Matthew, a registered nurse based in the western US, started working as a field case manager about 10 years ago, but it wasn’t until a few years later that he quietly began working multiple jobs to boost his income.
Matthew, who was promoted to supervisor in 2019, told Business Insider in an email that he was looking for a way to earn extra income and thought his new job, which allowed him to work remotely a few days a week, might be flexible enough to allow him to work part-time as well.
In addition to supplementing his income, Matthew saw the opportunity to grow professionally by juggling multiple roles.
“I felt like I was stagnating mentally, with very little development or improvement,” said Matthew, whose identity is known to BI but who asked that a pseudonym be used for fear of professional repercussions.
After much consideration, he decided to pursue further work opportunities, a decision that has paid off financially for him.
According to documents viewed by BI, Matthew earned nearly $250,000 last year from his full-time case manager job and three other part-time jobs. He said he kept his side jobs a secret from his main employer. Although working multiple jobs can be stressful at times, Matthew said he’s not burned out yet.
“I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed the challenge, the adrenaline and the excitement of doing multiple things at once at a high level without anyone noticing,” he said.
Matthew is one of more than 20 “overemployed” Americans who secretly work multiple jobs to boost their income and job security. BI interviewed these people, who make as much as $1 million a year from a variety of jobs and use the extra cash to pay off student loans, take lavish vacations, and save for retirement.
Some companies allow employees to work overtime, but doing so without permission can have a negative impact on your work. Also, some people who are overwhelmed with busy work can suffer from burnout and question whether being overemployed is sustainable.
Working multiple jobs allowed him to find work that he enjoyed.
Matthew said her overemployment journey began with her working three 12-hour shifts from Friday to Sunday as a nurse, in addition to her full-time job as a case manager connecting patients with the medical resources they needed. The pandemic hit about a year later, and Matthew said it created several part-time work opportunities.
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“I started doing contract work for COVID-19 testing,” he said.
Fast forward to 2024, and Matthew is still juggling multiple jobs. He now works as a case manager and also as an occupational health nurse for a company.
Matthew said juggling his work has not only improved his financial situation but also given him the professional benefits he had hoped for.
For example, it gave him the opportunity to learn what it was like to work in other professions, such as an occupational health nurse, which he says proved to be a good fit for him as it allowed him to utilise some of the skills he had developed over the years.
For now, he has no plans to quit his other job.
“I still serve in my role as a case manager and am able to work on my laptop during those hours,” he said.
Are you working multiple remote jobs simultaneously and willing to discuss pay and schedule details? If so, contact this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com.
