A Gen Z college student who drives for Uber Eats and DoorDash shares how he uses 'multi-apping' to make money

• Joseph Kaiser, a full-time college student, works roughly 35 hours a week for Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Kohl's.
• He said "multi-apping" has helped boost his earnings as a food delivery driver.
• However, balancing work with academics can be difficult at times.

Joseph Kaiser doesn't have a lot of free time. In addition to being a full-time student at the University of Central Florida, the 26-year-old said he's working roughly 35 hours a week across three part-time gigs.

In 2022, Kaiser made roughly $8,000 driving for Uber Eats and DoorDash — which is the amount he earned after the platforms took their cut — and over $10,000 as a part-time employee at Kohl's, according to documents viewed by Business Insider. He said he typically delivers food for about 20 hours during the week and works for Kohl's between 12 and 15 hours on the weekends.

Kaiser is among many young Americans juggling multiple gigs to boost their incomes. Forthy eight percent of Gen Zers have more than one side hustle, according to a 2022 survey commissioned by Microsoft. Additionally, a recent TransUnion study found that 45% of Gen Z gig workers were earning $2,500 or more a month, the highest share of any generation. Student debt, housing costs, and various living expenses have motivated many in the generation to seek additional income streams.

Kaiser, who's set to graduate with a Bachelor's in information technology this May, said he started driving for Uber Eats and DoorDash to supplement his Kohl's earnings. While his parents pay for the majority of his roughly $3,000 a semester tuition, he said he covers his gas, phone bill, health and auto insurance, car maintenance, and food. He lives with his parents in Daytona, a one-hour commute from campus.

"Multi-apping" has helped boost his food delivery income

While Kaiser's had some success with food delivery and said it tends to pay more than his Kohl's job, his earnings are inconsistent. He recalled a recent night when he only received one profitable order in a three-hour timespan.

"There have been nights in the past where I averaged $20 an hour, but this was definitely one of my slow nights," he said.

Despite these challenges, Kaiser said there's one strategy that tends to give him the best chance at success: "multi-apping," or juggling both Uber Eats and DoorDash at once.

"This strategy works by going online on both platforms and accepting any delivery that pays $7 minimum and at least $1 per mile," he said, adding, "This has helped me earn more money at times, especially if one platform becomes slower than the other."

When he accepts a delivery, he said he either goes offline or pauses his deliveries on the other app. When he's about to complete a delivery, he goes back online on both platforms in order to accept his next delivery and reduce downtime.

To be sure, multi-apping can be tricky to pull off. And if juggling two apps results in late deliveries and poor service, drivers could risk being deactivated in the long run.

Even when multi-apping works well, Kaiser said there's one downside to food delivery: It puts a lot of wear and tear on his car. Between his commute to school and gig work, Kaiser said the Nissan Sentra he bought in mid-2021 already has over 85,000 miles on it.

Balancing work with school takes practice

Kaiser said his food delivery and Kohl's gigs have sometimes left insufficient time for his academics.

"If I choose to work more, my academics usually take a toll," he said, "So there is a trade-off between income and academic progress."

Taking stock of his upcoming deadlines and exams — and trying to prioritize his studies above all else — have helped him achieve a better balance between work and school, he said. If he has too much on his plate, he'll sometimes take a whole week off from food delivery.

After graduation, Kaiser hopes to land an entry-level IT job and scale back his Uber Eats and DoorDash hours.

But for now, he said he values his food delivery gigs, which have provided him not only a flexible income stream but some positive social interactions.

"Over time, I've been recognized as a 'regular' by food service staff and look forward to seeing their friendly, familiar faces and conversing with them as I wait," he said.

Are you a gig worker willing to share your story, pay, and best strategies for making money? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@insider.com.