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Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

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Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#201

Post by winterplace »

motohagiography wrote: post #43

Did it legitimately over the pandemic because I'm a solo consultant/contractor and don't have exclusivity clauses so I manage multiple clients, however, it has come up in interviews when they look at dates because I put them all on my CV. Key observations to share are: - the more different the jobs are, the more managable they are, as the complete context switch is as good as a break. It's not task context switching…

Agree with telling the truth.

How did you tell full-time employers who interview you that you have clients on the side?

Do you just tell them the truth that it is none of their business?

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#202

Post by winterplace »

BizarroLand wrote: post #69
filoleg wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having 2 jobs isn't inherently illegal. But pretty much every single full-time employment contract for an SWE that I've seen, stipulated that I am not allowed to have any other full-time job for the period of my employment.

For SWE or other programming/code related positions I can see that making sense. You may only write 30 minutes of code in a day but the other 7.5 hours is spent either cogitating over the problem and creating the environment that allows you to solve the problem or participating in your team to make sure everyone is on the same page. You split that 8 hours between 2 companies and unless you are significantly under-emp…

Or you spend 7.5 hours x2 on creating good environments that can be used in both companies and so each company gets 7.5 hours of free benefit

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#203

Post by winterplace »

intellix wrote: post #157

I'm on both sides of this. I've started 2x companies at the same time (one where I work 9-6 and the other which I work around 6-12 and all weekend) so I'm literally working all the time. Initially it made me struggle in my 9-6 because typically when I don't understand something, I'd spend my outside hours reading into things or do some extra work to finish up... but now I appear as a standard developer instead of a 1…

You are ok with people having 2 jobs right and meeting expectations for both jobs?

You are just not ok with people disappearing and not working at all right?

What was the failed method that the project manager used for velocity?

How did the management do better at noticing than the project manager velocity?

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#204

Post by winterplace »

stuntkite wrote: post #160
gdfgjhs wrote: post #40

I am so confused with comments in this threads. Since when did tech employees became so submissive and scared? As far as I know, having 2 jobs is not illegal, not unethical. Many, sadly, low income families have to work two or more jobs. We in tech make enough but what if you are bored and need more challenges. My current second job is family but I know multiple single engineers (or in one case, with grown up kids) w…

I have a friend who took two in office sysadmin jobs and automated them enough that he never had to come in and was able to basically do nothing except work on cars and play video games and hang out for like 5 years. I'm still proud of him to this day.

IT department or just a one person sysadmin role.

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#205

Post by winterplace »

akhmatova wrote: post #152
pc86 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you required to tell your employer if you're moonlighting or doing other paid work? I'm not. Does your employment contract (or the closest thing you have if you work in the US) specify 40 hours a week? Mine doesn't. It says I need to be available during "core hours" which amount to about 17.5 hours a week. It also takes about half a page to basically say "you have to get your assigned work done on time or you may…

Are you required to tell your employer if you're moonlighting or doing other paid work? I'm not. Actually it's quite common for employment (and even consulting) agreements to have language specifying that you do exactly that -- "devote your full working hours and attention" to their duties for the Company. As well as clauses specifically prohibiting moonlighting (or at least requiring you to declare any such outside…

Then do they fire people who only have 1 job but are coasting?

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#207

Post by winterplace »

akhmatova wrote: post #8

If you're two-timing on clients / employers (that is, plainly working two FT jobs at once) -- you can't expect that to end well. If you're working > 50 hours a week (or whatever your personal limit is) for more than 1-2 months -- that won't end well for your health or business relationships, either. That's the score, basically.

Having a kid is a 2nd job than makes it > 50 hours. Would you fire them?

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#208

Post by winterplace »

hamstrung wrote: post #31
akhmatova wrote: post #8

If you're two-timing on clients / employers (that is, plainly working two FT jobs at once) -- you can't expect that to end well. If you're working > 50 hours a week (or whatever your personal limit is) for more than 1-2 months -- that won't end well for your health or business relationships, either. That's the score, basically.

Your score isn't my score. My F/T job at a FAANG adds up to about 10 hrs/week at most.. sometimes 15 hrs due to extra meetings. Could easily fit in another job, but would rather sit in the sun and read a book.

How do you fit 40 hours of work into 10 hours?

Do you have an email address or a contact method?

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#209

Post by winterplace »

akhmatova wrote: post #21
skeeter2020 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

lots of people work far more than 50 hrs/week on a regular basis, this is not a huge deal if that's your jam. If you're working multiple salaried positions, or double-billing your time, that's a different story.

Of course a lot of people do -- but at a cost to productivity (per hour) and as said, their health and and relationships. There's lots and lots and lots of research about this, actually.

Having a kid is a 2nd job. There is a cost to productivity per hour too and affects their health.

Would you fire them?

Re: Ask HN: Who here is juggling two or more remote jobs? How is it working out?

#210

Post by akhmatova »

mech422 wrote: post #186
akhmatova wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, salaried generally means you get paid the same amount regardless of hours worked, which is another thing people seem to overlook. Except the spirit of that agreement to not worry about the variance of working, say, 35 hours one week, 45 the next. They still quite definitely expect you to work an average of about 40 hours -- and usually provide language in the employment/consulting stating exactly that. In fact,…

yes - and you assume everyone is lying about it, instead of just telling their manager? and many do not shorten their time..and others work for companies that don't care as long as the work is done. I stand by my point - there's no reason to assume everyone is 'cheating'...

That point is valid - obviously not everyone is lying. And if all of hour employers/clients are aware of what's going on, then obviously no harm is done.

But people are probably lying (to at least one of their employers), and there seems to be a blasé attitude about it going around: "If I get my work (or a half-ass version of it) done in 20 hours and nobody seems to notice -- why not just try and get away with whatever I can get away with?"

In so many words.

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