Masters of Destiny: Working Multiple Jobs Is About More Than Money

Tiffany Toscano of Benton County, Minnesota, at her full-time job as a service adviser at a small, independent automotive repair shop. The single mother also works as a school janitor and has a small commercial and residential cleaning business. Courtesy of Tiffany Toscano

The American dream—that hard work is rewarded with a better life—is still alive. It beats in the hearts of the millions who juggle multiple jobs for multiple reasons. People like Tiffany Toscano of Benton County, Minnesota, 29, who has been working multiple jobs since 2016 when a suicide made her a single mother and she suddenly had to show more income to qualify for an apartment lease.

She is one of the 4.3 million Americans who worked a full and part-time job in September, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). The number of folks with multiple jobs has been increasing since April 2020, when COVID-19 shutdowns were implemented.