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Second job

I've taken a hiatus from blogging for the past few months, partially due to laziness but mainly due to the start of my second job.


Why take on more work? As a well-compensated developer, I could live comfortably on a single income, could I?


Money was not the prime mover but rather the personal development path. Although I can tinker with cool technologies with professional colleagues in my day job, I can't shake the feeling that I may have become too comfortable. There's nothing inherently wrong with being in a comfortable position, but that's not where I'm meant to be right now.


I am well aware of the dangers of taking on more work with deadlines, meetings, and time pressures—the typical catalysts of burnout. Therefore, I must let go of some responsibilities. Writing brings me joy, but the preparation involved in preparing technical blog posts (admittedly, there have been few recently) can overheat my mental engine.


I'm not advocating for or against voluntarily holding two jobs. I'm speaking from a position of privilege: I have the choice of dropping my second job. This is a luxury that many in my situation might not have. To manage this self-inflicted, potentially hazardous scenario, I've outlined a few principles, several of which are prescribed in the official contract of my side gig.


  1. Be brutally honest about how many hours you can work per week.
    1. Few mandatory hours. Everyone is pleasantly surprised if you can do more.
  2. Have an escape hatch if something goes wrong.
    1. Ensure a brief contract termination period without guaranteed work.
  3. Make it clear to all parties when you are available for work.
    1. At what times can you have meetings.
  4. Start building a new second job routine gradually.
    1. No 18-hour days right from the get-go.


I can't help but pat myself on the back: this is my 100th post on this blog.

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