Make New York Post a Preferred Source A job seeker inquired about high-paying jobs that required low effort/few requirements and was inundated with a flurry of both helpful and outrageous responses. Dusan Petkovic - stock.adobe.com Are these good gigs for nap-pod-loving members of Gen Lazy?
A slothful jobseeker inspired a flurry of both outrageous and useful responses after inquiring about a gig where they could coast and still rake in cash.
“What is the highest-paying job that requires the least amount of skill or effort?” they wrote a viral Reddit post.
Coincidentally, this query comes amid a sluggish hiring market that’s oversaturated with both human and AI competition, and where salaries don’t necessarily keep pace with skyrocketing living costs.
Fortunately, the Redditeriat were happy to offer some free career advice.
One alleged easy money gig? Parking lot security. “I made $27 an hour to stay awake basically,” said one former carpark patroller.
Another floated owning the parking lot itself as you can collect passive income and don’t “even need to have someone working on duty.”
Others prescribed fairly niche employment opportunities. One online job adviser said their friend’s wife works at a nuclear power plant, where she only has to clock in 10 days a month, during which she allegedly barely has to lift a finger.
“For her five-day shift shes on 12-hour shifts and every hour or two she walks the plant for fire inspections,” they exclaimed. “Takes about 10 minutes, then she goes back to watching TV. She makes $130k and has no engineering degree or anything, just no one wants the hours.”
However, the Redditor’s job description was a tad misleading as operators must monitor and control oft-complex reactor systems, which requires knowledge of trigonometry and other arithmetic, among other skills.
Another suggested being a truck driver at remote mines. “Some of the guys gross 250-300k per year,” they wrote. “It’s tough on the body doing shiftwork and driving 12hrs per day, but skill-wise it’s easy.”
“I’m a safety manager,” commented one. “I spent 2 years in my current position busting ass to get our program where it needed to be. The next 4 years I’ve spent playing video games in my office because everything is working well 98% of the time. The other 2 can be chaotic. I make 6 figures
“The guy that says ‘let’s get ready to rumble’ at fights,” quipped a third. “Literally says the fighter’s names a few times and gets paid f–kton millions.”
According to Sporting News, UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer rakes in a cool $100,000 during pay-per-view events, although this figure hasn’t been independently verified.
Other vacation-like vocations, per Reddit career experts, included real estate agents, influencers, post office supervisors and any form of middle management.
“Do nothing, micromanage offering nothing of value, use AI prompts for everything, make six figures,” scoffed one Redditor while dragging the latter occupation.
Others jokingly advised the inquirer to become a member of Congress. “With zero educational requirements or any type of testing or you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars, have a staff, government car, expense account, and lifetime free health insurance,” said one.
While members of Congress have no formal education requirements and receive generous salaries and other benefits, they aren’t bequeathed government cars and complimentary health insurance.
Some earnestly declared that so-called “dirty jobs” are the secret to success. “Dangerous, exhausting, and degrading jobs all have the potential to be high-paying without a degree as well,” said one. “So it also includes anything like a derrickhand on an oil rig, long-haul trucker, skyscraper window washer, commercial diver.”
Coincidentally, 20-somethings are increasingly forgoing white-collar entry gigs and going into the trades as they feel it’s a quicker way to a six-figure salary than college.
A OnePoll.com survey of 2,000 US 16- to 28-year-olds found that a whopping 71% were open to trying them as a career.
Pollees cited gaining hands-on experience (37 percent), avoiding student debt (36 percent) and earning money while learning (35 percent) among other perks of circumventing higher education.
“The younger generation are looking for meaningful, secure work that offers real earning potential, and the skilled trades check all of those boxes,” said a rep for the polling site.
