Core Concepts
Some ambitious Americans are secretly working multiple high-paying tech jobs to increase their income and protect themselves from layoffs.
Abstract
The content discusses the growing trend of "over-employment" (OE) among some Americans, particularly in the tech industry. During the pandemic, remote and hybrid work became more common, and people had more time at home, leading some to seek out additional high-paying jobs. The rapid inflation and hot job market also provided incentives for this practice.
OE is not about working multiple jobs to make ends meet, but rather about individuals, often in the tech sector, taking on multiple six-figure salaries. The discussions around OE on Reddit forums focus on how to land additional jobs, avoid detection, and maximize earnings while doing as little work as possible without getting fired.
The content highlights that OE is seen by proponents as a way to protect themselves from layoffs and the cutthroat nature of the job market. However, it also notes that the practice is generally kept secret, as employers would likely terminate employees caught engaging in OE.
Stats
"OE'ers are pulling in multiple six figure salaries."
"Tech jobs, especially on the engineering side, tend to be OE-friendly (as long as your employer doesn't catch on to the fact that you're doubly employed), because they don't require much face time and the work and deliverables can be staggered relatively easily."
Quotes
"The rapid and high inflation in living costs coming out of the darkest days of the pandemic provided an additional incentive to work an extra job."
"The OE discussions on Reddit are pretty interesting. They generally revolve around a few main themes: How to land the coveted J2 (second job) or even a J3 (third job). How to avoid detection."