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?

15 points

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.

permalink
report
reply
14 points

IT or software development.

permalink
report
reply
13 points

As someone in the field. I assure you, you do not work just a few hours and then go home. Software development take infinite time and any well run shop will definitely notice if you work a half day by your output vs others. IT is even worse since problems are basically constant.

I guess you can work at badly run shops, but enjoy being laid off and then failing to get a job eventually from having a stale resume.

permalink
report
parent
reply
5 points

failing to get a job eventually from having a stale resume.

People have been saying this but I have yet to encounter such issues as a network engineer or sysadmin. I’m going to dodge this recruiting hell others are willing to go through until the day I die. More than 2 rounds of interviews are just HR buffoonery. Expecting expertise in every single branch of a field is nonsense and only accomplishes that applicants lie on their resumes. There are days when everything is running smoothly and all I have to do is sent 3 emails out of home office and there’s nothing wrong with that.

permalink
report
parent
reply
2 points

For software engineer resume rot is definitely a thing. Everything has a 5 year timer on it even thr stuff that doesn’t out right die. C# has been around for like 20 years something like that but try to only know about the ecosystem from more than 5 year ago and you’re gonna have a bad time.

I can’t speak on network or sysadmin stuff, but I do know from a coworker friend that they get paid way less are are considered more expendable, so you’re probably right that it’s work that doesn’t change much. Still I’m surprised to hear you say that you have a lot of downtime or maybe I have only worked at trashfires

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point

Maybe if all you’re doing is turning a crank to shit out boilerplate all day

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

I literally don’t understand what you mean by this? Software development isn’t typing all day, but it is engagement all day. Coding, documentation, meetings about so much shit. So much more. There is always some kind of work to be done and that’s why if you’re not careful you can easily overwork yourself in this field. It never stops. You stop it, but at the same time deadlines exist and it takes effort to even make those sane.

permalink
report
parent
reply
9 points
*

Yeah as long as it’s not a start-up, or you can work from home

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points
*
Deleted by creator
permalink
report
parent
reply
9 points

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.

Great, honest work.

permalink
report
reply
5 points

@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.

@ADHDefy

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

I’m on track to completing my doctorate next year but I’m thinking about apprenticing in one of the trades afterwards…

permalink
report
parent
reply
7 points

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.

permalink
report
reply
2 points

Just don’t do IT, unless you can find a job with flex time.

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points

I think they call that freelance/independent contractor.

permalink
report
reply

Adulting

!adulting@lemmy.world

Create post
Welcome to the Adulting community on Lemmy and Kbin!

A place for everyone needing a little bit of help with adult life - ask for advice with money, cleaning, plumbing, home owning, job hunting, shaving or anything else you need! Share tips, meet friends, and solve problems.

Please make sure you read our rules before posting.

Rules:

Rules can be clicked on to be expanded.

1: Treat all users with respect.

The goal of this community is helping OP and readers, not making fun of them. We are an inclusive community, any sort of disrespect towards ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc, will not be tolerated.

2: Mark sexual content as NSFW.

Posts containing mentions or descriptions of sexual topics must be tagged as NSFW. This includes descriptions of sexual acts, requests for advice in the bedroom, explicit descriptions of your body and similar content.

3: Comments must be on topic and relevant to OP.

Comments must be directly related to helping OP, asking for more information, providing relevant resources or otherwise relevant to the thread. Off-topic comments and remarks, suspicious attempts at gathering personal data from OP or other readers, or bullying will not be tolerated.

4: No advertising or affiliate links.

If you want to share a product you’re a manufacturer or seller of, please contact the moderation team first. Affiliate links to online shopping stores or affiliate coupon codes are not allowed.

Related communities:

Community stats

  • 2

    Monthly active users

  • 12

    Posts

  • 170

    Comments

Community moderators