What are some of the low stress jobs you can do to get some extra cash?

[frugalor]

Do you think working as a poll worker is pretty relaxing, especially if the polling place is just walking distance from your home?

Are there other easy jobs like that to get some extra cash?

[Tyson]

If you like the arts, an usher at a symphony or a theater show would be cool and easy.

[bacchi]

Dog walking or pet sitting is easy and fun as long as you're selective about clients.

[frugalor]

Dog walking or pet sitting is easy and fun as long as you're selective about clients.

That's an interesting idea.  Walking dogs in the neighborhood can also double as walking exercising.  Too bad I have no experience with dogs or pets.  In fact, I am afraid of being bitten by dogs, lol.  Is this out of reach for me or can someone like me take a dog walking class?

[ChpBstrd]

Donate plasma.

It's about $35 per hour for sitting in a chair reading a book. Free weight loss. The "coworkers" aren't the classiest though.

[FIRE@50]

I plan on working at a golf course post FIRE

[Tasse]

Do you think working as a poll worker is pretty relaxing, especially if the polling place is just walking distance from your home?

From what I hear, working the polls is exhausting with very long hours. But that might be bearable since it's pretty infrequent and you can feel good about doing it.

[Metalcat]

It's usually better to start with what you are already skilled at and go from there.

[bacchi]

Dog walking or pet sitting is easy and fun as long as you're selective about clients.

That's an interesting idea.  Walking dogs in the neighborhood can also double as walking exercising.  Too bad I have no experience with dogs or pets.  In fact, I am afraid of being bitten by dogs, lol.  Is this out of reach for me or can someone like me take a dog walking class?

Yeah, dogs might sense that you're afraid. Taking care of cats is easy, though. Walk to the client's house, feed and play with the cat(s), clean the litter, walk home, collect $20-25.

[Goldendog777]

Dog walking or pet sitting is easy and fun as long as you're selective about clients.

That's an interesting idea.  Walking dogs in the neighborhood can also double as walking exercising.  Too bad I have no experience with dogs or pets.  In fact, I am afraid of being bitten by dogs, lol.  Is this out of reach for me or can someone like me take a dog walking class?

Volunteer at your local shelter. They will give you the training you need to be a dog walker.

[uniwelder]

Do you think working as a poll worker is pretty relaxing, especially if the polling place is just walking distance from your home?

From what I hear, working the polls is exhausting with very long hours. But that might be bearable since it's pretty infrequent and you can feel good about doing it.

I've worked 5 elections so far, and just got home from today's.  It's definitely a feel good job that lets me see neighbors I might not run into otherwise.  My county actually supplements the base pay, so I'm pretty handsomely paid about $250 for 17 hours (1 hr training, plus 16 that day) of work.  I think the base rate might be about $150, so at less than $10/hr, you're not doing it for the money.  The day of elections kinda sucks in that you have to show up 5:00 AM and cannot leave until after wrapping things up, which is about 9:00 PM, of course depending on rules of your particular state.  Sometimes it's relaxed and you're bored a little, but for presidential elections, you barely have time for a break to shovel food in your mouth.

[spartana]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

[Metalcat]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

This is exactly my point above. For a low stress job, it has to be easy. Whether a job is easy or not entirely depends on the abilities of the person doing the job.

I had a part time ob early in my grad school program that was stupidly easy for me. I was moderating virtual condo corporation meetings. This job was stupidly easy for me because I had been a condo corporation president.

It paid $30-something per hour, and was the easiest job I've ever done. But some of my coworkers really struggled with it because they didn't know the inner workings of condo boards, and couldn't anticipate when fights would break out, so it seriously stressed them out.

Anyone who has worked entry-level jobs can probably remember that they're often the furthest thing from 'low stress" for a lot of those employees. What makes a job low stress or high stress is how challenging it is and how high the stakes are.

Dog walking would be easy for someone who is really good with dogs, but walking a pack of dogs could also be an insanely stressful task for someone who doesn't know how to break up a dog fight. Hell, managing one decent sized dog can be extremely stressful for an inexperienced person if that dog is reactive.

For me personally, my most favourite "easy" job was working as a children's science entertainer. Which was only easy for me because I'm really good with managing groups of kids, and I'm a confident performer. Another person could find that job horrifyingly stressful.

It all comes down to what the individual finds stressful.

[spartana]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

This is exactly my point above. For a low stress job, it has to be easy. Whether a job is easy or not entirely depends on the abilities of the person doing the job.

I had a part time ob early in my grad school program that was stupidly easy for me. I was moderating virtual condo corporation meetings. This job was stupidly easy for me because I had been a condo corporation president.

It paid $30-something per hour, and was the easiest job I've ever done. But some of my coworkers really struggled with it because they didn't know the inner workings of condo boards, and couldn't anticipate when fights would break out, so it seriously stressed them out.

Anyone who has worked entry-level jobs can probably remember that they're often the furthest thing from 'low stress" for a lot of those employees. What makes a job low stress or high stress is how challenging it is and how high the stakes are.

Dog walking would be easy for someone who is really good with dogs, but walking a pack of dogs could also be an insanely stressful task for someone who doesn't know how to break up a dog fight. Hell, managing one decent sized dog can be extremely stressful for an inexperienced person if that dog is reactive.

For me personally, my most favourite "easy" job was working as a children's science entertainer. Which was only easy for me because I'm really good with managing groups of kids, and I'm a confident performer. Another person could find that job horrifyingly stressful.

It all comes down to what the individual finds stressful.

Yes I'd be running screaming with terror at the thought lol. My sister gets paid a lot of money to watch people paint walls plain white. Sometimes she gets paid a lot of money to watch a locked door. She's usually alone and can't read, or have any electronic devices at all so just has to sit. Or stand. That would kill me too but at least I wouldn't have to talk to people ;-).

[ptobest]

Whenever I got the itch to earn a bit of money, I'll get on Prolific.com and do surveys. There's an application process to be accepted. It's not much money, and the amount you earn is different depending on the survey (and especially depending on the country the company/university/etc. running the survey is based out of) and the surveys can range from rather tedious to rather interesting. It can be a pleasant way to earn pocket change while already watching something on TV.

[HipGnosis]

DoorDash, UberEats, et. all...  if you have a car & don't mind driving

[Fresh Bread]

My zero stress job was retail assistant in a department store. We were trained incredibly well and I knew that I could call the manager if there was a difficult situation and that she would be in the store and would arrive in a minute.

I think proper training and a good manager who has your back are the key to low stress.

There was a performance rating element to it where shoppers could do a quiz on how well they were served and it would be linked back to you, but if you got a good score, the manager would come and give effusive congratulations so I think that countered any negative feedback.

The only bad thing is, if you are capable, they earmark you for a bigger role, and that would bring some stress. I was there about a year and towards the end I felt that was the road I was on.

[AMStache]

After I retired this last May I signed up with Rover to pet sit, walk dogs, and do drop in visits for dogs and cats.  I have made $12k doing it very part time and am having a blast!  It is pretty low stress having dogs as clients.  They are all ecstatic to see me, every time! 😊

[GuitarStv]

I really enjoyed working in a lumber yard doing general labor (stacking lumber, loading/unloading trucks, occasionally mowing the lawn or weed whacking).  I found it relaxing to not have to think, to be outdoors most of the time, and to be physically active.  Wouldn't want to do it forever, but it was a great summer job for a few months.

[jfer_rose]

I have several gigs I do for money since I retired in 2019.

I am a paid election worker. In my city, you can choose whether to work the entire day or an 8-hour shift either am or pm. I always pick a 8-hour shift because the all day one sounds like a nightmare to me. This Election Day I volunteered to stay after my shift ended to continue processing absentee ballots, but that was my choice and I was fine with it because I was home for dinner. Also, I have always been assigned to my local polling place which is literally across the street from my home (I can see the building from my window).

I catsit for money. So far just through word of mouth/friends/neighbors. I’m interested in adding in dog care but I’m not as experienced with that and so haven’t tried it yet.

I also teach woodworking. It ends up being about 4 hours a month. It was stressful when I started because I hadn’t ever taught before. But I have gotten the hang of it now.

I’ve tried selling stuff I made but it seems like more trouble than it is worth, not to say I won’t ever do that again. I also dabble with Prolific surveys.

I really am quite happy with my mix and how they help me fill small amounts of time with activities I find fulfilling.

[iris lily]

If you like the arts, an usher at a symphony or a theater show would be cool and easy.

At our beautiful 100-year-old theater in a major city, the ushers are volunteers. And, it’s kind of a rigorous job because they have to declare which performances they will attend and then they are expected to be there, no exceptions. It’s a bit of a prestige job.

[iris lily]

Do you think working as a poll worker is pretty relaxing, especially if the polling place is just walking distance from your home?

From what I hear, working the polls is exhausting with very long hours. But that might be bearable since it's pretty infrequent and you can feel good about doing it.

I've worked 5 elections so far, and just got home from today's.  It's definitely a feel good job that lets me see neighbors I might not run into otherwise.  My county actually supplements the base pay, so I'm pretty handsomely paid about $250 for 17 hours (1 hr training, plus 16 that day) of work.  I think the base rate might be about $150, so at less than $10/hr, you're not doing it for the money.  The day of elections kinda sucks in that you have to show up 5:00 AM and cannot leave until after wrapping things up, which is about 9:00 PM, of course depending on rules of your particular state.  Sometimes it's relaxed and you're bored a little, but for presidential elections, you barely have time for a break to shovel food in your mouth.

Jesus, $250!

DH worked the last election and got $150.

[DeniseNJ]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

This is exactly my point above. For a low stress job, it has to be easy. Whether a job is easy or not entirely depends on the abilities of the person doing the job.

I had a part time ob early in my grad school program that was stupidly easy for me. I was moderating virtual condo corporation meetings. This job was stupidly easy for me because I had been a condo corporation president.

It paid $30-something per hour, and was the easiest job I've ever done. But some of my coworkers really struggled with it because they didn't know the inner workings of condo boards, and couldn't anticipate when fights would break out, so it seriously stressed them out.

Anyone who has worked entry-level jobs can probably remember that they're often the furthest thing from 'low stress" for a lot of those employees. What makes a job low stress or high stress is how challenging it is and how high the stakes are.

Dog walking would be easy for someone who is really good with dogs, but walking a pack of dogs could also be an insanely stressful task for someone who doesn't know how to break up a dog fight. Hell, managing one decent sized dog can be extremely stressful for an inexperienced person if that dog is reactive.

For me personally, my most favourite "easy" job was working as a children's science entertainer. Which was only easy for me because I'm really good with managing groups of kids, and I'm a confident performer. Another person could find that job horrifyingly stressful.

It all comes down to what the individual finds stressful.

Yes I'd be running screaming with terror at the thought lol. My sister gets paid a lot of money to watch people paint walls plain white. Sometimes she gets paid a lot of money to watch a locked door. She's usually alone and can't read, or have any electronic devices at all so just has to sit. Or stand. That would kill me too but at least I wouldn't have to talk to people ;-).

Wait, what?  What miracle job is this and how do I get in on it?  For real, I got adult children who are eminently qualified to sit there and do nothin.

[uniwelder]

Do you think working as a poll worker is pretty relaxing, especially if the polling place is just walking distance from your home?

From what I hear, working the polls is exhausting with very long hours. But that might be bearable since it's pretty infrequent and you can feel good about doing it.

I've worked 5 elections so far, and just got home from today's.  It's definitely a feel good job that lets me see neighbors I might not run into otherwise.  My county actually supplements the base pay, so I'm pretty handsomely paid about $250 for 17 hours (1 hr training, plus 16 that day) of work.  I think the base rate might be about $150, so at less than $10/hr, you're not doing it for the money.  The day of elections kinda sucks in that you have to show up 5:00 AM and cannot leave until after wrapping things up, which is about 9:00 PM, of course depending on rules of your particular state.  Sometimes it's relaxed and you're bored a little, but for presidential elections, you barely have time for a break to shovel food in your mouth.

Jesus! $250!

DH worked our November election and got &150.

Damn right!  Making the big bucks.  Almost $15/hr, but I mistakenly wrote that compensation as an assistant chief last time.  I went back down to regular this election, so I think I might only get $200, so $12/hr.

[spartana]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

This is exactly my point above. For a low stress job, it has to be easy. Whether a job is easy or not entirely depends on the abilities of the person doing the job.

I had a part time ob early in my grad school program that was stupidly easy for me. I was moderating virtual condo corporation meetings. This job was stupidly easy for me because I had been a condo corporation president.

It paid $30-something per hour, and was the easiest job I've ever done. But some of my coworkers really struggled with it because they didn't know the inner workings of condo boards, and couldn't anticipate when fights would break out, so it seriously stressed them out.

Anyone who has worked entry-level jobs can probably remember that they're often the furthest thing from 'low stress" for a lot of those employees. What makes a job low stress or high stress is how challenging it is and how high the stakes are.

Dog walking would be easy for someone who is really good with dogs, but walking a pack of dogs could also be an insanely stressful task for someone who doesn't know how to break up a dog fight. Hell, managing one decent sized dog can be extremely stressful for an inexperienced person if that dog is reactive.

For me personally, my most favourite "easy" job was working as a children's science entertainer. Which was only easy for me because I'm really good with managing groups of kids, and I'm a confident performer. Another person could find that job horrifyingly stressful.

It all comes down to what the individual finds stressful.

Yes I'd be running screaming with terror at the thought lol. My sister gets paid a lot of money to watch people paint walls plain white. Sometimes she gets paid a lot of money to watch a locked door. She's usually alone and can't read, or have any electronic devices at all so just has to sit. Or stand. That would kill me too but at least I wouldn't have to talk to people ;-).

Wait, what?  What miracle job is this and how do I get in on it?  For real, I got adult children who are eminently qualified to sit there and do nothin.

LOL. She's FIREd from a defense contractor job in security but to keep her security clearances active she works as an "escort" sometimes in classified areas when work is being done by non-classified construction people so that they don't wander elsewhere. She's also watched a single locked door all night to make sure no one opened it ;-). Unfortunately your "highly qualified for the job" kids probably don't have the security clearances.

[DeniseNJ]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

This is exactly my point above. For a low stress job, it has to be easy. Whether a job is easy or not entirely depends on the abilities of the person doing the job.

I had a part time ob early in my grad school program that was stupidly easy for me. I was moderating virtual condo corporation meetings. This job was stupidly easy for me because I had been a condo corporation president.

It paid $30-something per hour, and was the easiest job I've ever done. But some of my coworkers really struggled with it because they didn't know the inner workings of condo boards, and couldn't anticipate when fights would break out, so it seriously stressed them out.

Anyone who has worked entry-level jobs can probably remember that they're often the furthest thing from 'low stress" for a lot of those employees. What makes a job low stress or high stress is how challenging it is and how high the stakes are.

Dog walking would be easy for someone who is really good with dogs, but walking a pack of dogs could also be an insanely stressful task for someone who doesn't know how to break up a dog fight. Hell, managing one decent sized dog can be extremely stressful for an inexperienced person if that dog is reactive.

For me personally, my most favourite "easy" job was working as a children's science entertainer. Which was only easy for me because I'm really good with managing groups of kids, and I'm a confident performer. Another person could find that job horrifyingly stressful.

It all comes down to what the individual finds stressful.

Yes I'd be running screaming with terror at the thought lol. My sister gets paid a lot of money to watch people paint walls plain white. Sometimes she gets paid a lot of money to watch a locked door. She's usually alone and can't read, or have any electronic devices at all so just has to sit. Or stand. That would kill me too but at least I wouldn't have to talk to people ;-).

Wait, what?  What miracle job is this and how do I get in on it?  For real, I got adult children who are eminently qualified to sit there and do nothin.

LOL. She's FIREd from a defense contractor job in security but to keep her security clearances active she works as an "escort" sometimes in classified areas when work is being done by non-classified construction people so that they don't wander elsewhere. She's also watched a single locked door all night to make sure no one opened it ;-). Unfortunately your "highly qualified for the job" kids probably don't have the security clearances.

Dang!  That's too bad.  :(

[By the River]

My wife is wrapping up an eight-week substitute teaching role.  Filling in for a teacher on maternity leave.  6th & 7th grade math.  She liked it at the start but has had increasing stress levels.  She said that she won't do substitute roles that are longer than a week anymore.

[Wintergreen78]

I also think your personality will be a huge factor in what type of job would be stressful or not. I'm a somewhat shy and very introverted person who gets stressed by talking to and dealing with people. So some of the jobs mentioned above would cause me deep stress. Solo dog walker or working outdoors in a wholesale plant nursey or on a physical project like building something with people who aren't chatty would be a better fit for me. So make sure you look for things you enjoy that don't increase your personal stress levels.

This is exactly my point above. For a low stress job, it has to be easy. Whether a job is easy or not entirely depends on the abilities of the person doing the job.

I had a part time ob early in my grad school program that was stupidly easy for me. I was moderating virtual condo corporation meetings. This job was stupidly easy for me because I had been a condo corporation president.

It paid $30-something per hour, and was the easiest job I've ever done. But some of my coworkers really struggled with it because they didn't know the inner workings of condo boards, and couldn't anticipate when fights would break out, so it seriously stressed them out.

Anyone who has worked entry-level jobs can probably remember that they're often the furthest thing from 'low stress" for a lot of those employees. What makes a job low stress or high stress is how challenging it is and how high the stakes are.

Dog walking would be easy for someone who is really good with dogs, but walking a pack of dogs could also be an insanely stressful task for someone who doesn't know how to break up a dog fight. Hell, managing one decent sized dog can be extremely stressful for an inexperienced person if that dog is reactive.

For me personally, my most favourite "easy" job was working as a children's science entertainer. Which was only easy for me because I'm really good with managing groups of kids, and I'm a confident performer. Another person could find that job horrifyingly stressful.

It all comes down to what the individual finds stressful.

Yes I'd be running screaming with terror at the thought lol. My sister gets paid a lot of money to watch people paint walls plain white. Sometimes she gets paid a lot of money to watch a locked door. She's usually alone and can't read, or have any electronic devices at all so just has to sit. Or stand. That would kill me too but at least I wouldn't have to talk to people ;-).

Wait, what?  What miracle job is this and how do I get in on it?  For real, I got adult children who are eminently qualified to sit there and do nothin.

LOL. She's FIREd from a defense contractor job in security but to keep her security clearances active she works as an "escort" sometimes in classified areas when work is being done by non-classified construction people so that they don't wander elsewhere. She's also watched a single locked door all night to make sure no one opened it ;-). Unfortunately your "highly qualified for the job" kids probably don't have the security clearances.

Dang!  That's too bad.  :(

I have to share my favorite, only marginally-related story!

California required a special 2-part paint for above ground gasoline storage tanks. It is reflective, so the tank doesn’t get as hot and less of the gasoline evaporates. For a short period the county inspectors would go to observe the paint getting mixed and applied, to make sure people were doing correctly and using the correct paint.

They were literally getting paid to watch paint dry!

It didn’t last long - pretty quickly the county decided they could just check receipts to make sure the right paint was getting used.

[spartana]

^^^ I had a Gov job in Calif in environment compliance and enforcement and had to sit around all night sometimes and see who was dumping toxic waste in various places. We called them "sewer stings" even if they weren't being dumped in a sewer system. Fun (not) times. My sister watched a door last night for 4 hours and made $40/hour.

[newbie]

I'm a former math teacher and have been able to make some extra money with tutoring - all word of mouth.  One family leads to another.  It is rewarding and fun, I love seeing people gain confidence in their math abilities with just some extra explanation and practice.
I also babysit/nanny for a family (friend of a friend situation).  They pay me more than a typical teenager, but I do more too.  When the baby sleeps I vacuum, fold their laundry, unload the dishes, etc.  I have enjoyed baby time and also audio book time as I do small chores around the house.

[mistymoney]

^^^ I had a Gov job in Calif in environment compliance and enforcement and had to sit around all night sometimes and see who was dumping toxic waste in various places. We called them "sewer stings" even if they weren't being dumped in a sewer system. Fun (not) times. My sister watched a door last night for 4 hours and made $40/hour.

so this is onsite work? Not remote monitor via video?

[chasingthegoodlife]

I still work part time in my professional job (social worker) but very occasionally moonlight as an election worker or for hospitality events.

I don't mind being busy, socially 'on', or dealing with difficult people, but I don't want to have any serious responsibility or have to use higher level problem solving skills. Most importantly, each shift needs to be discrete - at the end of the shift everything is done and there is nothing for me to follow up later or remember until next time.

[spartana]

^^^ I had a Gov job in Calif in environment compliance and enforcement and had to sit around all night sometimes and see who was dumping toxic waste in various places. We called them "sewer stings" even if they weren't being dumped in a sewer system. Fun (not) times. My sister watched a door last night for 4 hours and made $40/hour.

so this is onsite work? Not remote monitor via video?

No they have to have people physically be there, usually multiple people for each contractor, to escort them everywhere they are allowed to go -  including escorting them to bathrooms, up on roofs, essentially everywhere. There's all kinds of written orders and rules to follow. High level National Security stuff to keep.safe from the riff raff ;-).

BTW I assumed you were talking about my sisters gig watching paint dry. My old job in environmental compliance was very different and multiple layers of surveillance - including satellites and multiple agency task forces - but mainly inspections and manifest and following all the little trails big polluters left behind. Illegal dumping of various toxic industrial wastes is a multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise.

[Loren Ver]

DH use to grade standardized tests.  He was good enough to do the math or English section. It was seasonal work.

A friend's kid proctors standardized tests, so a lot of evening work (when people get out of school/work).  She really enjoys it.  Light socialization, quiet,  set hours etc.

I enjoyed working as a fry cook.  I didn't like taking orders as much and they kept moving me to the front end because I am good with people.  But I did like working the fryer!

I also worked as a turtle tracker one summer, that was fun.  9pm to 1am, find nesting turtles, identify them then radio in.  The ranger would then bring in some people to watch.  The other trackers had the best personality.

DH makes large yard art out of trash.  If he actually sold it instead of just putting it in the yard for display he could actually make some money.  But he sells just enough to pay for equipment to make more yard art.  Several people have tried to argue him into selling his six foot tall praying mantis- like that was going to convince him.  He is perfectly find being a bad businessman HAHA!

Loren

[Just Joe]

Washing cars. Detailing cars.
As a 15-16 year old teenager I could detail car pretty well.
Not like the pros with carpet steamers or electric polisher machines - but I could do a very thorough job or washing, vacuuming, wiping down the plastic, and cleaning the glass.
I did it in their driveway using my supplies. Their vacuum some of the time before I had a license to drive. Sometimes I would hand wax the car. Clean the tires. Scrub the floor mats.
I'd charge $20-$35 in the 1980s. Couple hours of summer radio music and garden hose water when I got hot.

Alternatives: mowing grass. Did that to help pay for university. My lawn tractor, push mower, trimmer and blower. All very ordinary equipment. It fit on a 5x8 utility trailer towed with a four cylinder CUV. I avoided long drawn out collateral chores like that paid poorly. Leaves, gutters, hauling trash away. More than a few folks wanted me to price those tasks. Might be an all day task for not that much money. What would you charge me to do this task that's been neglected for ~5 years? Nope. Not raking your knee deep matted leaf pile of a yard. Of course I was too busy for those tasks. Very diplomatic about it.

[AuspiciousEight]

The lowest stress job I've ever had in my life was working as a computer lab technician at my college that I went to years ago.

The job was dead simple.

You come in and sit at a computer behind a counter with another person.

You do whatever you want.

On rare occasion(about once or twice per 8 hour shift) someone may have a question about excel or something, you Google the question then repeat what Google says. It usually takes 2 minutes.

That's it.

Why they had two people per computer lab to do this job, I have no idea. Most of the people who had this job didn't even go to college there. Most of them got the job while going there, used the time to get paid to do homework, then simply continued to work there after graduating because they didn't want to have to work a real job.

I spent most of my time working there just playing computer games and watching YouTube.

Now that I think about this, I think I'm going to go lookup if these jobs still exist or not..would make a great coast fire/part time job after I retire.

ETA: This job no longer appears to exist. *Sadness*

[GuitarStv]

I got my pest control technician's license (like a 300 dollar course at the time, and a weekend of classes) and became a registered pest control technician working for PCO/Orkin during my last couple summers in university.  It was actually a pretty enjoyable job.  They give you a company truck, gas card, and a route.  Then you just check all the businesses on the route each day to make sure they're OK, which usually can be done by about lunch each day.  After that you can take on special one off extermination jobs which qualify as overtime and above your salary - heat treatments for large food places, residential roach/termite/ant issues, that sort of thing.    The job is pretty relaxed, you don't have someone hanging over your shoulders all the time, and if you're not stupid about handling the chemicals it's perfectly safe (was my initial worry when starting).