Scroll through Reddit’s tech job forums long enough and you’ll find a sobering dichotomy. On one hand, developers post tales of unemployment, rejection, and algorithmic black holes. On the other, some casually discuss juggling two or three software engineering jobs at once—remote, high-paying, and fully stacked.
This isn’t exaggeration. It’s evidence of a sharp divergence in career strategy.
What we’re seeing is no longer a meritocratic field where the best coder wins. The current tech hiring ecosystem rewards strategic visibility, meta-performance, and labor leverage, not just raw talent. And those who master these three—intentionally or not—are pulling ahead in ways that make others feel like they’re playing a different game altogether.
They are.
The developer who sparked this latest round of discourse on Reddit was three years into their career and struggling to land even one “solid” role. Their tone was respectful, if tired: “Hats off to those managing multiple jobs. I’m just trying to get one.”
That sentiment echoed broadly. What used to be a relatively linear journey—build skills, apply broadly, land offers—has become a confidence-sapping feedback loop. Résumés vanish into black holes. Interviews feel performative. Side projects sit unseen. This isn’t about laziness or poor preparation. It’s a mismatch between how the market functions today and how most candidates are still taught to behave within it.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most of what gets developers multiple job offers isn’t technical. It’s market fluency. Those who succeed at job stacking tend to be:
- Highly visible in niche communities
- Interview-fluent, not just technically sound
- Network-proximate, meaning they’re close to people who hire
- Strategic about role types, time zones, and performance optics
That’s not luck. That’s labor leverage. One of the most upvoted responses to the original thread nailed it:
“You’ve got to be top 10% in your field, and top 10% in job hunting. Those are two different skill sets.”
They’re right. Too many developers assume technical competence is the bottleneck. It’s not. The bottleneck is attention—getting noticed by the right person, in the right context, with the right signals.
Another reply told the story of a dev who shifted their career dramatically by learning how to “perform” in interviews. They didn’t mean lying or overselling. They meant showing up relaxed, sharp, and composed—treating interviews like structured conversations instead of high-pressure interrogations.
“I mastered the performative art of interviewing… I crack jokes. I ask thoughtful questions. I don’t overthink. I focus on showing who I am and how I think.”
This shift is critical. The interview is not where technical skill is discovered—it’s where personality, clarity, and context match are evaluated. Candidates who treat it like a final exam often flounder. Those who approach it as a mutual assessment of fit tend to stand out. And standing out is the entire game.
It’s easy to assume that in an era of remote-first hiring, geography no longer matters and merit rules. But Reddit commenters made clear: the best roles still pass through informal networks. The developer with three jobs isn’t applying on job boards. They’re getting DMs from ex-colleagues, referrals in closed Slack channels, and side messages from VC-backed founders.
Those with no network? They’re stuck refreshing LinkedIn and praying their résumé lands with a human. This isn’t elitism. It’s incentive alignment. Hiring managers don’t want to risk a six-month ramp on an unknown quantity. So they turn to those they already trust—or those whom trusted contacts vouch for. And in that world, visibility compounds faster than competence.
From across hundreds of Reddit replies, three dominant threads emerged that explain how some engineers accumulate jobs—and others can’t get traction.
- Performance at Point of Contact
This includes résumé clarity, interview charm, and reputation coherence. If you show up nervous, overshare, or undersell, you’re forgettable. The best candidates walk in with narrative control. - Peer-Proximate Visibility
These engineers contribute to open-source. They answer Stack Overflow questions. They’re active in niche Discords. They share interesting takes on X or LinkedIn. Their name floats through the industry before their résumé ever does. - Role Composition Strategy
Those who juggle multiple jobs aren’t randomly applying. They’re choosing roles with non-overlapping time zones, asynchronous expectations, and low meeting cultures. That’s not coincidence—it’s role engineering.
This trio forms a career leverage engine. If you’re missing any leg, your strategy is incomplete. And that’s where most job seekers fall short.
A common refrain in the thread was: “Do side projects!” But what they really meant was: Do signal-rich projects. A half-baked weather app that no one uses won’t differentiate you. A well-documented tool solving a niche dev pain point might. Better still? A project that demonstrates domain knowledge and has traction—downloads, stars, or user feedback.
Recruiters aren’t hiring based on code elegance. They’re hiring based on trust. Projects that build trust—because they solve problems, show follow-through, and reflect smart thinking—are powerful leverage tools.
Many assumed remote work would democratize access. But in reality, it’s deepened the divide between visible and invisible engineers. The “quiet performer” who never engages outside ticket queues? Forgotten. The one who posts PRs with clear commentary, helps others, and shares tips in dev channels? Promoted.
Visibility isn't about vanity. It's about narrative construction. In remote-first cultures, your output and your meta-narrative are the only tools you have to manage perception. The developers who’ve figured this out now have more leverage than their employers realize. They don’t just have one job. They have options.
It’s tempting to frame this divergence as a talent problem. But it's not. Most developers struggling to land jobs are technically competent. They’ve passed bootcamps. They’ve contributed meaningfully. They’ve shipped code. What they haven’t done is design a system around how that value is seen, remembered, and requested.
Hiring isn’t fair. But it is pattern-based. Most decision-makers don’t reward ability—they reward recognizable patterns of perceived reliability. So the dev who shows up like someone they already trust? Gets the job. The dev who’s quietly brilliant but unknown? Stays invisible.
This Reddit thread isn’t just about developer psychology. It’s a warning flare for tech companies themselves. If high performers are silently managing multiple roles—often without disclosing them—what does that say about your team engagement model? Your time zone design? Your performance tracking?
Job stacking is less about greed and more about optionality in a volatile labor market. Engineers are hedging against layoffs, inflation, and opaque management. They’re not moonlighting—they’re insulating.
This should prompt hiring managers to ask:
- Are we rewarding visible value or performative presence?
- Are our interview filters selecting for trust-building or test-taking?
- Are our team structures compatible with asynchronous high performers—or are we driving them away?
The best engineers are leaving clues. Smart organizations will read them before they become symptoms of deeper disengagement.
In the US, job stacking has gained momentum due to a mix of permissive remote culture, output-based metrics, and at-will employment. But in other regions, such as MENA or APAC, it’s still taboo—if not contractually prohibited.
Yet we’re seeing strategic parallels emerge. In Singapore, for instance, mid-career engineers are turning to fractional roles across startups and corporates, mimicking the multi-job ethos under more legal structure. In parts of the UAE, developers are seeking licensing flexibility to monetize tech gigs beyond their primary employer.
The same shift is happening globally: engineers are reasserting control of their labor positioning. Not through rebellion, but through design.
If you’re a developer struggling to land your next role—or wondering how others are collecting three—know this: it’s not a fair game. But it is a learnable one. The new playbook is not about outworking the system. It’s about understanding what the system actually values, and then building leverage at every touchpoint.
Those who succeed don’t just code better. They position sharper, signal stronger, and perform clearer. And in a world of noisy job boards and noisy résumés, that clarity isn’t optional. It’s your edge.
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