I've been collecting salaries from 3 companies for 2 years... they all think I work full-time for them
This started by accident but now it's my full-time scheme. I'm a software developer. I got my first remote job during COVID - Company A, full remote, flexible hours. The pay was decent, 500k monthly. After 6 months, I realized I was only working about 3 hours daily. The rest of the time I was just 'available' on Slack. So I thought... what if I got another job? I applied to Company B, also remote, also 'full-time.' I got it - 450k monthly. I managed both jobs for 3 months. I'd work for Company A in the morning, Company B in the afternoon. As long as I delivered my tasks, nobody asked questions. Then I thought... why stop at two? I got a third job - Company C, 600k monthly. Now I'm earning 1.55 million naira monthly from 3 companies who each think I'm working full-time for them alone. None of them know about the others. My day looks like this: 8am-11am: Company A tasks. 11am-2pm: Company B tasks. 2pm-5pm: Company C tasks. Evenings: Catch up on whatever is pending. I'm on Slack/Teams for all 3 companies simultaneously. I have 3 laptops, 3 phone numbers, 3 email addresses. When Company A has a meeting, I tell Company B and C I'm in a 'personal appointment.' I juggle meeting schedules carefully. I've been doing this for 2 YEARS. The money is amazing. I've bought a car, started building a house, invested heavily. My family thinks I got one massive salary increase. My friends think I'm doing very well in my 'job' (they think it's just one). The stress is INSANE though. Sometimes all 3 companies have urgent deadlines the same day. I've pulled all-nighters working for 3 companies back-to-back. I've almost slipped several times - almost called my Company A boss the name of my Company B boss. Almost shared Company B code in Company C repository. My biggest fear is what happens if they find out. Is this illegal? I don't think so - I'm not stealing, I'm working and delivering value to all 3 companies. But is it unethical? Definitely. Each company's contract says I should be 'fully dedicated' to them. But tech is so focused on output over hours, nobody notices. My girlfriend knows and she's conflicted. She benefits from the money but she says I'm lying to 3 employers. I say I'm optimizing my time. Last month, Company A offered me a promotion to Senior Developer with 200k raise. I accepted. Company B wants to send me for training abroad. I made an excuse. Company C is planning an 'optional' office day where everyone meets. I'm 'traveling' that day. I don't know how long I can sustain this but right now, I'm living my best financially life while working three jobs nobody knows about.