'I Don't Care About My Work Or The Companies'—As Some Can't Land A Single Job, They Have Five And Admit The One With Benefits Is The Only Keeper
'I Don't Care About My Work Or The Companies'—As Some Can't Land A Single Job, They Have Five And Admit The One With Benefits Is The Only Keeper
Adrian VolenikSat, February 28, 2026 at 9:00 PM UTC
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In a job market where some applicants say they have sent out hundreds, even thousands, of resumes without hearing back, one software engineer says they’re about to start their fifth full-time job.
“I don't care about my work or the companies,” they wrote in a recent Reddit post on r/overemployed. “Been working too long and I have realized that we are just numbers to them.”
“If they could, they would (and do) abuse everything and everyone to squeeze every possible penny,” they added.
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Five Jobs, One Priority
The engineer, who has roughly 20 years of experience, said they have been overemployed for five years. In that time, they paid off all their debt, bought a house and now support their family while investing for early retirement.
They currently hold four senior software engineering roles and are starting a fifth. But only one really matters.
“I only care a bit about J1 due to benefits,” they wrote. “The rest are exchangeable.” They said they plan to run five jobs for four to six months, nearly doubling their income, before scaling back down to three.
Their long-term goal is simple: to invest and retire in five or 10 years. “I want to give my son the option of not having to do what I am doing to get ahead in life,” they said.
While some commenters questioned whether five full-time engineering roles are realistic, others said it is possible, especially in remote environments where meetings are limited.
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They said that they work only two jobs each day. “One does async and the other two do it once a week.” They avoid higher-level titles like staff or principal engineer because they usually require more meetings.
The biggest challenge, they said, is scheduling. “The biggest issue is meetings,” they said. “Luckily, I've joined companies that value ‘heads-down’ time so there are entire days without a single meeting.”
AI As The Multiplier
A major part of their strategy is artificial intelligence.
“I just let Claude write all my code, send all my code reviews, reply to all feedback,” they wrote. They create technical documents, then use AI tools to break projects into smaller tasks and generate the code. Some days stretch to 12 hours near deadlines, but they said most days stay under 10.
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In their view, experienced engineers who know how to guide AI can replace much of the work typically done by junior and mid-level developers. They believe teams could eventually shrink to “around 2-3 devs per business-unit” supported by AI.
Not everyone agrees with their approach. Some commenters warned that pushing the limits could result in stricter remote policies or more aggressive background checks. Others raised burnout concerns.
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Still, many supported the mindset. Several shared stories of being laid off despite strong performance. One wrote that after being promoted three times in 15 months and earning high client satisfaction scores, they were laid off the day they returned from a month-long vacation.
“That was the moment I decided to [be overemployed],” the commenter wrote.
The engineer behind the original post sees overemployment as insurance. “Even if it's one more income for one month, it's better than no extra income,” they said.
For those looking to build wealth outside of stacking jobs, there are other paths. Platforms like Arrived let you invest in shares of rental properties for as little as $100, offering the potential for monthly rental income and long-term appreciation without the hassles of being a landlord. For workers who feel uncertain about traditional employment, alternative income streams are now part of the conversation.
Meanwhile, the divide in the job market remains stark. Some professionals say they can’t secure even one offer. Others, like this engineer, say they rotate roles constantly. Over five years, they said they have held about 15 different jobs.
“Get your money people,” they wrote. “They do not care about anything else.”
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