English teacher Rachel Murrman started working at Vincent’s of Green Tree Italian restaurant as a teenager, and 24 years later she still works a couple shifts as a waitress each month.

“My mom worked up the street at Foster Plaza and she would always come down to Vincent’s for lunch,” Murrman said. “One day she saw that they were hiring and she knew I was looking for a job, so I applied and started as a busser.” 

Murrman still loves this second job, but that is not her only motivation for sticking with it.

“I enjoy working there because as a waitress we leave with our tips, so I always have cash. Also, since I’ve worked there for so long, people know who I am when they come in. So I have regulars,” she said. 

Murrman said the second job has helped her develop sharp time management skills.

“I have to know what I need to get done before I go to the next job,” she said. 

Murrman’s advice to those pursuing a side job in addition to full-time work is to find something that is worth the time. 

“If it’s something you want to pursue, you have to make sure that in the long run it’s something sustainable,” she said.

Jared Hoffman, a gifted support teacher, works a second job to support what he calls his “fun, expensive hobbies.”

Hoffman runs a construction remodeling company, Hoffman Construction LLC, which has five employees. He began working in construction when he was 16 working under his father. While in college, he started up his own construction company. 

“I’ve owned Hoffman Construction for about 18 years and right around college time is when I parted ways with my dad and started doing my own business,” he said. 

Hoffman’s job really is busiest during summer, when he has the spare time. He uses the money

he makes to help pay for hobbies.

“I used to do dirt bike races nationally, but now that my son races, I follow a series in the Midwest, and then I race barefoot water skiing in endurance races around the country. I also snowboard, fish, and I hunt a lot,” he said. 

Hoffman’s advice is short and simple, but it is a valuable lesson for anyone who is pursuing a side hustle. 

“My advice is if you’re going to spend your time doing something, you might as well spend it making money,” he said. 

Biology teacher Tina Gaser works as a personal trainer at the Thelma Lovette YMCA in the Hill District, with her specialties being crossfit training and bodybuilding.  

Gaser turned her love of working out and doing crossfit competitions back in 2017 into a second career thanks to inspiration from her trainer.

“My trainer inspired me to go to school for exercise science,” Gaser said. “I got my certificate and got a job at the gym where I trained.”

Gaser enjoys the benefits of her second job.

“It keeps me healthy and I get paid to do it,” she said. 

Occasionally, though, there are time conflicts between her teaching and training jobs.

“I teach a group exercise class on Wednesdays, but because of graduation I had to cancel so I can walk with my seniors,” she said. 

The extra money she makes from her second job gets put toward her love for traveling. 

“The money I make from it goes toward my vacation funds, because I travel for three to four weeks during the summer,” she said. 

Gaser’s advice for anyone who wants to have their own side hustle is to “make sure you love it, because otherwise you’re not going to want to go to another job after your main job.”

Physics teacher Mike Bruckner has cut lawns since his teenage years and continues to do so today as a second job.

“It pays for my kids’ activities and helps pay for the bills,” he said. 

It is an active job and Bruckner appreciates the benefits of that. 

“It keeps me healthy and in shape,” he said. 

Unlike some teachers who have a second job or side hustle over the summer, Bruckner works much of the year cutting lawns. 

“I can’t do it only in summer because the grass doesn’t stop growing until December,” he said. 

Because his time is limited during the school year, sometimes he has to reject some potential clients.

“I had to turn down three people just last week,” he said. 

His advice for anyone interested in starting a side hustle is to “go get it because no one’s going to give it to you.”