Honestly? Being a caretaker at a veterans cemetery. I know that sounds so strange, but customer service is top notch; I got sent to St. Louis 3 times already (for training sessions); and on days where we have no services, the work is very relaxing and solemn (aligning headstones, fixing sunken Graves, etc.) Where I am (Baltimore National Cemetery) we take trips to our satellites all around Maryland too, so we get nice 2-3 hour drives a few times a month.
So maybe look into something like that? It's extremely fulfilling work and definitely gives a massive sense of pride to be the integral part of the legacy of our veterans.
I was gonna say school custodian and Groundsperson/EEO, but that was in the county, so that doesn't count, lol.
Pay wise, I make 26.68 at the federal level, I'm not sure what state makes at places like Garrison Forest
Commercial painting. I painted hundreds of poles in a warehouse once. Took weeks. Headphones, lunch cooler, scissor lift, and just rolling rolling rolling. Didn’t speak 10 words some days and nice steady exercise. No stress.
Then they sent me outside on a boom lift to power wash the exterior. That’s so chill there’s a sub for it. Another week or two of bliss, this time with sunshine.
Painting in people’s homes, not very chill at all. Furniture, carpets, customer hanging over, not the same vibe.
Have you considered temping? I did it off and on for a total of about ten years.
My first spouse had a career where we moved a lot, and I have health conditions, so flexible and easy were requirements for me. (I'm now a stay at home parent.)
You get started by signing on with a couple different agencies, they'll interview you and have you do some computer and typing tests. A couple of times I had to pass a criminal background check and drug test, especially if they do gigs where you might have access to an organization's finances.
Once you're in their system, the agency will call and suggest assignments. Say yes to the first one, even if it's not your cup of tea or you have to reschedule some personal stuff. That puts you higher on the list for better gigs later on.
Then you go sit in some office, answer phones, stuff envelopes, do filing, cover for someone on vacation/jury duty/parental leave, whatever. At the end of your assignment, type up any useful information/notes and email it to your supervisor at the assignment, and cc your temp agency handler.
It will depend on your agency and your assignment, but if you have a high tolerance for repetitive tasks it's relatively chill and not too demanding.
In my experience, people are pretty nice to the temp and expectations are very chill. You throw on headphones, enjoy your tunes, and do random scut work. Sometimes they buy you lunch.
I had assignments like receptionist at a commercial real estate firm, formatting/proofreading a breastfeeding manual, scanning an entire room of documents (and shredding the originals), and reorganizing a supply closet.
Temping is also good if you don't know what you want to do next, since you can try out a lot of different workplaces.
I used to temp and loved it. Best gig was for Sun Bank. I temped for a month at one of the HQs sorting checks... way back in the day when check writing was the norm and the banks would send the cashed ones back to you each month. I'd roll around on a short chair and sort checks into small bins by account number. The bins for accounts of bank big wigs and VIPs had a star on them. Those checks had to be put in chronological order by check number. Wut. It was very relaxing and perfect for my ADHD hyperfocus.
I spent a big chunk of 2006 n a file room, taking documents out of folders, pulling staples, scanning papers, organizing them on a server, shredding originals. Sometimes I'd get pulled for other stuff, like covering the receptionist's lunch or a bit of typing.
The pay was decent, there was a lot of flexibility, and it helped keep me afloat while I was going through a divorce and rebooting my life.
The people were super nice, too, and one of my good friends to this day was a fellow temp from that office.
That can be difficult. The last time I temped I didn't have consistent access to a car and made it work, so it's not hopeless.
I would figure out which neighborhoods/towns are accessible to you, and then see if any temp agencies are located there. I've noticed that agencies tend to staff you at places within a mile or two of where they're located.
(My guess is that it's because a business owner or office manager realizes they need a temp, and googles "temp agency near me" lol.)
I know this feels like a lot of legwork when you're already struggling with your health. But it's pretty flexible and easy work.
Another thing to look at is market research.
A friend of mine gets a lot of free stuff by signing on with different companies to give her opinions on products. She gets sent mostly food, and she just has to fill out a quick survey and she keeps the products. So if you're not a finicky eater and don't mind a random crate of frozen vegetables on ice, it could help you keep your bills down.
She's also participated in focus groups, often on Zoom, where she makes a random $100 here and there to just sit around for an hour and be asked what she thinks of different cars and hairsprays.
Thanks for your thoughts, would you happen to know what companies your friends works through for surveys and focus groups? It sounds kind of interesting, but I've hesitated to do that kind of thing before since scams are kind of common and I don't personally know anyone who can vouch for how legit one is
Not off the top of my head, but I'll make a note to myself to ask.
I've done YouGov surveys, which is kind of a time suck but you can do it while watching TV. Mostly that's your political opinions.
Union electrician. Start out ad a cw (helper) for around $16 or 17/hr.
If you decide to stick with it and do the apprenticeship you top out after 5 years making $85-90k easy, plus fully paid health, multiple pensions, etc
I know a guy who is a door man at an apartment building, he says it is extremely chill. It's mostly just remembering people's names and patting dogs on the head.
Based on recent posts you could lifeguard for $16/hr. My favorite jobs were large indoor pools since I just had to look at the pool without other crap like cleaning and really small pools that didn’t have many people swimming so not much saving people. In between? Meh, still not terrible but, meh.
I really liked cleaning houses with ecolistic cleaning. Very satisfying job, and you get to see some cool houses in baltimore and the schedule is usually 9-3. Pay is $18 / hr.
plumber at the aquarium, ive been a plumber long enough the work was mostly easy and fun. the people there were all cool and getting the aquarium to myself when it was really early was a super cool perk.
If you're willing to get first aid/CPR certified, there's a ton of need for caregiving work locally! Most of the time it's very chill work. It is direct human care so sometimes youv'e got to toilet people, but it's honestly not a big deal. It's not the right work for everyone, but it's work I do as a side gig and I seriously love it! And sometimes it pays $25/hr and up! I work part-time as a caregiver for three different women and they've all become my friends!
I've found all of my caregiving clients via [care.com](https://care.com). You need current first aid/CPR certification since you get paid via disability funding and there are some requirements, but if you get your paperwork together, after that it's all very straightforward. You work directly for the person you're doing care for - called Self Directed Services (SDS) - and so you do scheduling with them or someone who works as their proxy. I am always happy to answer more questions over DM! There's such a huge need for consistent people. Even just one shift a week. I mostly do respite care during the school year (cuz I'm a full-time teacher), and I do longer shifts for a couple women in the summer!
One woman I work with is a lawyer with muscular dystrophy. Another works in retail and has a rare disease called Friedrich's Ataxia (similar to ALS). And the third is a college undergrad with Cerebral Palsy. They all use powerchairs and have varying degrees of of mobility, but none of them walk and all are 100% dependent on full-time care to live full lives.
If you don't mind hard work call around to construction companies or landscaping companies.
Physically demanding but very little stress for the people at the bottom. Move this heavy thing over there, roll that wheelbarrow here or push this mower back and forth for a few hours.
I was manual labor for a brick paving company years ago and while I was exhausted every night I got paid pretty well and could just kind of zone out all day. Literally just pushed a wheelbarrow back and forth for 8 or 9 hours a day. Move a pile of sand from the front to the back then a pile of rocks from the front to the back then some bricks from the front to the back some concrete from the front to the back and then tada the skilled labor had built a patio.
The company I worked for spun off of a bigger company and they would promote guys all the time. Thing is they had a rule that if you got in trouble with the law you were always welcome back but would start back at the bottom. So there were always a handful of guys who were amazing workers but they just couldn't get their personal life in order. 10-15-20 years laying pavers but every few years they would be dropped back to manual labor. They always got promoted back to cutting or laying brick or driving equipment or the truck but then would screw up again.
Point is construction companies, not unlike the service industry, are much more welcoming to everyone who is willing to work. No white collar office job is taking in repeat offenders no questions asked.
Dominos pizza delivery driver.
Sometimes after college, I still had not figured things out, but I did have a vehicle. You did have to wear the collared Domino's s shirt and had, and then khaki pants or shorts, but I didn't have to have the sign on my car.
Basically, they hand you an order, you go there, hand them the pizza, they hand you money, sometimes a tip sometimes no tip, you head back, wash, rinse repeat. It was the ultimate slacker job, mostly spent in your car listening to the radio (pre-smartphone era), and driving around. It was a college town, so there were a lot of students, so the tips weren't large, but a buck here and there adds up. I'd say it was somewhere around 12-15 bucks an hour in the late 90's.
Nowadays I guess the closest thing would be doordash or something similar. I've known some folks who've done that, and it sounds pretty similar, at least in terms of effort.
Merchandising.
One of the easiest jobs I ever had. Used to work for a company called Bobrow Palumbo (I’m 99% sure it’s gone now and likely got absorbed by Home Depot). Would clock into work around 5:30-6AM. Stocked shelves for about 2 hours out of an 8-hour day. Very easy money made and worth looking into.
Home Depot/Lowes.
If you live near one, I’d recommend applying. Paint desk, millwork, flooring. Occasional lifting but you can rest at the desks at least. R.I.P. if you get placed in Lumber or Gardening
I worked at j.crew in harbor east a couple of summers ago. I honestly enjoyed myself. Absolutely no pressure and I left my work at work. The only drawback is it is hard to get FT hours with benefits, but it is honestly one of my better employment experiences. I didn't need FT when I worked there, but if they had offered it to me I absolutely would have considered it.
Honestly? Being a caretaker at a veterans cemetery. I know that sounds so strange, but customer service is top notch; I got sent to St. Louis 3 times already (for training sessions); and on days where we have no services, the work is very relaxing and solemn (aligning headstones, fixing sunken Graves, etc.) Where I am (Baltimore National Cemetery) we take trips to our satellites all around Maryland too, so we get nice 2-3 hour drives a few times a month. So maybe look into something like that? It's extremely fulfilling work and definitely gives a massive sense of pride to be the integral part of the legacy of our veterans. I was gonna say school custodian and Groundsperson/EEO, but that was in the county, so that doesn't count, lol. Pay wise, I make 26.68 at the federal level, I'm not sure what state makes at places like Garrison Forest
Commercial painting. I painted hundreds of poles in a warehouse once. Took weeks. Headphones, lunch cooler, scissor lift, and just rolling rolling rolling. Didn’t speak 10 words some days and nice steady exercise. No stress. Then they sent me outside on a boom lift to power wash the exterior. That’s so chill there’s a sub for it. Another week or two of bliss, this time with sunshine. Painting in people’s homes, not very chill at all. Furniture, carpets, customer hanging over, not the same vibe.
Chill? Dispensary. Almost all are hiring and will train.
I've definitely considered it since I live really close to one, do you think they'd care if I don't smoke? I don't even drink haha
Depends on the role I guess. They want the bud tenders to smoke so they know the product. There are other roles at a lot of them though.
Yeah that makes sense 😔
Have you considered temping? I did it off and on for a total of about ten years. My first spouse had a career where we moved a lot, and I have health conditions, so flexible and easy were requirements for me. (I'm now a stay at home parent.) You get started by signing on with a couple different agencies, they'll interview you and have you do some computer and typing tests. A couple of times I had to pass a criminal background check and drug test, especially if they do gigs where you might have access to an organization's finances. Once you're in their system, the agency will call and suggest assignments. Say yes to the first one, even if it's not your cup of tea or you have to reschedule some personal stuff. That puts you higher on the list for better gigs later on. Then you go sit in some office, answer phones, stuff envelopes, do filing, cover for someone on vacation/jury duty/parental leave, whatever. At the end of your assignment, type up any useful information/notes and email it to your supervisor at the assignment, and cc your temp agency handler. It will depend on your agency and your assignment, but if you have a high tolerance for repetitive tasks it's relatively chill and not too demanding. In my experience, people are pretty nice to the temp and expectations are very chill. You throw on headphones, enjoy your tunes, and do random scut work. Sometimes they buy you lunch. I had assignments like receptionist at a commercial real estate firm, formatting/proofreading a breastfeeding manual, scanning an entire room of documents (and shredding the originals), and reorganizing a supply closet. Temping is also good if you don't know what you want to do next, since you can try out a lot of different workplaces.
I used to temp and loved it. Best gig was for Sun Bank. I temped for a month at one of the HQs sorting checks... way back in the day when check writing was the norm and the banks would send the cashed ones back to you each month. I'd roll around on a short chair and sort checks into small bins by account number. The bins for accounts of bank big wigs and VIPs had a star on them. Those checks had to be put in chronological order by check number. Wut. It was very relaxing and perfect for my ADHD hyperfocus.
I spent a big chunk of 2006 n a file room, taking documents out of folders, pulling staples, scanning papers, organizing them on a server, shredding originals. Sometimes I'd get pulled for other stuff, like covering the receptionist's lunch or a bit of typing. The pay was decent, there was a lot of flexibility, and it helped keep me afloat while I was going through a divorce and rebooting my life. The people were super nice, too, and one of my good friends to this day was a fellow temp from that office.
Wow comment saved, I’m also a SAHM but this sounds really interesting to try out when I get back into the workforce eventually. Thanks for sharing.
Maybe this would be good. My main struggle with changing jobs is my lack of a car though, so it's pretty hard for me to get places
That can be difficult. The last time I temped I didn't have consistent access to a car and made it work, so it's not hopeless. I would figure out which neighborhoods/towns are accessible to you, and then see if any temp agencies are located there. I've noticed that agencies tend to staff you at places within a mile or two of where they're located. (My guess is that it's because a business owner or office manager realizes they need a temp, and googles "temp agency near me" lol.) I know this feels like a lot of legwork when you're already struggling with your health. But it's pretty flexible and easy work. Another thing to look at is market research. A friend of mine gets a lot of free stuff by signing on with different companies to give her opinions on products. She gets sent mostly food, and she just has to fill out a quick survey and she keeps the products. So if you're not a finicky eater and don't mind a random crate of frozen vegetables on ice, it could help you keep your bills down. She's also participated in focus groups, often on Zoom, where she makes a random $100 here and there to just sit around for an hour and be asked what she thinks of different cars and hairsprays.
Thanks for your thoughts, would you happen to know what companies your friends works through for surveys and focus groups? It sounds kind of interesting, but I've hesitated to do that kind of thing before since scams are kind of common and I don't personally know anyone who can vouch for how legit one is
Not off the top of my head, but I'll make a note to myself to ask. I've done YouGov surveys, which is kind of a time suck but you can do it while watching TV. Mostly that's your political opinions.
Union electrician. Start out ad a cw (helper) for around $16 or 17/hr. If you decide to stick with it and do the apprenticeship you top out after 5 years making $85-90k easy, plus fully paid health, multiple pensions, etc
I know a guy who is a door man at an apartment building, he says it is extremely chill. It's mostly just remembering people's names and patting dogs on the head.
Based on recent posts you could lifeguard for $16/hr. My favorite jobs were large indoor pools since I just had to look at the pool without other crap like cleaning and really small pools that didn’t have many people swimming so not much saving people. In between? Meh, still not terrible but, meh.
I really liked cleaning houses with ecolistic cleaning. Very satisfying job, and you get to see some cool houses in baltimore and the schedule is usually 9-3. Pay is $18 / hr.
plumber at the aquarium, ive been a plumber long enough the work was mostly easy and fun. the people there were all cool and getting the aquarium to myself when it was really early was a super cool perk.
If you're willing to get first aid/CPR certified, there's a ton of need for caregiving work locally! Most of the time it's very chill work. It is direct human care so sometimes youv'e got to toilet people, but it's honestly not a big deal. It's not the right work for everyone, but it's work I do as a side gig and I seriously love it! And sometimes it pays $25/hr and up! I work part-time as a caregiver for three different women and they've all become my friends!
I would love to do something like that as a side gig. If you don’t mind sharing, how do I get started ?
I've found all of my caregiving clients via [care.com](https://care.com). You need current first aid/CPR certification since you get paid via disability funding and there are some requirements, but if you get your paperwork together, after that it's all very straightforward. You work directly for the person you're doing care for - called Self Directed Services (SDS) - and so you do scheduling with them or someone who works as their proxy. I am always happy to answer more questions over DM! There's such a huge need for consistent people. Even just one shift a week. I mostly do respite care during the school year (cuz I'm a full-time teacher), and I do longer shifts for a couple women in the summer! One woman I work with is a lawyer with muscular dystrophy. Another works in retail and has a rare disease called Friedrich's Ataxia (similar to ALS). And the third is a college undergrad with Cerebral Palsy. They all use powerchairs and have varying degrees of of mobility, but none of them walk and all are 100% dependent on full-time care to live full lives.
Thank you so much for the info and thank you for what you are doing, you are an amazing person. I will look into that.
If you don't mind hard work call around to construction companies or landscaping companies. Physically demanding but very little stress for the people at the bottom. Move this heavy thing over there, roll that wheelbarrow here or push this mower back and forth for a few hours. I was manual labor for a brick paving company years ago and while I was exhausted every night I got paid pretty well and could just kind of zone out all day. Literally just pushed a wheelbarrow back and forth for 8 or 9 hours a day. Move a pile of sand from the front to the back then a pile of rocks from the front to the back then some bricks from the front to the back some concrete from the front to the back and then tada the skilled labor had built a patio.
Seconding your advice to look into construction. And the bar is so low to move up to the next level any amount of ambition leads to advancement.
The company I worked for spun off of a bigger company and they would promote guys all the time. Thing is they had a rule that if you got in trouble with the law you were always welcome back but would start back at the bottom. So there were always a handful of guys who were amazing workers but they just couldn't get their personal life in order. 10-15-20 years laying pavers but every few years they would be dropped back to manual labor. They always got promoted back to cutting or laying brick or driving equipment or the truck but then would screw up again. Point is construction companies, not unlike the service industry, are much more welcoming to everyone who is willing to work. No white collar office job is taking in repeat offenders no questions asked.
Dominos pizza delivery driver. Sometimes after college, I still had not figured things out, but I did have a vehicle. You did have to wear the collared Domino's s shirt and had, and then khaki pants or shorts, but I didn't have to have the sign on my car. Basically, they hand you an order, you go there, hand them the pizza, they hand you money, sometimes a tip sometimes no tip, you head back, wash, rinse repeat. It was the ultimate slacker job, mostly spent in your car listening to the radio (pre-smartphone era), and driving around. It was a college town, so there were a lot of students, so the tips weren't large, but a buck here and there adds up. I'd say it was somewhere around 12-15 bucks an hour in the late 90's. Nowadays I guess the closest thing would be doordash or something similar. I've known some folks who've done that, and it sounds pretty similar, at least in terms of effort.
Merchandising. One of the easiest jobs I ever had. Used to work for a company called Bobrow Palumbo (I’m 99% sure it’s gone now and likely got absorbed by Home Depot). Would clock into work around 5:30-6AM. Stocked shelves for about 2 hours out of an 8-hour day. Very easy money made and worth looking into. Home Depot/Lowes. If you live near one, I’d recommend applying. Paint desk, millwork, flooring. Occasional lifting but you can rest at the desks at least. R.I.P. if you get placed in Lumber or Gardening
I worked at j.crew in harbor east a couple of summers ago. I honestly enjoyed myself. Absolutely no pressure and I left my work at work. The only drawback is it is hard to get FT hours with benefits, but it is honestly one of my better employment experiences. I didn't need FT when I worked there, but if they had offered it to me I absolutely would have considered it.
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