Are there any good jobs out there where you can show up, do your work, and then just leave when it's done?
The arbitrary 8.5-9 hour workday drives me nuts, because a lot of the time, I really only have 3 or 4 hours worth of work to do. I generally work quickly and I value my time. Can I make a decent living doing something that gives me this kind of flexibility?
Find something that is based off deliverables or project completion rather than time at your desk. Maybe contract work or freelance. Maybe run your own business. Another option is remote work.
The standard isn't just a few hours a day though so you'll likely have less pay than you might otherwise. Also if you're just an employee you'd be working part time so no benefits either. This probably wouldn't be decent pay, especially if you want to save money while also paying for things.
If you are your own boss you could decide to work less but generally it's a lot more work to run your own business. The business and freelance work would both have the issue with a lack of benefits.
I mean, I sort of do that. I'm a software engineer. If I finish all my work early, I just stop working. Or I can start working on my task for the next day. My team works in three weeks sprints, so I get all my tasks for the next three weeks. If I finish all of those tasks before the three weeks are over, I really can just slack off. Usually I'll ask for another task, as it makes me look better when it comes time for raises (once a year), but for people who are happy with how much they are being paid, they can just do as little as required and work fewer hours than 8 a day.
I wish I could do that, even if I finish all of my sprint tasks there is always more work coming, you're supposed to ask for a task as soon as you're free
You'd be surprised how many jobs just requires you to sit in a chair all day looking busy.
I do my dayjob, in an office with the screen not visible to anyone else, and when there is no work to do I go ahead and do some of my independent work. I look busy as heck all 8 workhours. I get no extra reqests to "help out", or last minute critical whatever.
I make 2.5-3x my job salary.
Nursing offers a different kind of flexibility. Obviously there's no option to "get the work done" and leave a particular shift early, but full time is only 3 days a week for me. We do self-scheduling, so I can manipulate my schedule to be able to do what I want. And I'm working the entire time I'm on the clock, as opposed to sitting in a office staring at a wall doing nothing.
There are also so many options for different working environments, per diem jobs where you can work whenever you want as much as you want, lots of bonus pay.
I have a two year degree and carry the same license as four year degree Registered Nurses (United States).
I'mma be real, I don't see how nursing is in any way an answer to this question. This person is trying to escape their 9-5 grind, do you really think they're interested in going to school for the next 4 years? I wouldn't call the schedule of an RN "flexible" either.
That's why I mentioned I have a two year degree with a full RN license. It's a very viable career switch option. I got my license at age 40, after a couple decades slogging in office management jobs.
And flexibility of schedule is one of the top cited benefits that nurses mention they love about their jobs. I'm surprised more people aren't aware of that
Well, the TV also convinces people that CPR is a gentle procedure that people pop right back up to full health from as opposed to a violent, invasive intervention that a minority of people even survive. And that doctors do bedside work.
So I'm gonna go with maybe let's not put much stock in television depictions of nurses.
Was a window washer for years. If you work for yourself the pay can be good... really good, like 6 figures part time good.
If you get routine work from local businesses you can just show up when it's convenient, do your thing, get paid, and decide if you want to hit another one of your jobs or call it for the day.
Honestly it's never a bad idea. I've been to college as well, and I think the two experiences are vastly different and both contribute to being well rounded.
@GizmoLion The swishy smooth lines you guys make with the squeegee on the giant plate glass windows were my one of my favorite parts of the day when I worked at gas stations.
Haha awesome!
After doing it for a few years I got to the point where I could make full circles, and soap/squeegee at the same time. Was always fun to pull that out for a new customer and watch their reaction.
Very possible in tech. You want to look for somewhere product-focused (no agencies), large, and well-established that will give you a WFH position. I do design work and have this type of schedule, though I am always very responsive and available between 9-5 if someone needs something from me so I’m not holding anyone up and making anyone annoyed. I keep up with my deliverables comfortably and have flexibility to have both really productive and really meh days without it being problematic.
Nah, I've worked blue collar, white collar, retail, all kinds of jobs (I have ADHD and have job-hopped a lot). Every job I've ever had has been "you work these days, from this time to this time," even if that means there's hours of downtime. In fact, the only salary job I've had has been the most flexible, but I was still expected in office from 9 to 5. All my other jobs have been hourly and I've always been expected to be there for a set number of hours, no matter the type of work.
Damn near all of them, what boss is paying you to sit around and do nothing? Work runs out, you go home. Whether that's your shift ending or the store closing or the job finished or work can't continue for some reason. Hell, you're ordered to go home.
I don't know where you live, but what you're describing is not the norm in any developed country I've visited. Hourly jobs come with a schedule. You're expected to be at work for the entire scheduled shift, it has nothing to do with amount of work to be done. If you just decide to leave halfway through your shift, you will be fired.
As an aside, if you were paid hourly and only worked a few hours a week, you wouldn't make any fucking money. That's kinda how hourly compensation works, you have to BE AT WORK for an hour if you wish to be paid for that hour.
Got any more dumbass fucking shit to say? Get bent.
If you just decide to leave halfway through your shift
(literally the opposite of what OP asked about)
dumbass fucking shit
Speaking of that
As an aside, if you were paid hourly and only worked a few hours a week, you wouldn't make any fucking money.
Yeah why the fuck do you think so many people are so goddamn poor? So you're wrong, angry, AND entitled. Trifecta. Try being poor for once in your life, then you'll find a better place to put your anger.
I'm not talking to the OP, I'm talking to you. Shut the fuck up and pay attention.
Yeah why the fuck do you think so many people are so goddamn poor? So you're wrong, angry, AND entitled. Trifecta. Try being poor for once in your life, then you'll find a better place to put your anger.
First time in my life I've ever been accused of being rich. I can only assume you're very young, because you have no fucking idea how any of this shit works. People are poor for a multitude of reasons, but it sure as shit isn't because they get to leave work whenever the hell they want. Where the fuck did you even get that idea?
You think having a set shift means you're on-call? Sit down, shut up, and learn something; on-call means you go home and eat one bite of your dinner then the phone rings and you have to go back to work. On-call means they own you even when you're at home. On-call means your time is not your own, you can be called into work at any time regardless of anything you have going on, be it food, sleep, doesn't matter. Going to work and staying there for 8 hours is just called having a fucking job. You should try it some time, it'll open your eyes to all kinds of shitty fucking truths.
Yeah, this absolutely exists if you can find a 100% remote position, though you will still need to make time for meetings outside of your preferred schedule.
I’m a project manager in software development. I’m beholden to clients’ schedules for meetings and such sometimes, and occasional off-hours deployments, but otherwise I am efficient enough to get my work done when and how I want and have plenty of free time in my day. I work from home 100% so that’s time with my kids, etc.
delivery driver/postal carrier? you are given a route and do it. it might take more or less than 8 hours etc, but you aren't sitting around killing time until it's time to go home
Get into a trade, and start your own business maybe? Like carpentry etc. You gotta learn and it's a life long process since every job is different, but I've gained some much needed autonomy this way. The job is done when you are done, and that's when you get paid.
It's not for everyone, and takes some capitol and experience so that's a fairly large barrier to do this, but after 16 years I've finally gotten some much needed freedom.
2nding the trades. Become an electrician and join the union. Once you get your journeyman's license you work exactly the shift it says on the call you took from the job board, and while you may be offered overtime there's no shame in not taking it.
Nope, I even had one of those it was in maintenance. I had a set list of daily, weekly, monthly tasks , as well as w/e can up in between those, and on call certain days on a rotation with the other guy. As soon as our work was complete we could clock off and just go onto call frte remainder of our shift instead of mill around doing nothing waiting for a call. But with weekly and monthly routine maintenance tasks to do it was usually only a few days a week that we could knock off early and just be available if needed.
Then all of a sudden the manager got all whiny, "I have to be here mywhole shift , why don't you guys" blah blah blah. Fucking cry baby.
Anyway I refused to follow their orders of staying till the end of my shift until I eventually was fired. Because I was following the shift I was hired to do, and given no valid reason of why the shift needed to change, other than some butthurt sack of shit.
So the tl:Dr of that is it might start that way but eventually some piss baby is going to get it changed on you.
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