People Who Work Multiple Jobs Are Revealing Their Honest Experiences, And It's An Eye-Opening Look At The Impact Of Inflation
According to Market Watch, this year, more people are working multiple jobs, especially due to inflation and increasing living expenses.
So, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the second jobs they've taken on to make ends meet — and they got real about the challenges, positive experiences, and the difficulties of dealing with the high cost of living. Here are the eye-opening results:
1."I remember a period after uni helping out at a daycare for kids with special needs in the morning and afternoon before dashing off to sort parcels at a shipping company in the evening. In between these jobs, I freelanced as a writer and proofreader for various projects. I almost ran myself into the ground and had to force myself to take stock of my situation. I had no downtime, practically no days off, and bolting from one end of the city to the other to get to my other job — while running off four hours of sleep — was not conducive to my health."
"I got lucky in that I had managed to save up enough to keep me afloat before hitting my breaking point, enough to quit one job. The job market, housing market, rent, and just general cost of living nowadays is ridiculous and borderline impossible."
2."I’m a teacher with a master's degree and multiple certifications in my field (music education). I have two part-time jobs after my full-time position, private instrument lessons, and children’s choir classes, and I still don’t make enough to live comfortably in my city. I’m a single mom and still struggle to make ends meet."
"Found a small apartment in a safe neighborhood — it was pretty much all I could afford at $1,200/month."
—42, Maryland
3."We unfortunately ended up having to buy a house in 2022 when the market was horrible, leaving us with a very expensive mortgage payment. My wife and I have great day jobs, but they still don't cover all our expenses. I tried DoorDash, SudShare, Amazon Flex, etc., and they weren't bad, but just not worth it. I eventually ended up deciding to move toward bartending, and it has helped out so much. On good nights, I can make $100–$200 and usually only work about five hours during the dinner rush."
"I would highly suggest it, especially with how many opportunities 'mixology' can provide around you (bars, restaurants, adult arcades, etc.)."
4."Who doesn't have a side hustle these days?! I work a 40-hour week at my 'regular' job, which is the main breadwinner. Then I work at Ulta part-time. It gets frustrating because all my free time is spent working. I also make earrings that I sell online. I don't understand how a person is supposed to make it on just one income unless they make millions."
—41, Michigan
5."In 2010, I took a side gig as a pub trivia host. This combines two of my favorite things: interesting facts and hearing myself talk for two hours. Today, I still have the same part-time job with the same employer. Though I have only maintained one night a week as a regular gig, it's among the biggest shows in my area, and it's one of the greatest joys in my life. And I get PAID for it!"
—54, Maryland
6."I have four part-time jobs in addition to my full-time school job. I temp for a company where I am currently scanning/digitizing and shredding documents; I tutor former students; I am a part-time in-home support staff for an adult with developmental delays (at least two nights a week); and I substitute at the children’s library I work in over the summer."
—30, Massachusetts
7."I worked one night a week at a beer bar for years; I've picked up many a weekend sales shift in pop-up stores and market stalls, plus several night shifts at the pandemic hotline; did a lot of freelance writing, subtitling, and editing; I even got a few gigs as an on-board courier, delivering urgent parcels to places all over the world."
"I tried everything I could at least once but never went back to a job I hated, like outbound call centers or service jobs (I am very aware, though, that I am privileged to have had other options). The most lucrative jobs usually show up when I don't need the money, but if it sounds like fun, I still do them."
8."I am a full-time behavioral school instructor for grades 2–5. Imagine violence and trauma, one step below juvenile jail. That alone is stressful enough, and the pay, like all teachers face, isn't enough. So, I work as a delivery driver for Walmart Spark whenever I can and as an aide to a family with an autistic 5-year-old little boy. It's taxing to work three jobs... I'm 45, my child is grown and self-sufficient, but being newly divorced, I need to work hard to pay for all the things."
"I don't mind staying busy and on the go, but I do miss having a day off. This doesn't even factor in food allergies that make groceries expensive and medical care that empties my pockets as well. I'm grateful to have grown up homeless because it keeps me humble and grateful for what I do have, no matter how hard I have to work for it."
—45, Indiana
9."My husband and I began working at household hazardous waste jobs (you know, the places where your parents bring old paint cans from their basement and where we should all be bringing batteries and lightbulbs) three years ago when we were trying to save for our wedding. Now, we just do it to bring in extra income, as we're both graduate students at the moment. We each make between $250–$350 per job (i.e., for less than eight hours of work)."
"Sure, it's manual labor and can be dirty/smelly/gross at times, and we don't always love our coworkers, BUT it's also introduced us to people from so many different walks of life who have had genuinely positive impacts on our lives."
—29, Virginia
10."I’m a full-time virtual teacher, and I take on multiple part-time virtual teaching gigs to supplement. The best part is that whenever I start somewhere new, it’s a mini-reunion of the folks I already work with at other companies."
11."I started working weekends at a company that sold and financed fancy vacuums, carpet cleaners, etc. I received calls from salespeople from the customer's house after a sale to see if the customer qualified for instant credit. It was OK, but sometimes, the call info I got would tick me off — I'd enter their DOB, they'd be in their 80s; I'd think, 'Why is this person selling a big heavy vacuum machine to an 87-year-old?' Or, their financial info was bad, and I'd wonder why they were selling this expensive vacuum to someone who probably could not afford it. It was greed, and when there were expensive trips and other perks available to top salespeople, they would sell these things to anyone."
"There were long sales visits and super high-pressure salespeople, who would make you feel very guilty if they did the demo, and you didn't want to buy it after all: 'I'm just trying to make your life easier!' 'I just spent all this time with you and you're not going to buy?' etc. Did it for one and a half years."
12."I help with staffing and day-of coordinating for local flea markets and craft shows across the city. This involves doing setup, running the door, helping vendors with load-in and load-out, and dealing with attendees. It's super fun! The days are long, like 12 hours, and they take up about 10 weekends a year. But over the years, I've put together a solid crew of about 16 people who I consider friends. We have little after-parties at the end of each market, and we even take field trips together. And, most importantly, it's quick, easy cash in my pocket."
—41, Pennsylvania
13."I’ve had multiple jobs my entire adult life. Right now, I run a side business doing graphic design with my husband. Before that, I taught at a community college for 10 years as an adjunct. It’s tough out there. You never make enough to feel satisfied."
14."Started doing Uber Eats while living in a big city. Made decent money, but it all depended on tips. Tip your drivers!!! it makes all the difference."
15."I was an editor for a mystery shopping company in addition to my relatively low-paying but high-stress full-time job. I worked all weekend for the second job, and I was miserable. I didn’t even make it a year with the second job."
16."I have always had multiple jobs; in fact, right now is the first time I can remember when I technically only have one (because I'm doing online school while working, so my student loans are essentially my second 'income' for the moment). I have worked at multiple restaurants as a server/bartender simultaneously; while in grad school, I worked summers at a 'tutoring' company teaching a proprietary (but effective) reading program, which carried me through the first year of my postdoc job and the start of the pandemic. When that got too overwhelming, I picked up adjunct teaching at the school where my postdoc was and also pet sitting on Rover."
"When I moved across the country to start my new job in California, I couldn't keep those side gigs, but as I mentioned, I'm in an online grad program, so I have student loans for a little while longer. But soon that will end, AND I'll have to start paying those loans back... I don't know what I will do for money then. All I can say at this point is that after working to support myself for 22 years and now having a 'grown-up' job that still doesn't pay a living wage (yet requires a PhD), I'm just so tired. I'm burned out."
—37, California
17."I work full-time for the government, but I've taken on two extra jobs. Both are only about 10–15 hours a month, and one is using my previous job skills (I used to work there) to help them out with some paperwork from a distance. The other one is cleaning my local art gallery — I live in a small town that's heavily tourism-based, so we all do our part to contribute and keep the town running during tourist season! Plus, the money to cover my groceries is a nice bonus."
—33, Canada
18."Years ago, when I started in publishing, I had a second job as a cashier in a bookstore. It both brought in extra funds and, thanks to the store’s borrowing policy, prevented me from spending money I didn’t have on more books."
"My publishing job required a master’s degree, and I made exactly $10/year over the poverty line for my area — just enough so that I didn’t qualify for government assistance because the company would have found that embarrassing. (And yes, a supervisor confirmed the reasoning behind the salary amount when she got drunk at a holiday party.) My coworkers were in the same situation: 50 young women with advanced degrees who survived by living with their parents, having a partner with a better-paying job, or getting a second night-and-weekend job. My friends who became teachers earned 50% more than I did, plus got educator discounts, union protection, pensions, good and subsidized healthcare, and summers off. My passion for the written word sustained me through four years, and then I couldn’t take the poverty anymore, and I retrained (with a third Ivy League degree) for a job that would allow me to survive. This was the 2000s, by the way. I have no idea how young people suckered into a publishing career survive now. I’m sure it’s gotten even worse."
—41, California
19."For a few years, I frequented mystery shopper websites. They provided gigs before today’s full-blown gig economy, including secret shops, audits, surveys, and merchandise stocking (like changing stock in a DVD rental machine; usually the store staff doesn’t do that). The pay was not much, but I got a lot of reimbursed meals, and it was kind of fun. I was nervous at first that I would be 'caught spying.' If you have a lot of free time and can follow directions, it’s OK, but if you miss a detail, you might not get paid. It isn’t worth my time anymore, but it did keep me busy, and I could often stack the assignments with other errands."
—42, California
20."I'm a licensed therapist and work full-time with insurance and benefits, but I'm trying to restock my savings after paying off student loans for my master's. I've always had multiple jobs, so it feels very natural to me. I work part-time at a local bar, and honestly, my wonderful customers help keep me sane. The mental health field puts me at such risk for burnout that it's relaxing to have something other than my main job to focus on. If I could do my bar job full-time, I would 100%!!!"
—29, South Carolina
21."I have waited tables (more than once), tutored, worked as an adjunct instructor, and worked at a small retail shop. I understand that I'm fortunate to be able to tutor and teach with my degree, but the most fun was the retail shop. Waiting tables was the most physically challenging. It's also harder than people think to be a server in regards to remembering drink orders, placing orders correctly (even though you thought you wrote it down right), and just dealing with genuinely unhappy people."
"Be nice to your servers and the retail staff you interact with if you can at all. Yes, sometimes they are also difficult, no matter how they are treated. They can also be so incompetent you want to scream and wonder how they manage to keep a job."
—54, Arkansas
And finally...
22."In 1998, I got my first teaching job in a childcare center/preschool earning $7.50/hour. Since then, I earned $17/hour before taxes, which equaled $13.60/hour. Try paying rent, car payments, and a card on that salary, and you NEED a second job. I’ve worked retail (which I love) and was a part-time nanny, plus I babysit, which is a few hours. ... At one point, I worked FOUR jobs: full-time preschool teacher, part-time retail, and worked as a nanny for two families part-time. Working so much left me exhausted, drained, and itching for a normal life. ... Early childhood doesn’t pay much, and it’s sad because we have just as much work to do as a school district teacher, and if you are in this field, a second job is mandatory."
"Now I work one job as a full-time nanny and personal assistant to a terrific family, and I babysit. ... My advice to others: If you need a second job, make sure it’s something you like and that you aren’t overworking yourself, keeping your physical and mental health a priority. Pay attention to your body when it talks, and know when to quit that second job."
—51, Wisconsin
Have you taken on a second job or extra work to make ends meet? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can submit a response using this Google form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
