Are there any good jobs out there where you can show up, do your work, and then just leave when it's done?

You'd be surprised how many jobs just requires you to sit in a chair all day looking busy.

I do my dayjob, in an office with the screen not visible to anyone else, and when there is no work to do I go ahead and do some of my independent work. I look busy as heck all 8 workhours. I get no extra reqests to "help out", or last minute critical whatever.
I make 2.5-3x my job salary.

Was a window washer for years. If you work for yourself the pay can be good... really good, like 6 figures part time good.
If you get routine work from local businesses you can just show up when it's convenient, do your thing, get paid, and decide if you want to hit another one of your jobs or call it for the day.

Great, honest work.

Very possible in tech. You want to look for somewhere product-focused (no agencies), large, and well-established that will give you a WFH position. I do design work and have this type of schedule, though I am always very responsive and available between 9-5 if someone needs something from me so I’m not holding anyone up and making anyone annoyed. I keep up with my deliverables comfortably and have flexibility to have both really productive and really meh days without it being problematic.

IT or software development.

I think they call that freelance/independent contractor.

Get into a trade, and start your own business maybe? Like carpentry etc. You gotta learn and it's a life long process since every job is different, but I've gained some much needed autonomy this way. The job is done when you are done, and that's when you get paid.

It's not for everyone, and takes some capitol and experience so that's a fairly large barrier to do this, but after 16 years I've finally gotten some much needed freedom.

Be a residential plumber.

Nope, I even had one of those it was in maintenance. I had a set list of daily, weekly, monthly tasks , as well as w/e can up in between those, and on call certain days on a rotation with the other guy. As soon as our work was complete we could clock off and just go onto call frte remainder of our shift instead of mill around doing nothing waiting for a call. But with weekly and monthly routine maintenance tasks to do it was usually only a few days a week that we could knock off early and just be available if needed.

Then all of a sudden the manager got all whiny, "I have to be here mywhole shift , why don't you guys" blah blah blah. Fucking cry baby.

Anyway I refused to follow their orders of staying till the end of my shift until I eventually was fired. Because I was following the shift I was hired to do, and given no valid reason of why the shift needed to change, other than some butthurt sack of shit.

So the tl:Dr of that is it might start that way but eventually some piss baby is going to get it changed on you.

I mean, I sort of do that. I'm a software engineer. If I finish all my work early, I just stop working. Or I can start working on my task for the next day. My team works in three weeks sprints, so I get all my tasks for the next three weeks. If I finish all of those tasks before the three weeks are over, I really can just slack off. Usually I'll ask for another task, as it makes me look better when it comes time for raises (once a year), but for people who are happy with how much they are being paid, they can just do as little as required and work fewer hours than 8 a day.

fiverr, taskrabbit

You're setting yourself up for failure through. if you work for 3-4 hours, they're only going to pay for for 3-4.

Being there for 8 with only 3-4 hours done gets you paid for 8 with being available for another 8.

You're better off finding a place that is understaffed and can keep you busy for 8.

Historically, I've used the idle time to learn new skills.

This is (typically) contracting. Usually you'll have some meetings but otherwise it's deliverables

delivery driver/postal carrier? you are given a route and do it. it might take more or less than 8 hours etc, but you aren't sitting around killing time until it's time to go home

I’m a project manager in software development. I’m beholden to clients’ schedules for meetings and such sometimes, and occasional off-hours deployments, but otherwise I am efficient enough to get my work done when and how I want and have plenty of free time in my day. I work from home 100% so that’s time with my kids, etc.

Find something that is based off deliverables or project completion rather than time at your desk. Maybe contract work or freelance. Maybe run your own business. Another option is remote work.

The standard isn't just a few hours a day though so you'll likely have less pay than you might otherwise. Also if you're just an employee you'd be working part time so no benefits either. This probably wouldn't be decent pay, especially if you want to save money while also paying for things.

If you are your own boss you could decide to work less but generally it's a lot more work to run your own business. The business and freelance work would both have the issue with a lack of benefits.

Nursing offers a different kind of flexibility. Obviously there's no option to "get the work done" and leave a particular shift early, but full time is only 3 days a week for me. We do self-scheduling, so I can manipulate my schedule to be able to do what I want. And I'm working the entire time I'm on the clock, as opposed to sitting in a office staring at a wall doing nothing.

There are also so many options for different working environments, per diem jobs where you can work whenever you want as much as you want, lots of bonus pay.

I have a two year degree and carry the same license as four year degree Registered Nurses (United States).

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Yeah, this absolutely exists if you can find a 100% remote position, though you will still need to make time for meetings outside of your preferred schedule.

Hourly rate contracting probably? But it's not we much fun as uoud think.

I'm. Intrigued as to why you wouldn't use the additional time at your current job to set up for the next one? Like if you're expects to be there 8 hours and your work is done in 4 and the company is fine with that level of work output, cross skill, upskill, learn something

Holy white collar salaried bubble.

None of you people have even heard of hourly pay??