Combining several projects is not uncommon in the IT industry. But in the last two years, the proportion of technical specialists who work at two full-time jobs at the same time has been growing.
This is understandable; with the huge shift in the business community to home-office, it became easier to combine meetings, work processes, and communications.
Let's look at the risks for employees and employers, as well as the pros and cons of this combination.
The X Factor: good for all, but difficult
This is probably the rarest case, but also the most profitable for both parties - when you combine two jobs in the same company. You don't hide from anyone, everyone knows the situation.
For example, you work as an analyst and additionally take on the function of project manager. It is also not uncommon for developers to move into management as they develop professionally. The second option is when you change the programming language and leave, for example, from frontend development to backend. If there are places in the company, in order not to lose income in a junior position, you can stay in your current place, while developing in a new direction.
The employee gets the opportunity to develop and practice new skills in their company, where they are familiar with the business processes. In addition to development, you will also get more money. The disadvantages are overwork because it is not easy to play two roles at the same time, more work hours are added.
In the case of an employee starting to perform management tasks, the company gets a manager-practitioner who understands the problems of employees, how they work and, often, such a person has well-developed communication with the team. If you change professional direction and stay with your company, you are more loyal and familiar with internal processes. You don't need to be introduced and adapted. The disadvantage for the employer is the constant risk that you will burn out, get tired and fail to meet the deadline.
Not a great secret
Let's be honest, although the Internet is replete with stories when a developer works or worked at two places and he "didn't get caught" - in most cases, such employees do get caught.
When we talk about full-time, it's a full workload of eight hours. Even if we subtract an hour for sharing memes, coffee, and breaks, that still leaves a decent workload. Working 5 days a week for 14-16 hours a day is objectively difficult. Giving up procrastination, phone and snack breaks is not enough. As people who work two jobs themselves have pointed out, practically since the beginning of such a combination they have been working 5-6 hours or even 4 hours on each project, but very intensely. That is, they do not work out the full time that the employer has paid for.
How it happens in practice: you work two jobs, constantly switching between tasks and colleagues, combining meetings. But at the same time, you can disappear during the day. You show a very uneven pace of work. You confuse the names or those responsible for the tasks of colleagues (especially in large companies).
At the first suspicion, companies will start checking you out. You can close your LinkedIn profile, don't get caught by common acquaintances, don't show up in projects (your refusal to acknowledge your "merits" in the team's success will also raise questions). But since all of our online activities leave traces, it is extremely likely that the companies will find each other.
The world of IT is a fairly small one. Employers regularly ask for references from previous companies you have worked with. These days, soft skills are important, including immersion in team business, reliability, and honesty. It's worth weighing up beforehand whether the risk is worth it. Even a suspicion would be enough to make the hiring decision in favor of another candidate.
Everything under the sun
But let's talk about the pros. Two jobs allow you to solve the financial issue. It's easier to get two average-paying jobs than one very expensive position. Even taking into account overtime, if you need to make a fairly large amount of money in a limited time, this may well be an option.
An anonymous developer told the online magazine Highload that he earned $36,000 in four months. However, he also talks about the disadvantages of such an experience, including burnout and tremendous fatigue. He combined the work in a major project and an American startup, eventually choosing second place. There were more prospects and more interesting tasks.
Market demand has spawned resources that help those who want to combine two jobs, such as Overemployed. Founded by two technical experts, this site suggests the intricacies and pitfalls of such a format.
The second important positive aspect of the two projects is the possibility of development if you are not ready to lose income. You can take the second project exactly from those that interest you, where you can develop your skills or do something you can be proud of if it is important to you.
Our agency bases all communication with clients, job seekers and companies-employers, on the principles of utmost honesty. Therefore, we do not advise you to deceive the company you work for or to keep silent on such an important matter as another project.
If you want to do something outside of work, including income-generating work, in most cases it will not cause a negative reaction. But on the condition that it will not interfere with your main job. Comfortable additional employment - up to 3-4 hours a day. This can be a good indie project, a small business at the startup stage, or a local project. This allows to solve both the question of development and interest, as well as financial. For example, we cooperate with the animation studio Toonbox, who are happy to hire for part-time work (check vacancies here).
And you can always find a basic job with a higher salary or a more interesting project, for example, choose something here:)