career path figured out, maybe

G

gadgetgeek

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May 19, 2007
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Well, probably more than maybe. I've started a year long course in outdoor recreation, so stuff like leading hikes, canoeing and high-rope challenge courses. Should be a heck of a lot of fun, beats the pants off of academic study thats for dang sure, two days in class, and two days in the field. I couldn't be happier with it. Of course, I didn't need a new excuse to spend more on outdoor gear, and now I can justify it all as a "work expense" :p
First lesson was a quick two day hike. Its a nice small class, and we are all from a wide range of backgrounds, so its great to learn from everyone. This will let me get back to doing what I was doing in Canada, running classes for kids, but I'm also thinking that I will also start looking into training activity leaders myself, and possibly also going into the team-building side of things. This all came about in a very short time frame, and I've only been classes a week, and already work leads are panning out, so that is far better than how I was doing.

I also want to thank you guys who hang out here in this section for keeping my inspiration for the outdoors alive while I was casually unemployed and unable to play outside as much as I would have liked. I've learned a lot from here, lots of which was applied on the hike.
 
That's pretty much what my father in law did for 30 years. You're unlikely to get rich but it led to a very rewarding childhood for my wife and her brother and he touched a lot of lives in a positive way.
 
Similarly, I have a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation (that's a "uni degree" to you Aussies). However I never had much luck finding a full-time job in the field; paid positions are often seasonal only, and low-paying with zero benefits. There are very few full time job openings, and although many people do have recreation-oriented jobs it can extremely difficult to land one. Government agencies have been experiencing budget cuts and hiring freezes for decades, and people who manage to find a good job in the field seem to keep them for all eternity. The full-time jobs that do become available are normally filled from long waiting lists of part-time, seasonal, and volunteer workers already with the agencies.
Additionally, many outdoor jobs that would seem to be suited for Recreation majors actually require specialized non-recreation training, advanced degrees, and certifications. Most Park Rangers, for example, are actually law enforcement officers.

It wasn't a waste however, since I have utilized those outdoor skills and experiences in many other jobs and in my daily life. I have also had many jobs that required a college degree and they weren't particular about which one, and several more jobs where I was paid higher due to having a degree.
 
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thankfully here eco-tourism is pretty big, and since its a very suburban area, there is still demand for adventure type activities for kids and adults. It is a weird sort of mix. Most people don't do much outdoor activites, but most of the 4x4s around here do see a fair bit of beach time, and lots of people fish recreationaly. But at the end of the day, the "real" job I had wasn't making any money and was sucking, I might as well not make money at something I love.
 
Become a doctor buy land and do this on the side, you will be glad you did. Without owning land the outdoors isn't as much fun, you can't cut wood, run tractors or go shooting or build shelters etc.
 
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