relationships you’ve built and your ability to work with (and through) other people. Overemployment, especially when it’s a covert operation, is a fundamental violation of trust. How can you provide meaningful mentorship or truly collaborate when you’re hiding a massive part of your professional life? I don’t believe it’s possible.
The ultimate career hack is quite simple: commit fully to a job where you’re surrounded by smart coworkers in a company that’s growing rapidly. This is far less complicated (and more ethical) than overemployment. This advice applies equally to engineers who believe they can do multiple personal projects alongside their full-time job.
The compounding effect of real skill development, strong professional relationships, and single-threaded focus will provide significantly better returns than any short-term double-dipping scheme. And it’ll be more fun!
—Rahul
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