Anyone here ‘work two jobs?’

I don’t mean doing your main job during the day and then doing something else in the evening to supplement your income – I’ve done this in the past when I was younger – I worked my main job then did door work at weekends.

I’m talking two careers / roles at once – working for yourself in both and neither related or connected.

It’s something I’m contemplating doing myself and wondered about those who currently do this.

I’d be interested in hearing from those doing something similar and how it work out. Do you find the balance a positive thing keeping you ‘fresh’ in both areas? Or is it a case of not being focussed enough on either role to succeed?

Thanks.

This is interesting

https://hbr.org/2017/04/why-you-should-have-at-least-two-careers

I do two jobs. For the main I’m sort of a chemical account manager/lab manager/technical specialist (the actual role description is quite vague but I do bits of everything) on a gas production platform out in the Eastern Mediterranean, roughly 4 weeks away and 4 weeks home. When I’m home I’m a GasSafe heating engineer/plumber. I tend to only really do that for mates and/or little old ladies who need someone in an emergency and who doesn’t charge the earth.
I find on my 4 weeks leave from offshore I tend to get a bit angsty if I have nothing to do so the plumbing/heating actually works well to keep me occupied, especially at the moment when there is sweet FA else to do.

No but it’s what I have al always wanted to do tbh but the difficulty in getting part time work stopped it. 4 on 4 off or similar work patterns as above are the best for this. Tried to get into that game but just as the the oil collapse!

Yep kind of. Myself and wife own multiple unconnected businesses.
The two larger businesses have managers so they tend to run smoothly, we just do the payroll and deal with any major escalations or supplier issues.
It’s impossible to split them 50/50, some weeks we will have to spend 90% of our effort on one business, then catch up on the others as we get the chance.
One of the businesses makes little money and is my plaything, I have to stop myself spending all my time on that.
One of the businesses is property development, we have a very good team of builders, structural engineer and architect who I can trust to work well together. This makes things much easier. This allows me to focus on other key areas and not got involved in the minutiae.

I used to.
I did shift work (week on / week off) in a chemical engineering lab and in the week off part, I would usually do a few days work at a branch of Evans Cycles.

I’d worked for Evans (on and off) for years firstly in my gap year then again during Easter and summer holidays from uni. Not long after I graduated and started the shift work, a new branch opened not far from me so, because I was a known entity within the company, it was easy to come in on a P/T basis.

It’s far from running two businesses yourself as the OP mentions – I had zero input into the overall business plan of either company and was simply a cog in the wheel – but it was certainly very doable and gave a nice mix of seeing different people.

I do it. The day job was already quite erratic and varied. Its project based, with jobs taking from a few days to a few months, and frequent bouts of no work. Second job is property based and is intended as a retirement plan. It takes up far less time for a reasonable income. Also have a couple of side hustles which are more for fun but do turn a small profit. All of it is pretty much just me (or working with the Mrs). Pretty happy with the flexibility and work-life balance.

Thanks chaps, some interesting posts there.

I often have the thought I could do more / something different and be completely self employed – being honest I’m probably not a team player or company man which in these days can be viewed as a negative.

I’m also getting longer in the tooth in my early fifties and sometimes think I’m too old to carry on with the game playing nonsense.

But there is the regular salary……

But there is the regular salary

You need something in the bank just in case and it can be slow to start with but once it’s up and running you get a good feel for how much is coming in. It’s not miles away from a regular wage. You need to be disciplined to keep some back for the lean times and some for the tax man but overall I think it’s a plunge worth taking.

Got my fingers in three pies these days. Working for a train constructor on the export side. Freelance translator. ESL teacher, got about 50 students.
Wouldn’t mind packing in the last one, but it carries the other two when there’s a lull in the work. And it doesn’t feel like a proper job..

I just kinda fell into all three so can’t really give much advice but to address your last point, it goes both ways for me. Sometimes it’s refreshing to not do the same thing all the time, often I’m spreading myself thin – translation deadlines, a week working away, these things cause havoc.

Ha! Amazing isnt it the flaming I got on here whilst working two jobs as a firefighter. That was un acceptable to the masses here, yet here we are.😀

Yes I paid tax and NI on both jobs.

Still have two jobs tho…full time pensioner and part time janny pay tax but dont pay NI on either 😉

@Bruneep

No idea what you are on about mate.

Amazing isnt it the flaming I got on here whilst working two jobs as a firefighter.

Would have thought that was, ahem, part of the job for a firefighter…

My coat? Why thank you!

I’ve done it, a couple of times, never again.

Did two part time jobs as a student, bar work and Halfords, wasn’t too bad as I was young and full of energy. Uni work suffered though, with hindsight.

Did it a few years ago, Mon-fri selling IT software and infrastructure, Sat and Sun in the LBS. Think I had 2 days off in 3 months, was permanently tired, and although I enjoyed the LBS, I needed the weekends to recover from the week.

Guy I used to work with had a side business that essentially he was scared to go full time with, so kept up his mon-fri, whist doing it in his ‘spare time’. He reckoned he averaged 30ish hours sleep a week.

My friend was a plasterer but wanted to get out of the trade and ended up joining the fire brigade. He actually ended up doing more plastering since he joined!

Depends on whether you’re after two incomes or if your really mean “careers”. For the first, yes, or you’re trying to manage a diversified business portfolio to help mitigate the risks?
In terms of careers, no. Because if you want to be really successful in the corporate world it typically requires a sacrifice in terms of your family and private life, or in many cases both! There’s still an expectation in many organisations that you need to commit to 80-100 hours a week if you’re after an executive-level role. I’ve seen lots of people suffer burn-out, wrecked families or developing rather unsavoury behaviours with alcohol or drugs.

Not quite but I recently joined the management board of a local organisation, it’s like a second job but without getting paid. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Pub landlord / electrician combination

Due to Covid, I’ve been driving a supermarket delivery van 3 days per week and teaching guitar 3 days per week. Tip number 1, 6 days per week is too much!

Pre Covid I’d taught guitar 4 or 5 days per week in schools, and was a gigging musician as well. Although they’re in the same area, it very much did feel like ‘2 different careers’ Finding a balancing act was very very hard! I’m a firm believer in if you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards…..having the focus/time to develop in both careers was difficult. Certainly more lucrative and fun than the current combination…..a lot more stressful though!

Can work nicely if you can outsource and split non core operations. E.g accounting / invoicing / picking up the phone / basic support / scheduling appointments.

No fun managing support for 2 totally unconnected businesses yourself. It means you can never really have a day off if there is any complexity and people / co’s rely on what you do.

If you don’t like having a boss or being a team player in many cases setting up a company is not a good idea. Your customers, investors, family members and employees all basically become your boss / team members whether you like it or not. They will all need things from you to do their job / survive / use your product or service.

Have made it work in past but don’t underestimate having a well paid job with holiday in a stable industry and a good team / boss.

Because if you want to be really successful in the corporate world it typically requires a sacrifice in terms of your family and private life, or in many cases both! There’s still an expectation in many organisations that you need to commit to 80-100 hours a week if you’re after an executive-level role. I’ve seen lots of people suffer burn-out, wrecked families or developing rather unsavoury behaviours with alcohol or drugs.

That’s a really good point about the corporate world. Beyond the smiling Linkedin portrait pictures and fancy titles, these people are making something of a Faustian pact to get ahead. If that’s what they want then fine or course! Everything comes with a price, however.

One of my mates who works for Accenture (he’s super ambitious) just got divorced. It was on the cards for years with his wife complaining about him being away so much.

Mrs asbrooks was heading that way pre COVID. She’s a teacher and was looking at an exit plan.

As long as I’ve known her she has always been keen on yoga and a couple of years ago did a teaching course.
The year pre COVID she cut her teaching in her day job hours to 50% and began teaching yoga at the weekend and one evening a week. COVID put pay to it and now she is back to 100% teaching in a school.

Why would you want 2 jobs?

Nothing else to do.

If you want to hate your hobby turn it into a job 😀