The changing landscape of the workplace in the gig economy has penetrated the academic sector, where the phenomenon of busyness among lecturers is increasingly prevalent. This study aims to explore the deeper meaning behind lecturers' decisions to pursue side hustles through the lens of existentialist philosophy. Using a qualitative approach, data analysis was conducted based on literature-based methods. The research findings identify three main existential themes: (1) Side hustling as a radical freedom to reject the rigid essence established by the campus HR Management system; (2) Efforts to reject bad intentions in order to achieve self-authenticity beyond the mere identity of a lecturer; and (3) Managing existential anxiety as a path to creating meaning in life amidst absurdity requires weak academic skills. This research provides compelling insights by enriching the concept of a limitless career in HR management, as well as practical applications for educational institutions to design HR policies that are more flexible, humanistic, and support lecturers' holistic self-actualization.