Jobs that pay exceptionally well considering the hours worked
July 4, 2010 7:41 AM Subscribe
Existential Crisis! How can I live my life and make money at the same time?
I'm an undergraduate who is finishing up a year-long break before a last year of education (BA Econ and BA Psych) and won't know where to look for employment. This being an anon post, I feel comfortable bragging that I am an excellent hire by any measure (school, marks, extracurriculars, experience).
Problem? I like my leisure time. I have a loving girlfriend, enviable and highly interactive family life, a passion for reading, and time-intensive hobbies. Rarely are there enough hours in the day for me to finish what I want to do. This is complicated by the fact that I also like money.
What sort of jobs/careers are available for those who don’t want to work too often? I’m looking for a job whose $/weekly hours of commitment is among the most competitive, despite low hours. I realize that in working less I become a less valuable and less desirable employee and that there has to be a tradeoff, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
I really can't imagine working more than 40hrs/week + lots of vacation days, but would maybe even prefer something 4 days/week or with large swaths of vacation.
What would you suggest? A certain career? Some kind of self-employment?
(anon b/c I don't want future employers finding out that I am looking to avoid work)
-EXTRA INFORMATION-
I like data analysis and, in general, analytical thinking/problem solving. I don't mind high levels of stress. I like to continually adapt to new situations (i.e. don't want to do the same thing every day).
More school is always an option, as are endeavors that require reasonably large capital investments.
I'm an undergraduate who is finishing up a year-long break before a last year of education (BA Econ and BA Psych) and won't know where to look for employment. This being an anon post, I feel comfortable bragging that I am an excellent hire by any measure (school, marks, extracurriculars, experience).
Problem? I like my leisure time. I have a loving girlfriend, enviable and highly interactive family life, a passion for reading, and time-intensive hobbies. Rarely are there enough hours in the day for me to finish what I want to do. This is complicated by the fact that I also like money.
What sort of jobs/careers are available for those who don’t want to work too often? I’m looking for a job whose $/weekly hours of commitment is among the most competitive, despite low hours. I realize that in working less I become a less valuable and less desirable employee and that there has to be a tradeoff, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
I really can't imagine working more than 40hrs/week + lots of vacation days, but would maybe even prefer something 4 days/week or with large swaths of vacation.
What would you suggest? A certain career? Some kind of self-employment?
(anon b/c I don't want future employers finding out that I am looking to avoid work)
-EXTRA INFORMATION-
I like data analysis and, in general, analytical thinking/problem solving. I don't mind high levels of stress. I like to continually adapt to new situations (i.e. don't want to do the same thing every day).
More school is always an option, as are endeavors that require reasonably large capital investments.
Yours is not a unique problem. Most people like their life outside of work, and would like to work little for lots of money. I would recommend finding work that is related to one of your hobbies, so that it is enjoyable to you. And, I would recommend that self-employment is not what you are looking for.
posted by Houstonian at 7:49 AM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Houstonian at 7:49 AM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
One thing to consider may be working lots and then not working at all for awhile. My brother works (not always crazy hours but full time with some overtime) for a year or two, then takes a few months at a time off. You can do this especially easily with industries that do a lot of contract engagements. You can get a mini-version of it by teaching, where you get a few weeks off each summer, but that might not be as money as you'd wish for.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:51 AM on July 4, 2010
posted by jacquilynne at 7:51 AM on July 4, 2010
If everyone here knew the jobs that paid lots of money for few hours, what makes you think everyone here wouldn't be working in those jobs? I submit that you are encountering the problem that most people face. Wouldn't everyone rather work fewer hours? This just strikes me as incredible naive. The alternative would be to find something like contract work where you can determine how much you work (for instance oil rig workers have two weeks on and two weeks off; fisherman often work for a few months and then have months off at a time). However, self-employment is almost certainly guaranteed to make you work MORE, not LESS. I have to say that it is incredibly surprising that an Econ major is asking for help in essentially finding market failures.
posted by proj at 7:57 AM on July 4, 2010
posted by proj at 7:57 AM on July 4, 2010
Honestly I would say "Grow up".
Nobody gets to have it all without either putting in some serious effort (this is called making sacrifices) or being born with rich and generous parents.
The economy sucks right now. No one is going to pay you a lot of money to work few hours and even if they are willing, then there's some smarter with more experience/seniority who will get the spot. If you're not willing to work over 40 hours a week, I can guarantee there are millions of people willing to work 45 hours a week just to knock you out the competition.
If that's the lifestyle you want, you need to reconfigure your life so you can get it as quickly as possible. Sales would be the way to go, and after 10-20 years, you could probably reach your goal.
posted by new brand day at 8:07 AM on July 4, 2010 [19 favorites]
Nobody gets to have it all without either putting in some serious effort (this is called making sacrifices) or being born with rich and generous parents.
The economy sucks right now. No one is going to pay you a lot of money to work few hours and even if they are willing, then there's some smarter with more experience/seniority who will get the spot. If you're not willing to work over 40 hours a week, I can guarantee there are millions of people willing to work 45 hours a week just to knock you out the competition.
If that's the lifestyle you want, you need to reconfigure your life so you can get it as quickly as possible. Sales would be the way to go, and after 10-20 years, you could probably reach your goal.
posted by new brand day at 8:07 AM on July 4, 2010 [19 favorites]
Money tends to = career which tends to = sustained effort for a long time, i.e. hard work, generally a lot more than 40 hrs/week.
Self-employment/running your own business tends to amount to significantly more than 40 hrs/week and hardly any holidays because if you don't work you don't make money and your customers go elsewhere whilst you're away.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:10 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Self-employment/running your own business tends to amount to significantly more than 40 hrs/week and hardly any holidays because if you don't work you don't make money and your customers go elsewhere whilst you're away.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:10 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
proj: If everyone here knew the jobs that paid lots of money for few hours, what makes you think everyone here wouldn't be working in those jobs? I submit that you are encountering the problem that most people face. Wouldn't everyone rather work fewer hours? This just strikes me as incredible naive.
This.
anonymous: I am an excellent hire by any measure (school, marks, extracurriculars, experience)
If your attitude coming out of school is that you don't want to work hard, then you're not. Sorry, but your bad attitude trumps whatever marks you got in school. People with good grades are a dime a dozen.
posted by mkultra at 8:15 AM on July 4, 2010 [22 favorites]
This.
anonymous: I am an excellent hire by any measure (school, marks, extracurriculars, experience)
If your attitude coming out of school is that you don't want to work hard, then you're not. Sorry, but your bad attitude trumps whatever marks you got in school. People with good grades are a dime a dozen.
posted by mkultra at 8:15 AM on July 4, 2010 [22 favorites]
Sorry, but good grades, school reputation, and extracurriculars only matter a teeny bit anyway. Few jobs asks for your transcripts.
posted by k8t at 8:20 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by k8t at 8:20 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
You might want to consider lowering your standard of living, so that you need less money. You can talk to your girlfriend about it first, but you'll really need to talk to her after trying it for a couple of years (she might not realize that it means essentially either a) she works a lot instead of you, or b) no kids and not-that-great house or condo as a lifestyle for the rest of your lives).
posted by amtho at 8:23 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by amtho at 8:23 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
If your attitude coming out of school is that you don't want to work hard, then you're not. Sorry, but your bad attitude trumps whatever marks you got in school.
Honestly, I don't see why asking essentially "what jobs allow for a more reasonable work/life balance?" means the poster has a "bad attitude." The sheer hour commitment has always been an incredibly frustrating part of any job for me too.
Anon, in my (software development) experience, I've found that this really varies by company, even within a particular industry (and even varies by team within a company). When you're looking for places to work, see if you have any connections to the company that might be able give you the inside scoop on their attitudes. Another thing that can be helpful when companies allow "flex time" (ie, you have to work the hours but you can make your own schedule).
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 8:26 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Honestly, I don't see why asking essentially "what jobs allow for a more reasonable work/life balance?" means the poster has a "bad attitude." The sheer hour commitment has always been an incredibly frustrating part of any job for me too.
Anon, in my (software development) experience, I've found that this really varies by company, even within a particular industry (and even varies by team within a company). When you're looking for places to work, see if you have any connections to the company that might be able give you the inside scoop on their attitudes. Another thing that can be helpful when companies allow "flex time" (ie, you have to work the hours but you can make your own schedule).
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 8:26 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Sounds like you live in America but you'd like a more European work / life balance. So let's assume you're staying put in The United States. If you'd like to emigrate that's for another AskMe.
In any case, new brand day touched upon a point I'd like to elaborate on - you've got to pay your dues first.
You need to establish yourself in a career first, find a lucrative and sufficiently arcane niche doing something you love and then, just maybe then, you'll be able to cut back on the working hours. Until then, sacrifice is necessary. Think of it almost like gaining market share.
This is something I've approached in my own working life; I spent over 25 years in Investment Banking, working for some of best firms on the planet. I didn't get caught up in the lifestyle, saved my money, invested well and achieved financial independence over a decade ago.
But in 2008 I got seriously fed up with banking, and decided to make a change. What started initially as a career break to take another Masters (an MBA this time) turned into a career change where I started lecturing at Universities and Professional Business Schools on my area of expertise - Capital Markets.
My dream job, I found that folks were willing to pay to let me talk about the markets. And, perhaps best of all, its the professional anecdotes of a career trading and being around traders they seem to value most, what separates and distinguishes me from "pure" academics (people I respect very much, by the way). Fast forward over two years later and I've managed to carve out a niche where I'm earning about 80% of my former banking salary lecturing about 60 hours a month. It works for me.
Sure, there is no bonus but, truth be told, I never did much with my bonuses other than save them. So I can live without, as long as I've got free time. In fact after two plus decades of working sixty to eighty hours a week, sometimes flying 200K+ miles in a single year, I've come to consider my free time the bonus I receive every day.
So try to build your career first. Knuckle down, pay your dues and then after a decade or so you might be able to reconfigure things so you can achieve the work / life balance you seek. Or pitch that other AskMe I mentioned at the start of this response.
posted by Mutant at 8:28 AM on July 4, 2010 [22 favorites]
In any case, new brand day touched upon a point I'd like to elaborate on - you've got to pay your dues first.
You need to establish yourself in a career first, find a lucrative and sufficiently arcane niche doing something you love and then, just maybe then, you'll be able to cut back on the working hours. Until then, sacrifice is necessary. Think of it almost like gaining market share.
This is something I've approached in my own working life; I spent over 25 years in Investment Banking, working for some of best firms on the planet. I didn't get caught up in the lifestyle, saved my money, invested well and achieved financial independence over a decade ago.
But in 2008 I got seriously fed up with banking, and decided to make a change. What started initially as a career break to take another Masters (an MBA this time) turned into a career change where I started lecturing at Universities and Professional Business Schools on my area of expertise - Capital Markets.
My dream job, I found that folks were willing to pay to let me talk about the markets. And, perhaps best of all, its the professional anecdotes of a career trading and being around traders they seem to value most, what separates and distinguishes me from "pure" academics (people I respect very much, by the way). Fast forward over two years later and I've managed to carve out a niche where I'm earning about 80% of my former banking salary lecturing about 60 hours a month. It works for me.
Sure, there is no bonus but, truth be told, I never did much with my bonuses other than save them. So I can live without, as long as I've got free time. In fact after two plus decades of working sixty to eighty hours a week, sometimes flying 200K+ miles in a single year, I've come to consider my free time the bonus I receive every day.
So try to build your career first. Knuckle down, pay your dues and then after a decade or so you might be able to reconfigure things so you can achieve the work / life balance you seek. Or pitch that other AskMe I mentioned at the start of this response.
posted by Mutant at 8:28 AM on July 4, 2010 [22 favorites]
I think the federal government is pretty good by this metric. You start out earning 12 days of leave a year (which increases to 18 and then 24 after you've been in a while) + 10 paid holidays. You work 40 hours per week; any overtime will be paid to you or banked as credit time (leave). You can work the 5-4/9 alternate schedule, where you do 9 hours/day and get a day off every other week. You may be able to work at home one day a week.
It probably doesn't sound like much compared to the freedom of undergrad, but it does add up... To the point that there's a guy in my office who saves up his leave for a couple years, then takes a three-month vacation to Africa.
posted by gueneverey at 8:40 AM on July 4, 2010 [7 favorites]
It probably doesn't sound like much compared to the freedom of undergrad, but it does add up... To the point that there's a guy in my office who saves up his leave for a couple years, then takes a three-month vacation to Africa.
posted by gueneverey at 8:40 AM on July 4, 2010 [7 favorites]
time-intensive hobbies
What are they? Could you find employment doing any of them--or, anything related to any of them? Think very hard and talk to people working in those fields before you assume you can't get a job doing one of your hobbies.
Do you think that a full-time job will, of necessity, be something you do not enjoy? I think you would be wise to find something you can happily work hard at for a few years in order to gain some professional credibility, make contacts, and develop a realistic sense of how to make your professional life what you want it to be. It's going to be much easier to create a schedule you enjoy after having done that than simply starting out as a college grad whose attitude is "hire me, for lots of money, and not a lot of hours."
posted by Meg_Murry at 8:48 AM on July 4, 2010
What are they? Could you find employment doing any of them--or, anything related to any of them? Think very hard and talk to people working in those fields before you assume you can't get a job doing one of your hobbies.
Do you think that a full-time job will, of necessity, be something you do not enjoy? I think you would be wise to find something you can happily work hard at for a few years in order to gain some professional credibility, make contacts, and develop a realistic sense of how to make your professional life what you want it to be. It's going to be much easier to create a schedule you enjoy after having done that than simply starting out as a college grad whose attitude is "hire me, for lots of money, and not a lot of hours."
posted by Meg_Murry at 8:48 AM on July 4, 2010
I was going to suggest governmental work, but gueneverey beat me to it. Federal, state, local, etc, are all fairly similar in that you will never get rich, but you are unlikely to be expected to work brutally long hours or forgo vacations like your friends in the private sector.
If you keep your eyes open, you'll notice that a lot of the people who have sweet jobs-that-aren't-jobs (like running a used bookstore that's only open on Saturday mornings, or being an artist who paints only when inspiration strikes) are actually living on family or spousal support. If you have an employed spouse, or were lucky enough to have rich grandparents who left you with a big trustfund, you have crazy options that aren't there for the rest of the world. Similarly, I know a few people who work for their families' businesses, which has the advantage of letting you play by different rules than the regular working stiffs.
Few jobs asks for your transcripts.
I've been asked for mine exactly once, and that was just to confirm that I had the degrees I claimed to have -- I could have had a transcript full of D-minuses, as long as it said that the degree was conferred. And extracurriculars? Outside of getting admitted to a school, I don't think these matter at all, except when you can present them as experience that is relevant for a job.
posted by Forktine at 9:12 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you keep your eyes open, you'll notice that a lot of the people who have sweet jobs-that-aren't-jobs (like running a used bookstore that's only open on Saturday mornings, or being an artist who paints only when inspiration strikes) are actually living on family or spousal support. If you have an employed spouse, or were lucky enough to have rich grandparents who left you with a big trustfund, you have crazy options that aren't there for the rest of the world. Similarly, I know a few people who work for their families' businesses, which has the advantage of letting you play by different rules than the regular working stiffs.
Few jobs asks for your transcripts.
I've been asked for mine exactly once, and that was just to confirm that I had the degrees I claimed to have -- I could have had a transcript full of D-minuses, as long as it said that the degree was conferred. And extracurriculars? Outside of getting admitted to a school, I don't think these matter at all, except when you can present them as experience that is relevant for a job.
posted by Forktine at 9:12 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I’m looking for a job whose $/weekly hours of commitment is among the most competitive, despite low hours. ... More school is always an option
Re: more school, definitely don't apply to Ph.D. programs! It's the exact opposite of your first criterion: long hours, tiny paycheck.
I really can't imagine working more than 40hrs/week + lots of vacation days
If you have top marks from a top university (especially if you're remotely quantitative, you did very well on the SAT/GRE/MCAT/whatever, or you are fluent in a non-English language that is in demand, like Arabic), you can make a very good hourly wage (~$40/hr) tutoring -- particularly if you don't mind a little commuting to wealthy suburbs. The trouble is going to be getting enough clients to support yourself: my impression is that it would be difficult to get 35 hours a week tutoring independently even if you wanted to. You could also work for Kaplan/Princeton Review, which pay about half as much (on the order of $20/hr, I think) but are steadier income and are still better than most part-time work entering numbers into an Excel spreadsheet or whatever.
This is complicated by the fact that I also like money.
Yeah, I think you're going to have to choose which you like more: money or time. It sounds like you like time more. You mentioned your family life, spending time with your girlfriend, and your book habit as things that bring you happiness, which is great because you don't need six figures for any of these, even in an expensive city. The leisure activities -- well, that really depends on what they are, but if you're not fixed on having the latest and greatest gear you probably don't need much money for those either. Similarly, vacationing can be cheaper if you are willing to sacrifice a little comfort, spontaneity, and/or speed. I would re-examine why you really want money, and how much you really need to satisfy your constraints.
Of course you could choose neither money nor time and enroll in a Ph.D. program, but I already advised you against that.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:33 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Re: more school, definitely don't apply to Ph.D. programs! It's the exact opposite of your first criterion: long hours, tiny paycheck.
I really can't imagine working more than 40hrs/week + lots of vacation days
If you have top marks from a top university (especially if you're remotely quantitative, you did very well on the SAT/GRE/MCAT/whatever, or you are fluent in a non-English language that is in demand, like Arabic), you can make a very good hourly wage (~$40/hr) tutoring -- particularly if you don't mind a little commuting to wealthy suburbs. The trouble is going to be getting enough clients to support yourself: my impression is that it would be difficult to get 35 hours a week tutoring independently even if you wanted to. You could also work for Kaplan/Princeton Review, which pay about half as much (on the order of $20/hr, I think) but are steadier income and are still better than most part-time work entering numbers into an Excel spreadsheet or whatever.
This is complicated by the fact that I also like money.
Yeah, I think you're going to have to choose which you like more: money or time. It sounds like you like time more. You mentioned your family life, spending time with your girlfriend, and your book habit as things that bring you happiness, which is great because you don't need six figures for any of these, even in an expensive city. The leisure activities -- well, that really depends on what they are, but if you're not fixed on having the latest and greatest gear you probably don't need much money for those either. Similarly, vacationing can be cheaper if you are willing to sacrifice a little comfort, spontaneity, and/or speed. I would re-examine why you really want money, and how much you really need to satisfy your constraints.
Of course you could choose neither money nor time and enroll in a Ph.D. program, but I already advised you against that.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:33 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
This is my stock response to questions like this, but your school's career services office is there to help you with questions like these. Paid, trained professionals will evaluate your strengths and interests and give you advice tailor-made for you. They'll have little games and quizzes for you to find out your personality type and books for researching career paths. They make it fun, and you-- You!-- will be their center of attention for as long as you want.
I agree that you sound naive and arrogant, and overconfident about your chances of getting any job, much less one that you'd like. Then again that sums up just about every student in every class I teach who is your age.
posted by vincele at 9:37 AM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
I agree that you sound naive and arrogant, and overconfident about your chances of getting any job, much less one that you'd like. Then again that sums up just about every student in every class I teach who is your age.
posted by vincele at 9:37 AM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
You could also work for Kaplan/Princeton Review, which pay about half as much (on the order of $20/hr, I think) but are steadier income and are still better than most part-time work entering numbers into an Excel spreadsheet or whatever.
Ex-Kaplan tutor jumping to say, this is not true. Obviously this will depend on where you are, but it was well-nigh impossible for me (in Chicago) to get more than 10-12 hours a week, and I never heard of anyone getting much past 20-25, even for the "in-demand" tests. I would have jumped at a part-time job entering numbers into an Excel sheet or whatever.
posted by PMdixon at 9:41 AM on July 4, 2010
Ex-Kaplan tutor jumping to say, this is not true. Obviously this will depend on where you are, but it was well-nigh impossible for me (in Chicago) to get more than 10-12 hours a week, and I never heard of anyone getting much past 20-25, even for the "in-demand" tests. I would have jumped at a part-time job entering numbers into an Excel sheet or whatever.
posted by PMdixon at 9:41 AM on July 4, 2010
If you look at this infographic from Current.com you'll see that Sales Director is considered one of the more flexible jobs you can have. So I'm going to skip all of the outrage that comes with threads like this (ie "UGH GROW UP") and tell you to buck up and get into a sales position. It's not for everyone, but if you're as smart and personable and confident as you say you are, you can get on your feet with some good clients if you work your ass off for a year or two.
Most sales jobs pretty much allow you to work as often or as little as you want - as long as you have your shit together and are putting up good numbers, you can make good money on commission. The downside is that, despite picking your own hours, it can be extremely stressful.
posted by windbox at 9:44 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Most sales jobs pretty much allow you to work as often or as little as you want - as long as you have your shit together and are putting up good numbers, you can make good money on commission. The downside is that, despite picking your own hours, it can be extremely stressful.
posted by windbox at 9:44 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
A lot of the advice here is appropriate, if not slightly harsh-sounding.
Think of "paying your dues" as code for "taking the best jobs you can find at the time until you find one that is a really good fit".
You say you like money. But I don't think that's true- I think you like the freedom having money gives you. Unless you win the lottery, your money will always be finite. So manage your money. Don't waste it. Think of the things that you really enjoy paying for, and then make sure you have the money to do so. That will probably mean being stingy with the things you don't really get any enjoyment out of paying for.
For me, the keys to work-life balance are these:
1- Don't take a job unless you know what their time expectations are.
2- Hold yourself to the time promises you make with them, and hold them to the time promises they made with you. Be absolutely reliable when at work, and absolutely unavailable when you aren't.
3- Work hard when you are at work.
4- Don't work when you aren't at work.
5- Plan ahead.
I see so many people trying to live a fulfilled life, but they do it by burning the candle at both ends. Their free-time pursuits push into their work time, and their work time thus extends into their free time. Small microcosm: they pay their bills at work, but then wonder why they aren't finished with their work at 5.
Finally, everyone has the same amount of time. Happiness is how you manage it.
posted by gjc at 9:56 AM on July 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
Think of "paying your dues" as code for "taking the best jobs you can find at the time until you find one that is a really good fit".
You say you like money. But I don't think that's true- I think you like the freedom having money gives you. Unless you win the lottery, your money will always be finite. So manage your money. Don't waste it. Think of the things that you really enjoy paying for, and then make sure you have the money to do so. That will probably mean being stingy with the things you don't really get any enjoyment out of paying for.
For me, the keys to work-life balance are these:
1- Don't take a job unless you know what their time expectations are.
2- Hold yourself to the time promises you make with them, and hold them to the time promises they made with you. Be absolutely reliable when at work, and absolutely unavailable when you aren't.
3- Work hard when you are at work.
4- Don't work when you aren't at work.
5- Plan ahead.
I see so many people trying to live a fulfilled life, but they do it by burning the candle at both ends. Their free-time pursuits push into their work time, and their work time thus extends into their free time. Small microcosm: they pay their bills at work, but then wonder why they aren't finished with their work at 5.
Finally, everyone has the same amount of time. Happiness is how you manage it.
posted by gjc at 9:56 AM on July 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
Oil rig worker!
3 weeks on the rig, 3 weeks off (holiday), all food and accommodation when you are on the rig (obviously), all travel expenses paid for. I heard a rumour that some oil rig workers, fresh graduates from college, based in Angola/ Nigeria are getting paid $150 000/ year, with very little local tax.
Downside: manual labour, dangerous places, and long hours (12 hours/ day) when you are on the rig. There's a reason why oil rig workers are paid so much.
Basically, that's about the only job that fits your criteria. Everything else requires either time or effort.
posted by moiraine at 10:07 AM on July 4, 2010
3 weeks on the rig, 3 weeks off (holiday), all food and accommodation when you are on the rig (obviously), all travel expenses paid for. I heard a rumour that some oil rig workers, fresh graduates from college, based in Angola/ Nigeria are getting paid $150 000/ year, with very little local tax.
Downside: manual labour, dangerous places, and long hours (12 hours/ day) when you are on the rig. There's a reason why oil rig workers are paid so much.
Basically, that's about the only job that fits your criteria. Everything else requires either time or effort.
posted by moiraine at 10:07 AM on July 4, 2010
It occurred to me I have another, more concrete suggestion. A friend of mine is a devoted mountaineer and backpacker. She works part time as an apartment building manager, which gives her a break on rent and enough income to do what she loves, plus the schedule flexibility to go on long, multi-day trips at pretty much a moment's notice. She seems to be one of the most honest-to-god happy people I know.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 10:21 AM on July 4, 2010
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 10:21 AM on July 4, 2010
work at a school. high school. I used to work as a special ed aide and worked 8-3:30. Allowed plenty of hours after "work" for hobbies. Also, had summers and holidays off yet paid all 12 months (pay was pro-rated). Pay here in IL started in a large district started at $17 with 60 hours of college. Not a bad gig!
posted by dietcokejunkee at 10:34 AM on July 4, 2010
posted by dietcokejunkee at 10:34 AM on July 4, 2010
Dude you would be so happy in the army. Sign up for Officer Candidate School, it's like being in a fraternity and the benefits are unreal: free medical, free travel, free housing on base, free meals, cheap cigs and beer on base. Man, the army's the life for you.
Oh, recruiters lie.
posted by parmanparman at 11:03 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Oh, recruiters lie.
posted by parmanparman at 11:03 AM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
And I would say don't bother with The Four Hour Work Week linked above. All it recommends is creating scammy products and paying people in foreign countries low wages to do the actual work.
posted by Maias at 11:20 AM on July 4, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by Maias at 11:20 AM on July 4, 2010 [5 favorites]
You have several possible routes to go.
The first is, as Mutant says, to try the European model, which is much harder to achieve in the US where there's such a go-go-go mentality. But sure, it's possible, provided you're willing to scale back your expenses and deal with the moral disapprobation of your friends & family (depending on their general sense of "work ethic"). The key here though is to cut your spending, which you may find impinges on your extensive "hobby" cycle.
Second, if you're lucky, you may be able to leverage your hobbies into work, in which case there's no real work/leisure divide. This will probably require some intensive start-up time on your part. Perhaps if you can post your hobbies here, you might get some useful comments.
The third is to try & achieve financial independence as fast as possible. In this case, you'll have to defer gratification for a while. The basic rules are: invest early & fairly conservatively, in as many tax-favorable plans as you can get, while at the same time lowering your costs as much as humanly possible. Make it really hurt for a few years, and you may find you're in good shape - especially if you then decide to go live somewhere really cheap. Once you're there, you can stop thinking about having to work altogether. There are many blogs about this right now, and if you're only in your 20s time is on your side.
The fourth is, as others have suggested, to work *really* hard for several months at a time, followed by periods of extended non-work - oil rig, etc.
Note that *all* of these plans require you to defer gratification. Welcome to the real world, my friend.
n.b. One more alternative, and one which worked well for our ancestors in the leisure class, is to marry money. If you really, really can't stand to wait, and can't find a way to leverage your hobbies into your career, then start looking for a much richer girlfriend who's willing to support you for the rest of your life. And give her my number ;-)
posted by media_itoku at 11:31 AM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
The first is, as Mutant says, to try the European model, which is much harder to achieve in the US where there's such a go-go-go mentality. But sure, it's possible, provided you're willing to scale back your expenses and deal with the moral disapprobation of your friends & family (depending on their general sense of "work ethic"). The key here though is to cut your spending, which you may find impinges on your extensive "hobby" cycle.
Second, if you're lucky, you may be able to leverage your hobbies into work, in which case there's no real work/leisure divide. This will probably require some intensive start-up time on your part. Perhaps if you can post your hobbies here, you might get some useful comments.
The third is to try & achieve financial independence as fast as possible. In this case, you'll have to defer gratification for a while. The basic rules are: invest early & fairly conservatively, in as many tax-favorable plans as you can get, while at the same time lowering your costs as much as humanly possible. Make it really hurt for a few years, and you may find you're in good shape - especially if you then decide to go live somewhere really cheap. Once you're there, you can stop thinking about having to work altogether. There are many blogs about this right now, and if you're only in your 20s time is on your side.
The fourth is, as others have suggested, to work *really* hard for several months at a time, followed by periods of extended non-work - oil rig, etc.
Note that *all* of these plans require you to defer gratification. Welcome to the real world, my friend.
n.b. One more alternative, and one which worked well for our ancestors in the leisure class, is to marry money. If you really, really can't stand to wait, and can't find a way to leverage your hobbies into your career, then start looking for a much richer girlfriend who's willing to support you for the rest of your life. And give her my number ;-)
posted by media_itoku at 11:31 AM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
This question is incredibly vague. What you're saying is you're willing to work full time (you say you'd work a 40-hour work week) and want to make a lot of money as long as you aren't expected to be a slave to the job outside the office. Yes, this is pretty much what everybody wants, unless they manage to land a job that coincides with their interests and therefore may be content to work more hours. So that's one option.
Until you've paid your dues for a few years, it's unlikely that you, fresh out of college, are going to land your dream job that doesn't require much in the way of time at work, gives you lots of vacation time, and pays you lots of money. You may find two out of the three.
I was thrilled when I had a part-time job and had a four-day weekend every freaking week for a few months, but man, I was poor. When I got back into working full time last year, because I really needed the money and it's not like you really get much of a choice in terms of who's going to hire you (you really do not have much of a choice, with unemployment as high as it is), I was appalled at the whole situation of losing 10 hours a day to work/commuting. I couldn't believe this is what everybody does, and I hated that our world developed into this sort of situation. Mind you, my life was like that before I had the part-time job, but the three-day work week was just so glorious. But honestly, you get used to it. You learn to make it work, like most other people do. Until you can start making money from your hobbies, them's the breaks.
The only way you'll be able to figure this out for yourself, as an individual, is to start working in the real world, beyond college, see what adult life is like, and take it from there. Start at your college's career guidance office to see if they have any suggestions and connections. Decide where you want to live, unless you're already there already, and what options lie for you there. You may find you need to make some compromises for a while.
posted by wondermouse at 11:49 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Until you've paid your dues for a few years, it's unlikely that you, fresh out of college, are going to land your dream job that doesn't require much in the way of time at work, gives you lots of vacation time, and pays you lots of money. You may find two out of the three.
I was thrilled when I had a part-time job and had a four-day weekend every freaking week for a few months, but man, I was poor. When I got back into working full time last year, because I really needed the money and it's not like you really get much of a choice in terms of who's going to hire you (you really do not have much of a choice, with unemployment as high as it is), I was appalled at the whole situation of losing 10 hours a day to work/commuting. I couldn't believe this is what everybody does, and I hated that our world developed into this sort of situation. Mind you, my life was like that before I had the part-time job, but the three-day work week was just so glorious. But honestly, you get used to it. You learn to make it work, like most other people do. Until you can start making money from your hobbies, them's the breaks.
The only way you'll be able to figure this out for yourself, as an individual, is to start working in the real world, beyond college, see what adult life is like, and take it from there. Start at your college's career guidance office to see if they have any suggestions and connections. Decide where you want to live, unless you're already there already, and what options lie for you there. You may find you need to make some compromises for a while.
posted by wondermouse at 11:49 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Do something really interesting and then write a book or be a reality show star.
posted by CathyG at 12:02 PM on July 4, 2010
posted by CathyG at 12:02 PM on July 4, 2010
I have a loving girlfriend, enviable and highly interactive family life, a passion for reading, and time-intensive hobbies. Rarely are there enough hours in the day for me to finish what I want to do. This is complicated by the fact that I also like money.
That is complicated. Lots of people who have lots of outside interests pursue them because their jobs are just "a job," and those jobs aren't particularly high paying, so they find other things to do with their lives.
In any case, there are certain outlets you can pursue, but as other people have alluded to, you will have to pay your dues up front. For example, some careers in medicine allow you to just work flexible shifts in the emergency room. The tradeoff is that medical school and residency take a long time, are very time consuming, and are expensive. Then you have to pay your dues in the emergency room before you have more flexibility and ability to set your own hours.
As other people have mentioned, professional careers in the federal government have what you want. Qualified lawyers and economists are well-compensated, the hours are pretty steady as long as you aren't getting too ambitious, and the vacation time is enviable after 15 years.
Or you could be very ambitious about investing: once again, you're paying your dues-- you could buy a three family house very early, live in one unit and rent out the other units as well as your own spare bedrooms in order to pay down your mortgage as quickly as possible and then live off the rental income.
But that's another point: maybe you should think less about making money as about living a lifestyle in which you don't spend much of it-- so you get a steady job that's not too demanding of your free time but you live in an extremely inexpensive neighborhood in a house that doesn't cost very much and make sure not to spend much money on your car. This frees up resources for you to pursue your hobbies.
But what do you mean by "I also like money"? Does this mean you want to live a lifestyle with nice vacations, a summer home, and have kids that you send to private school? In that case, you should probably re-evaluate how much those time-intensive hobbies and reading books during the work week really mean to you versus your interest in money. You will probably have to work for a few years to figure this out-- you have no idea how interested you really are in pouring that time and attention into your hobbies. For me, it is more tiring to come home after work and switch gears to some time consuming hobby rather than just spending more time at work, and ends up being more gratifying (to me) as well.
posted by deanc at 12:35 PM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
That is complicated. Lots of people who have lots of outside interests pursue them because their jobs are just "a job," and those jobs aren't particularly high paying, so they find other things to do with their lives.
In any case, there are certain outlets you can pursue, but as other people have alluded to, you will have to pay your dues up front. For example, some careers in medicine allow you to just work flexible shifts in the emergency room. The tradeoff is that medical school and residency take a long time, are very time consuming, and are expensive. Then you have to pay your dues in the emergency room before you have more flexibility and ability to set your own hours.
As other people have mentioned, professional careers in the federal government have what you want. Qualified lawyers and economists are well-compensated, the hours are pretty steady as long as you aren't getting too ambitious, and the vacation time is enviable after 15 years.
Or you could be very ambitious about investing: once again, you're paying your dues-- you could buy a three family house very early, live in one unit and rent out the other units as well as your own spare bedrooms in order to pay down your mortgage as quickly as possible and then live off the rental income.
But that's another point: maybe you should think less about making money as about living a lifestyle in which you don't spend much of it-- so you get a steady job that's not too demanding of your free time but you live in an extremely inexpensive neighborhood in a house that doesn't cost very much and make sure not to spend much money on your car. This frees up resources for you to pursue your hobbies.
But what do you mean by "I also like money"? Does this mean you want to live a lifestyle with nice vacations, a summer home, and have kids that you send to private school? In that case, you should probably re-evaluate how much those time-intensive hobbies and reading books during the work week really mean to you versus your interest in money. You will probably have to work for a few years to figure this out-- you have no idea how interested you really are in pouring that time and attention into your hobbies. For me, it is more tiring to come home after work and switch gears to some time consuming hobby rather than just spending more time at work, and ends up being more gratifying (to me) as well.
posted by deanc at 12:35 PM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Nthing The 4-Hour Workweek. No matter what you think about its money-making tips, the book offers some fantastic time-management advice.
And make sure you're thinking not just in terms of earning more money, but also in terms of stretching your dollars further. The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need really helped me with that; the tax savings alone of doing so can be substantial.
Finally, if you work with computers much at all, Upgrade Your Life is an indispensable time-saving resource. It's full of tips and tricks for "working Faster, Smarter, Better." It includes a lot of great advice even outside of computers.
The key thing to remember is that it's not just about getting more time or earning more money, but perhaps even more important to make the most efficient use of the time and money you have.
posted by Ryogen at 12:53 PM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
And make sure you're thinking not just in terms of earning more money, but also in terms of stretching your dollars further. The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need really helped me with that; the tax savings alone of doing so can be substantial.
Finally, if you work with computers much at all, Upgrade Your Life is an indispensable time-saving resource. It's full of tips and tricks for "working Faster, Smarter, Better." It includes a lot of great advice even outside of computers.
The key thing to remember is that it's not just about getting more time or earning more money, but perhaps even more important to make the most efficient use of the time and money you have.
posted by Ryogen at 12:53 PM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
If you value your free time then you should avoid graduate school. You realize that grad students face far tougher competition because all the other grad students were very good undergrads, right
Imho, most MBA programs are an exception to this warning about grad schools. An MBA degree says (a) you are very motivated by money, (b) you didn't fail all your classes, and (c) you schmooze well. All three traits together make you a good multi-purpose gofer for people who actually know business.
Europeans have a far more livable attitude towards work and life, especially vacation time. I'll observe however that pursuing work abroad is eventually a one way trip because the lower pay means you'll never afford a house and retirement in the U.S.
I'll finally observe that students commonly work well over 40 hours per week too, depending upon their university, intelligence, and degree program, think engineering. There are however many working people who are simply done for the day at 6pm, no homework, no planning, no tests, etc.
posted by jeffburdges at 12:54 PM on July 4, 2010
Imho, most MBA programs are an exception to this warning about grad schools. An MBA degree says (a) you are very motivated by money, (b) you didn't fail all your classes, and (c) you schmooze well. All three traits together make you a good multi-purpose gofer for people who actually know business.
Europeans have a far more livable attitude towards work and life, especially vacation time. I'll observe however that pursuing work abroad is eventually a one way trip because the lower pay means you'll never afford a house and retirement in the U.S.
I'll finally observe that students commonly work well over 40 hours per week too, depending upon their university, intelligence, and degree program, think engineering. There are however many working people who are simply done for the day at 6pm, no homework, no planning, no tests, etc.
posted by jeffburdges at 12:54 PM on July 4, 2010
Freud said "love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness."
What you do is, you find whatever it is you love, and become extremely, extraordinarily good at it. If you really love something that much, this should be no problem. Get so good at it that people will come to you because you are a recognized expert in it. That way, you get paid lots of money because you're so good, and as a side bonus, you love what you do (thus making you want to do it more, making you better at it, getting you more money).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:06 PM on July 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
What you do is, you find whatever it is you love, and become extremely, extraordinarily good at it. If you really love something that much, this should be no problem. Get so good at it that people will come to you because you are a recognized expert in it. That way, you get paid lots of money because you're so good, and as a side bonus, you love what you do (thus making you want to do it more, making you better at it, getting you more money).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:06 PM on July 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
I think the federal government is pretty good by this metric. You start out earning 12 days of leave a year (which increases to 18 and then 24 after you've been in a while) + 10 paid holidays. You work 40 hours per week; any overtime will be paid to you or banked as credit time (leave). You can work the 5-4/9 alternate schedule, where you do 9 hours/day and get a day off every other week. You may be able to work at home one day a week.
If that counts as a good deal, then perhaps you should move overseas... many other contries have far more generous annual leave policies than the US.
Back to the question though- I think the best answer so far is the oil rig one. I've worked a bit in the mining industry (in Australia) and many of the jobs there are FIFO - fly in, fly out - where you work long (12 hour) days and stay in a camp while you're working, then have a block of days (usually 5-7) off. You don't spend a cent while you're working, and usually get paid quite well.
posted by twirlypen at 1:07 PM on July 4, 2010
If that counts as a good deal, then perhaps you should move overseas... many other contries have far more generous annual leave policies than the US.
Back to the question though- I think the best answer so far is the oil rig one. I've worked a bit in the mining industry (in Australia) and many of the jobs there are FIFO - fly in, fly out - where you work long (12 hour) days and stay in a camp while you're working, then have a block of days (usually 5-7) off. You don't spend a cent while you're working, and usually get paid quite well.
posted by twirlypen at 1:07 PM on July 4, 2010
I have a friend who works as an accountant at KBR. She works 9 months a year and travel/ski the other three.
posted by porpoise at 3:07 PM on July 4, 2010
posted by porpoise at 3:07 PM on July 4, 2010
Mod note: From the OP:
Sorry, I should have been a bit more clear. I'm not asking for 70k a year on forty hours a week. "Considering the hours worked" is a pretty huge exception in my book.posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:21 PM on July 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
Perhaps this is a better way to word my question: in the realm of jobs that have fewer hours in a week, which ones have the highest "hourly" (because this is the meaningful metric) wage?
If the answer is a Domino's Pizza, then the answer is Domino's pizza. The answer is not "shut yer trap, youngin', you'll never find a job around here!"
Yes, working hard many hours a week for a few years and then being able to take a job with more flexibility and a comparable salary is a reasonable strategy, but I think Mutant nailed it when he/she suggested that I was looking for a more European life/work balance. Obviously, this entails a lower salary (and, almost certainly, a lower hourly wage).
Maybe it would be easier if someone could point me to a database that catalogs starting salaries, average salaries, and average hours/week for a wide range of jobs.
I think the problem with the answers you got is that it sounded a lot like you were in fact asking for $70k a year on 40 hours a week. If by 'I like money' you meant 'I need to bring in at least $15k per year to survive, but I don't want to work any more than I have to in order to do that' then that's pretty different to 'I really want to have a summer house on the Riviera, but would also like regular 4 day weekends'.
posted by jacalata at 3:44 PM on July 4, 2010
posted by jacalata at 3:44 PM on July 4, 2010
Strangely enough the answer to this question I've found is "be a dentist, in private practice"
It's one of the rare professions that is a strict 9-5 job where you leave on the dot at 5 because the clinic shuts down. You will likely work less than 5 days a week. And the money is really, really good. I know someone earning (after currency conversion to USD, 130k / year) first year out of school and that's for 4 days a week, and according to him his experience is not all that atypical, and that the most senior dentists specialize into some horrendously expensive procedures like implants and do maybe 1 day a week and earn 300k a year.
It doesn't sound like a very pleasant job though. Is it still true that dentists have the highest suicide rate of any profession?
posted by xdvesper at 4:47 PM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's one of the rare professions that is a strict 9-5 job where you leave on the dot at 5 because the clinic shuts down. You will likely work less than 5 days a week. And the money is really, really good. I know someone earning (after currency conversion to USD, 130k / year) first year out of school and that's for 4 days a week, and according to him his experience is not all that atypical, and that the most senior dentists specialize into some horrendously expensive procedures like implants and do maybe 1 day a week and earn 300k a year.
It doesn't sound like a very pleasant job though. Is it still true that dentists have the highest suicide rate of any profession?
posted by xdvesper at 4:47 PM on July 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
If you are smart, and numerate, and intense -- think about trading. Sell-side trading desks run 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (in New York, similar ten hour bands elsewhere, but starting and quitting time vary), very few late nights or weekends; all your holidays off and plenty of vacation -- if you work for a European bank or brokerage in the U.S., they'll often bring over their European-generous vacation policies, too!
posted by MattD at 5:07 PM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by MattD at 5:07 PM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
In at least some academic settings, you can get a pretty impressive amount of vacation if you are a staff member or an administrator. Where I work, everyone gets the handful of random holidays off, a week off between Christmas and New Year's and either 18 days (for staff) or 25 days (for administrators) of spend-as-you-like vacation days. There is also a good amount of sick leave so you do not need to cannibalize your vacation time if you get sick for a week or two. My husband works at a different academic institution and he gets the same amount of holiday and sick time there.
Neither of us makes an enormous amount of money but we work 40 hour weeks and we have time to both visit our families (who live far away) and to travel. So, this is more of a suggestion along the lines of where you might want to look for jobs that have generous amounts of time off rather than how you can earn an impressive amount per hour AND get a lot of time off.
Anyway, this may not be what you were looking for but I thought I would throw it out there because I personally had no idea how much vacation some academic institutions give their staff/administrators until HR went over this with me at my interview. I think I actually may have started salivating when they told me this (my previous job had 13 days of vacation and sick leave combined).
posted by pie_seven at 5:38 PM on July 4, 2010
Neither of us makes an enormous amount of money but we work 40 hour weeks and we have time to both visit our families (who live far away) and to travel. So, this is more of a suggestion along the lines of where you might want to look for jobs that have generous amounts of time off rather than how you can earn an impressive amount per hour AND get a lot of time off.
Anyway, this may not be what you were looking for but I thought I would throw it out there because I personally had no idea how much vacation some academic institutions give their staff/administrators until HR went over this with me at my interview. I think I actually may have started salivating when they told me this (my previous job had 13 days of vacation and sick leave combined).
posted by pie_seven at 5:38 PM on July 4, 2010
Two potential options. Nurses often work 3/12s (three 12 hour days) and have the rest of the week off. Pharmacists make plenty of cash and because of the supply problem it's certainly possible to get a low hour gig.
Neither of these are current options for the poster, unless they go to Nursing School or Pharmacy School. And with not wanting to work hard, neither are likely to accept this student.
FWIW--nursing school is currently extremely competitive to get into, and the work is physically and emotionally challenging.
posted by 6:1 at 6:42 PM on July 4, 2010
Neither of these are current options for the poster, unless they go to Nursing School or Pharmacy School. And with not wanting to work hard, neither are likely to accept this student.
FWIW--nursing school is currently extremely competitive to get into, and the work is physically and emotionally challenging.
posted by 6:1 at 6:42 PM on July 4, 2010
The average work week here in Canada is 37.5 hours. I was unaware that anything 40 or less was not "working hard" and am shocked that you got such a back lash, economy notwithstanding. Obviously my experience is a bit different, but are you willing to do more school? If you were interested in counseling, I know that social workers are usually in demand, and with her masters degree my mother is able to work 4 days a week at the same yearly salary as those with their bachelors are getting for 5 full days, with the large swathes of vacation time previously mentioned.
Counseling in schools (or working anywhere) with fixed 9-5 hours are also good options that'll get you out on time.
The thing that is nigh impossible to do with a first job, especially with the current state of the economy, is bargain well. After working a few years, I'm in a position where if I move jobs I can ask for more vacation and higher pay, but just starting I was lucky they were taking the leap of faith and had to take whatever crappy offerings they proffered.
posted by Acer_saccharum at 7:25 PM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Counseling in schools (or working anywhere) with fixed 9-5 hours are also good options that'll get you out on time.
The thing that is nigh impossible to do with a first job, especially with the current state of the economy, is bargain well. After working a few years, I'm in a position where if I move jobs I can ask for more vacation and higher pay, but just starting I was lucky they were taking the leap of faith and had to take whatever crappy offerings they proffered.
posted by Acer_saccharum at 7:25 PM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Teaching? You have the summer off, and plenty of vacations! You probably have to work some weeknights and weekends to plan lessons and grade tests, but you can dedicate a set time to do that. Every teacher I know is home by 5 every day (except for random days for meetings or whatever), which is much better than having your boss come up to you at 4:45 and ask you to do a 2-hour long task that same day. A lot of teachers I know use their free periods at school to do most of their prep work and almost never bring work home. Also, you can maybe start a club at the school involving your hobbies? That way you get more fulfillment from your job. If only 5 kids get into playing the harmonica, woodworking, DIY electronics, or whatever your hobby is, that's already a legit club, and you can work on your hobby at school. And you can share your passion for reading with the kids, no matter what you teach.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 7:58 PM on July 4, 2010
posted by KateHasQuestions at 7:58 PM on July 4, 2010
Teachers don't make a whole lot compared to other professions (speaking as a teacher), but they do get a) tons of vacation time and b) excellent benefits, including a real pension (as opposed to the crap-shoot that is a 401k).
Here's another tip though: teaching is really damn hard (being a good teacher, at least). We tend to lionize the effortless classroom geniuses like Robin Williams in _Dead Poets Society_ who fly into the room and dazzle with their charisma, and this is not at all what good teaching is about.
Also, I'm thinking the solid benefits of local government employment are going to disappear pretty quickly with the further privatization (downfall?) of America. State governments are broke, and this is a horrible time to try and find work in local government. (As bad as things are, trying to get hired in local government right now is probably the worst sector you could imagine.)
Beyond that, you could try and start a small business and hope is succeeds wildly, then sell it off.
posted by bardic at 9:39 PM on July 4, 2010
Here's another tip though: teaching is really damn hard (being a good teacher, at least). We tend to lionize the effortless classroom geniuses like Robin Williams in _Dead Poets Society_ who fly into the room and dazzle with their charisma, and this is not at all what good teaching is about.
Also, I'm thinking the solid benefits of local government employment are going to disappear pretty quickly with the further privatization (downfall?) of America. State governments are broke, and this is a horrible time to try and find work in local government. (As bad as things are, trying to get hired in local government right now is probably the worst sector you could imagine.)
Beyond that, you could try and start a small business and hope is succeeds wildly, then sell it off.
posted by bardic at 9:39 PM on July 4, 2010
Perhaps this is a better way to word my question: in the realm of jobs that have fewer hours in a week, which ones have the highest "hourly" (because this is the meaningful metric) wage?
Tutoring upper-middle class students and some high-end waitstaff and bartending jobs can help you make a decent hourly wage.
I guess sort of the question is why you would want to do this. I mean, jobs with a decent hourly wage for relatively few (and flexible) hours worked is usually the province of artists or others trying to "make it," where they need to get the best bang for the buck supporting themselves while they pursue their art. Hobbies are just that -- hobbies/dabblings. Unless that's your "true calling" or something you're truly, truly good at, I'm not sure why you think it's so important to make it take up so much of your life. Plus, as I said before, you have no idea how much you will want or even be able to maintain these passtimes after you graduate college and get out into the working world.
Another thing you can do is see if you can find a job that would allow you to negotiate more vacation time in exchange for lower pay: while some government jobs are rather inflexible about how many vacations days you are allowed to accumulate, you could negotiate a set amount of "unpaid leave" above and beyond your paid vacation. Once again, though, there's dues-paying involved, especially if you try to do this in the private sector: employers need a reason to decide that YOU are so important to hire that they're willing to take someone on who's going to be gone 5 weeks out of the year.
That said, xdvesper's suggestion is a very good one. There's obviously a fair amount of dues-paying involved (how do you feel about putting these time-consuming hobbies on hold for a while?), but all too often we look at the health care profession as a "calling," when sometimes you could just regard it as "a darn good way to make a living." Even, then, though, I will say this: even (especially) in the health care field, people who are in private practice but regard it as just a way to make a living many times will have their practices suffer because they're not hustling to build their practice and keep attracting patients.
posted by deanc at 10:04 PM on July 4, 2010
Tutoring upper-middle class students and some high-end waitstaff and bartending jobs can help you make a decent hourly wage.
I guess sort of the question is why you would want to do this. I mean, jobs with a decent hourly wage for relatively few (and flexible) hours worked is usually the province of artists or others trying to "make it," where they need to get the best bang for the buck supporting themselves while they pursue their art. Hobbies are just that -- hobbies/dabblings. Unless that's your "true calling" or something you're truly, truly good at, I'm not sure why you think it's so important to make it take up so much of your life. Plus, as I said before, you have no idea how much you will want or even be able to maintain these passtimes after you graduate college and get out into the working world.
Another thing you can do is see if you can find a job that would allow you to negotiate more vacation time in exchange for lower pay: while some government jobs are rather inflexible about how many vacations days you are allowed to accumulate, you could negotiate a set amount of "unpaid leave" above and beyond your paid vacation. Once again, though, there's dues-paying involved, especially if you try to do this in the private sector: employers need a reason to decide that YOU are so important to hire that they're willing to take someone on who's going to be gone 5 weeks out of the year.
That said, xdvesper's suggestion is a very good one. There's obviously a fair amount of dues-paying involved (how do you feel about putting these time-consuming hobbies on hold for a while?), but all too often we look at the health care profession as a "calling," when sometimes you could just regard it as "a darn good way to make a living." Even, then, though, I will say this: even (especially) in the health care field, people who are in private practice but regard it as just a way to make a living many times will have their practices suffer because they're not hustling to build their practice and keep attracting patients.
posted by deanc at 10:04 PM on July 4, 2010
You want a job where the hours are flexible, the pay is high and your reading habit is a bonus. I submit: Community College Professor. Teaching loads are 5 classes (15 hours in the classroom, plus grading, office hours and other departmental obligations) in Fall/Spring with summers off. No research obligations, no publications and no journal review work. A pretty good library with access to relevant journals in many disciplines. I've seen a number of professors who schedule their classes Tuesday / Thursday, and are mysteriously absent the other five days of the week. I've also discovered at least one or two faculty that are online only -- no face-to-face student contact period.
The payscale for this? Roughly 70k. Surely there's a barrier to entry? A bit, but less than you'd think: the average degree of our faculty is only a Master's. However, there's a dark side to this: adjunct positions. Adjunct earn maybe 24k a year, and for reasons I don't understand, the union is okay with adjunct being assigned the majority of the courses. So your chances are slim to none of landing this gig. Our last Chem Professor posting had 100 qualified applicants. The majority of our fulltime salaried professors were hired ages ago, and new hires are basically limited to replacing those who retire.
But it's not impossible to get the position, and I'm sure those who play their cards right can improve their odds.
posted by pwnguin at 11:09 AM on July 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
The payscale for this? Roughly 70k. Surely there's a barrier to entry? A bit, but less than you'd think: the average degree of our faculty is only a Master's. However, there's a dark side to this: adjunct positions. Adjunct earn maybe 24k a year, and for reasons I don't understand, the union is okay with adjunct being assigned the majority of the courses. So your chances are slim to none of landing this gig. Our last Chem Professor posting had 100 qualified applicants. The majority of our fulltime salaried professors were hired ages ago, and new hires are basically limited to replacing those who retire.
But it's not impossible to get the position, and I'm sure those who play their cards right can improve their odds.
posted by pwnguin at 11:09 AM on July 5, 2010 [2 favorites]
Here's a list of jobs and the likely salary that each one pays.
posted by CathyG at 12:52 PM on July 7, 2010
posted by CathyG at 12:52 PM on July 7, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dfriedman at 7:44 AM on July 4, 2010 [1 favorite]