Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:41 pm
huh, you professionals holed up in your offices are silly with your warnings. it works for some, not for others.
I have worked in the outdoor industry for years and have lots of energy to still get out and play and am nowhere near burnout. i make good money, live in some great places, and dig what i do. but if you go get a seasonal job and work for peanuts for a couple years while getting to do some killer stuff, i guarantee you'll never regret it.
you can always do the nursing thing later. why hurry.
guiding = decent pay (i got $125 a day plus tips), but you'd better be good and i'm not just talking technical skills. you need to be a good guide/educator/facilitator as well. this goes for climbing/river/canyon/etc...
trail work = okay pay but how the hell do you spend it when you're spending 6 months out of the year living in the woods with a bunch of hippies digging holes and getting burly.
NPS/USFS = good pay (typically GS4 to start) and they might provide cheap housing and a chance to live in some amazing places. government BS, but as a peon you can escape that.
Conservation industry is harder as you are usually doing something else within the industry, whether it's grant writing, computer stuff, marketting, human resources, etc...
Camps = bad pay, but if you LOVE kids and only want to work 6 months a year, they usually provide your housing and meals. I worked at a place last winter where I only got paid $225 a week, but i got free housing, meals, and ski passes to Winter Park/Copper/Breck/Steamboat, plus untracked powder right on the grounds.
NOLS/Outward Bound instructor = good pay and great work, but inconsistent.
have fun, give it a try.
I have worked in the outdoor industry for years and have lots of energy to still get out and play and am nowhere near burnout. i make good money, live in some great places, and dig what i do. but if you go get a seasonal job and work for peanuts for a couple years while getting to do some killer stuff, i guarantee you'll never regret it.
you can always do the nursing thing later. why hurry.
guiding = decent pay (i got $125 a day plus tips), but you'd better be good and i'm not just talking technical skills. you need to be a good guide/educator/facilitator as well. this goes for climbing/river/canyon/etc...
trail work = okay pay but how the hell do you spend it when you're spending 6 months out of the year living in the woods with a bunch of hippies digging holes and getting burly.
NPS/USFS = good pay (typically GS4 to start) and they might provide cheap housing and a chance to live in some amazing places. government BS, but as a peon you can escape that.
Conservation industry is harder as you are usually doing something else within the industry, whether it's grant writing, computer stuff, marketting, human resources, etc...
Camps = bad pay, but if you LOVE kids and only want to work 6 months a year, they usually provide your housing and meals. I worked at a place last winter where I only got paid $225 a week, but i got free housing, meals, and ski passes to Winter Park/Copper/Breck/Steamboat, plus untracked powder right on the grounds.
NOLS/Outward Bound instructor = good pay and great work, but inconsistent.
have fun, give it a try.