Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 44 of total 44 in this topic |
skrer
Boulder climber
Minneapolis, MN
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 13, 2017 - 09:50am PT
|
Current college student, realizing how good it was in high school.
Life comprised:
sit in the pen for 8 hours a day;
crag;
work (15 hr/wk);
sleep;
repeat.
Now there's studying involved, no fun in that.
With current knowledge, what would you do in retrospect to create the best work/climbing balance and overall sustainable lifestyle.
Starting at age 18/frosh year of college. Not expecting a OSFA-answer, but fishing for ideas.
edit: currently in school for engineering, because it is something I genuinely enjoy.
I haven't had any big wall or true mountaineering experience to this point, those are pursuits I would want the opportunity for.
Sport and bouldering are plenty enjoyable week in and out; I don't see that changing.
|
|
looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 10:24am PT
|
Find a woman who wants a career but also wants kids and volunteer to be stay at home dad.
He's now nearly 3 and his harness will fit by the summer.
|
|
StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 10:27am PT
|
Fireman
|
|
A-Train
climber
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 10:29am PT
|
DMT has it nailed.
Live near climbing. Hang out with climbers. Otherwise you won't ever climb.
On top of that, finish college but put off a real job as long as possible.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 10:54am PT
|
Oxymoron.
edit: be a trustfunder. seriously, something in the medical field (i.e., nurse, technician) will open quite a few options.
|
|
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 11:14am PT
|
Here is my advice (late-40s professional- active climber, or active relative to being a professional with kids and all that):
Get whatever you want to get done expedition wise before you settle into a career and have kids. After that, it's basically not happening until you retire. I know some people swing it but most of us don't fire off to Patagonia for two months with kids and a job at home.
Emergency services professions offer people a lot of time to climb, and works even after kids because you can climb when you have off days on school days. I've had so many partners that are ER doctors, nurses, and firefighters. Other out in the field type professions seem to work too, geologists for example.
Probably the most important, live near climbing in a community in which climbing is a thing. Not "good climbing about four hours away" (i'm looking at you, coastal California), but within 30 minutes. You can climb after work during summer or slip away for a few hours on a weekend. Once every climbing session involves a road trip and spending a night a way it's over once you have a family. Having a local scene is important too for partners and psyche.
Finally, keep climbing! Even when it's three grades below what you did in your prime keep going when you can. I had a lot of barely there super occasional weekend type of years but now that at least some career building and child raising has eased it doesn't feel like starting all over again now that I have more time and access to climbing. Do not under any circumstances get fat.
Just my two cents as an informal observer!
Edit: not having kids would change the above analysis. No kids means no reason to ever not crush!
|
|
jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 11:47am PT
|
Doesn't sound like you've got a burning desire to enter a demanding profession. Scientist? engineer? doctor? lawyer?, etc.
Just finish college. Somewhere along the way you'll find an opportunity. I recommend a decent job primarily, one that allows you to climb. You are pretty young to make a decision whether climbing or steady work comes first.
|
|
Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 12:31pm PT
|
Become a teacher and take advantage of the summers off.
|
|
fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 12:39pm PT
|
...There is life outside climbing. Don't neglect your education...
Truth there. And without an education and $$$$ to support your travels, you won't get around the globe.
If you view a future marriage as an end or curbing of any of your hobbies, then you're marrying the wrong girl. Kids on the other hand will absolutely change your life but in a good way remembering what Moose said above.
What about computer/tech stuff? The hours can be long but very flexible and there's endless opportunity for the foreseeable future. As a bonus 95% of the people I work with have degrees in non-computer related stuff and a few with no degrees at all. I'd recommend getting a 4 year degree in something though, just don't get in deep debt doing it.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 03:21pm PT
|
Drop some money into an Index fund, e.g. on Fidelity.com. Forget about until you're ready to start dumping money in as a professional. Sounds weird, but you won't regret it.
I did school for as long as I could knowing I was young and wanted to climb now, and that I would have to eat the student loans on it later paying it down. It worked out. But not everyone wants to go that route.
Picking a career that gives you time and money to climb... IT Security professional is a good bet. In an increasingly interconnected world being able to defend and protect infrastructure will get you solid coin and ability to contract for the number of vacation days you want.
Tech gets old if you're not into it, but being a dev or engineer can be rewarding. Start ups are busy. Keep that in mind.
Teachers have time off in the summers, but don't make a lot. Keep in mind that their retirement programs are always being looked at too.
Work in Europe. Lots of holidays and a month of vacation for many industries.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 03:57pm PT
|
Tech gets old if you're not into it, but being a dev or engineer can be rewarding
Most IT techs I know are frusturated by keeping up with the changes. Worked as a mechanical engineer for over 30 years and found it rewarding. Doing something tangible. But the options for finding a place to work are limited. Electrical and civil/structural engineers have more options. Still think the medical field holds the most options if you can deal with sick people. Every town/city in the US needs trained medical people, but there are others here that are more knowlegable than I.
edit: definitely get a degree. after that you can do what you want and have a pedigree. Finance is another option; you can throw a resume pretty much anywhere.
2nd edit: once you graduate and get in the real working world, you will find it an entirely different landscape.
|
|
seano
Mountain climber
none
|
|
|
Nov 13, 2017 - 04:19pm PT
|
Stay in school; if you enjoy engineering, stick with it. Don't have kids. Find a line of work you don't hate, and which is hard to automate. Lots of jobs that exist today will almost completely disappear within your lifetime.
What kind of climbing do you want to do? Do you want big chunks of time off for road trips, or are you fine with evenings and weekends? Do you want to be able to afford expeditions, or are you fine climbing in places to which you can drive?
Really, though, as long as you aren't in debt (e.g. house, car, student loans), you have plenty of time to figure it out.
|
|
steve s
Trad climber
eldo
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 05:26am PT
|
Stick with engineering, you could be driving a Porsche 911 turbo s to work. If that fails .....marry into the money.
Or become a race car driver.
|
|
Bushman
climber
The state of quantum flux
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 05:48am PT
|
Just climb while you can...
|
|
justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 06:15am PT
|
Budget a vasectomy. LOL Mike... that was the first thing random thing that popped in my mind
Doesn't matter what you do.. finish school and move somewhere where you have a climbing area - any climbing/boudering area within 30 minutes of your house.
PS: Did we mention...?
Don't have kids.
|
|
John Mac
Trad climber
Breckenridge, CO
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 06:46am PT
|
The guiding route (IFMGA) is a good gig when you are young and single but eventually it gets old. Here in the states it is challenging but in other countries it is a well respected profession.
Between heliskiing in Canada and NZ, as well as work in Antarctic and some private guiding in Europe you can do very well. Film location work was very easy and beneficial as well. I could easily work 6 months a year and spend the rest travelling and climbing. I ended up working more because I was having so much fun. Having a NZ mother and an Irish father really helped with the EU thing.
By 37 I realized that I wanted to spend more time with my wife and we both came to the realization that we had to stop living our parallel lives. I went back to school and did a finished a computer science degree I started many years previously (left after 6 months) and since then have been working in IT. I'm a contractor specializing in communication/collaboration and get to work when I want and have plenty of time off. We live in Summit County in Colorado. My wife is an RN and works 3 days a week in OR at the local hospital.
The thing about IT is that you have to really enjoy technology as it can be a very frustrating and difficult job. Nothing works as it is supposed too and the phone always rings late at night with some sort of emergency. You also have to keep up to date and that is challenging and takes time and money.
So get the degree and get some work experience and then have many happy years of recreating in the outdoors.
|
|
Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 07:07am PT
|
I went the teacher route but considered getting into guiding when I was young. I decided that I didn't want to turn my passion into a job, but folks are different. I mostly enjoyed my years teaching, and there was the occasional satisfaction in knowing I was doing some good. Like all jobs, however, it had its share of frustrations. Ugh.
BAd
|
|
Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 07:30am PT
|
Today's education is overrated.
Especially by the uneducated.
|
|
Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 07:43am PT
|
Get a night job. You can climb every day that way.
You want to climb every day, right?
Or you can work when it's light outside and do your climbing after dark. Whichever you think is easier.
|
|
AP
Trad climber
Calgary
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 08:16am PT
|
If you like engineering stick with it.
Location is key.
You've got it made if you can find a job near a climbing area you like.
|
|
Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 09:55am PT
|
Jody's post brings to mind the (paraphrased) joke:
"Don't finish school, become world famous and make a good living. If you find that you don't become world famous and don't make a good living, don't not finish school."
Maybe I should introduce you to base rate probabilities.
Skrer, I don't have any advice about how to build a life around climbing--I just walked away and started a non-climbing life at age 30, in 1980. By 1982 I had a graduate degree, a new baby, a suit, a non-beater car and a mortgage, and paid cancellation fees on flights and restocking fees on equipment purchased to climb the Mooses' Tooth. However, I pretty much agree with all of the comments above, but I would note that Supertopo is a self-selected subset of climbers (albeit stellar, successful and articulate). If you can, I think you should counter balance these views with views from folks who don't post on ST.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 10:30am PT
|
Jody, nice exceptions that prove the rule that most people need the structure and imposed discipline of a formal education, not to mention the associated contacts. Yes, my plumber makes bank (without getting his hands dirty) but not compared to my nephew’s childhood mate who retired at 28 after writing some yugely successful software.
The climbing world is also replete with professionals and academics who are standouts in their work and climbing. John Gill, Tom Cochrane, George Lowe, and our esteemed Crimpergirl come to mind.
If you think you have to climb a lot to be good then maybe yer not very good and likely to stay that way.
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 12:23pm PT
|
I am mid-40s, divorced after a decade plus of marriage, remarried and very happy with that person after 9 years, raising two teenage kids, and I've had phases of my career that are very demanding and successful and phases that are laid back. Climbing has not been as big a chunk of my life as I would like so far, but I'm on track to have that grow a lot.
My input:
1. The person you choose to spend your life with is the single most important thing that affects the quality of life in all aspects: it affects your hobbies, your career choices and trajectory, your friends, your state of mind in relation to those things, your attitude toward yourself, what sort of life you will have at the point you have kids if you choose that path, your daily living environment, etc.
2. If I had to choose between "a wife who climbs" and "a wife who is emotionally mature, is compatible with how I am tuned to give and receive love, and is a good fit for the other aspects of my life" I would choose the latter. But I would seek both (and I am lucky that I have found it!)
3. In order to do a good job of #1 (and not just gamble and hope to get lucky), you have to have experience of yourself in a serious relationship, to know yourself and someone else intimately, to know how you expect to give and receive love (which will evolve and perhaps become more sophisticated as you gain maturity), to know where your limits are in a relationship- what are your walk away issues, to have the wisdom to see a bigger picture and not be petty with little stuff so you can keep on appreciating the good you have without letting resentments build up).... I think all of those things need to be lived (and probably failed at a few times while you reflect on it) before you can really grasp it. Reading a book or heeding advice is just a starting point. Also, be wary of the rebound, where you feel wise after learning mistakes in a first relationship and then go with an opposite person where a whole new set of challenges appear. So the key point is- go ahead and live life, be in committed relationships, but be wary of signing on for life or having children before you understand what that entails. And protect against having unplanned children- you don't have the perspective to understand how big the cost can be for some momentary pleasure. Kids are intrinsically magical and wonderful joys, and it is such a beautiful phase of life to enjoy in the right circumstances, but it can lead to serious heartache when in the wrong circumstances. And be open about your thoughts and hopes and fears and feelings, which might expose you to more pain but also more joy and more likelihood of finding a great match for you.
==> Starting as you are by building a "climbing lifestyle" is a great way to begin finding a compatible life partner. You will be searching among people who already like to spend their time doing what you enjoy, living in the place you want to live, etc., and then you won't have to choose between "doing what you love" and "being with whom you love". All that other stuff I talked about matters more in the long run though. Also be wary that anyone you meet in college might be pushed to relocate elsewhere to honor their career aspirations. So take that into account again before making lifeong commitments.
4. Career: find something you enjoy doing, and that many people consider valuable and are willing to pay you to do! You say you enjoy engineering- a fine choice. Cultivate your passion for it, which will help your motivation to put in the effort to keep yourself employable and earning a decent income. This is part of the equation of living a lifestyle that lets you keep playing throughout your life while also tasting material pleasures, having a family, medical insurance in USA, etc.
5. Everything people already said about living near climbing and hanging out with climber people... it boils down to building your safety net and environment that reinforces the identity and lifestyle you want for yourself.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 04:08pm PT
|
1. The person you choose to spend your life with is the single most important thing that affects the quality of life in all aspects: it affects your hobbies, your career choices and trajectory, your friends, your state of mind in relation to those things, your attitude toward yourself, what sort of life you will have at the point you have kids if you choose that path, your daily living environment, etc.
Excellent point. Spent 14 years with the wrong person. Biggest waste of time, emotion and money ever. Should have broken it off much earlier, but blind love got in the way.
|
|
AP
Trad climber
Calgary
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 04:19pm PT
|
Henry Kendall managed to do a lot of great climbing and also won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
My friend Sean has a PHD in Astrophysics, is the director of a radio astronomy observatory
and used to be one of the best all round climbers in Canada. Also managed to lead a 5.13 after his 50th birthday but was more proud of onsighting 12c. He lives near Skaha and would frequently climb in the morning and show up to work around 10 or 11 AM. So you can get in a ton of great climbing and still have a good career.
Another friend has made a great career as a professor. He was the first person to get a PHD in computer animation then spent 28 days hanging off the side of Cerro Torre and never finished their new route, They ran out of food. Many of Blob's past graduate students were climbers. He has done tons of climbing.
The academic and research life has lots of advantages but is hard to break into. All of these guys are really smart.
|
|
Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 04:42pm PT
|
Hey, try contracting! In the Northern hemisphere you'll rotate counterclockwise as you travel down to the inevitability of being a Walmart Greeter.
No, seriously...do things well, consider those around you, don't complain, be a team player, lead by example- the rest will take care of itself.
|
|
Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 05:04pm PT
|
One climber I met was an engineer. I think he was paid to evaluate/certify building plans, something like that. He had a sweet deal: So long as he could get a signal, he could download plans, evaluate, certify or not, send back with notes, whatever. That was his job. Completely portable and flexible. When I met him, he was hanging out in the back of his truck with a laptop open and working. His wife was a contract nurse: Three months on, three months off. There was ALWAYS more work. He could spend a few hours working in the truck or at a cafe, whatever, then hit the crags. Pretty schweet.
BAd
|
|
TWP
Trad climber
Mancos, CO & Bend, OR
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 05:16pm PT
|
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."
John Lennon
"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
Adopted from a poem by Robert Burns
|
|
nah000
climber
now/here
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 09:14pm PT
|
here’s two, maybe even three, bits based in what i wish someone might have told me 20 years ago [along with the unlikely wish that i’d actually been able to listen to them - ha!]:
you’re going to make mistakes along the road to wherever you think you are trying to head.
sometimes the mistake can even be where you think you should head.
ie. don’t get too caught up in the big picture shIt. stay aware of it and move towards it while staying open to the possibility that you may be headed in 180 degrees the wrong direction at times.
focus on following your heart as it evolves and the big picture trajectory will tend towards taking care of itself.
ie. the external details of the decisions you make are only equally as important as your listening to your own internal intuitions.
be curious and enjoy the ride you’re interested in experiencing and wherever you end up will have been worthwhile...
all the best.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2017 - 09:29pm PT
|
focus on following your heart as it evolves and the big picture trajectory will tend towards taking care of itself.
That hackneyed sentiment was more viable in days past. These days it
should be qualified with the addendum: if you think you'll like living
in a single-wide in E Bumphuk when yer 70. It's getting more dog eat dog
out there and those that think the gubmint will provide for them in their
dotage are delusional.
|
|
duncan
climber
London, UK
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 03:01am PT
|
NutAgain! summary resonates with me.
To expand on point 4: I don't think there are 'right' or 'wrong' careers for climbers. The main thing is to be good at what you do and committed to your job when you're working. You will get a lot more slack (possibly not the best metaphor in this context!) and opportunities for working flexibly. Doing a good job well can be very fulfilling and is probably of some benefit to the greater good as well.
|
|
Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 04:07am PT
|
What is your current definition of "decent" as it pertains to life?
|
|
Byran
climber
Half Dome Village
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 04:36am PT
|
With current knowledge, what would you do in retrospect to create the best work/climbing balance and overall sustainable lifestyle.
When I was 18 I was basically in the same position as you: freshman in college, just started climbing and loved it, didn't know what to do for a career. If I could do it over, I would immediately drop out and get a job in Yosemite. Instead I finished school, got a degree I'll never use, and then got a job in Yosemite. I don't recommend going to college unless you're really ready to commit to a particular career. But everyone is different and it's hard to know what your future self is going to want out of life.
I'm 30 now BTW, and I think a lot of the other members on here are a lot older than that. I find that older folks tend to have a much stronger opinion about the universal importance of college compared to our generation. Make of that what you will.
|
|
Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 09:04am PT
|
There's as much good advice in this thread as you'll get from any self help book, the elder skewed demographic on the Taco has seen a lot of water under the bridge and followed many paths. I pretty much agree with most of it, but disagree with Jody's assertion that any education that isn't vocational in nature is a waste of time. Developing critical thinking skills, learning to research, broadening your experience through literature, and internalizing the notion that you can learn to do anything are valuable results of a liberal arts education that will enrich your life, regardless of what you do for a living. Don't sneer at the value of an intellectual inner life, if nothing else it makes you a more interesting person.
|
|
red'sea
Trad climber
lexington
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 09:47am PT
|
oh. you've the mentality.
that is systemic.
you are a thoroughbred dirtbag.
so, regardless of the environmental vehicle that surrounds you (job or living your vehicle; a million bucks or fifty cents,)
you probably will never stray from destitute.
you can manage your lifestyle.
go ahead and try.
everything will come undone
during its remodel.
so chaos and structure will fornicate
in your heart.
will be borne: your life.
work and money lubricate the pitch.
like sweat and blood.
keep your focus, use your feet.
stand up.
the next hold might be a beautiful person's heart.
so you grab it; make children.
everyone thinks children impede your stride.
not true.
they resound your genetics.
they smile back at you.
they challenge you.
but you are you. and from what i read,
you are stout, stubborn, and committed upon folly.
the children, if you 'accidentally' make them, adorn
your journey.
believe me.
for i have drug myself through this existence, uphill all
the way; and i've nothing but good things to say.
|
|
JeromeG
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 09:56am PT
|
Here's another way worth thinking about:
At some point while you're young go out and do the big expedition(s)/year(s) long trip or whatever. You'll remember it forever.
Get a good job making as much money as you can in whatever field you love. Time really does go by quickly and it's a hell of a thing to have a good job and a house, as boring as that might sound.
If you think you'll ever want children, have them while you're in your twenties or early thirties. If you wait until your late thirties you'll find them a lot more tiring and - Nature being unkind - women over the age of about 30-35 statistically have greater issues with pregnancy and their children are more likely to have birth defects. Probably gonna get flamed for that but it's just true.
Do whatever you do as well as you can do it. Chances are that few of us are going to make it big as climbers but we individually get as much out of doing our favorite routes as any professional. Climb for yourself but remember that you will get old and will need a roof and food. You'll probably wake up one morning to the news that you're going to be a parent. Try to make it all work!
If the 40 year-old me told all of this to the 20 year-old me that guy would've laughed it off. Still.
|
|
Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 10:00am PT
|
Become a nurse or a fireman.
|
|
red'sea
Trad climber
lexington
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 10:17am PT
|
do this.
go down to the local thrift store.
buy the cheapest working radio
you can find. make sure that it
is off brand. like, Lennox, or something.
it's ok if it has a broken antenna. just don't cut
yourself on its severed edge (extremely high unit-pressure: thats pounds per square inch)
now plug it. on a cloudy and / or rainy day.
spin the knob until you find some classical music.
all college towns have a public radio station.
once the reception is optimized. stand back and contemplate.
mentally entertain big thoughts; specifically in regards to
your career. and life paths. etc.
you will notice that you create sonic disturbance with each thought.
the cheap radio will go in and out of tune as you
churn mind-butter.
the thoughts and plans and ideas that send beethove into irrefutible wavelengths, avoid.
the others; the warrior thoughts. the ones that harmonize with ludwig,
employ. they will deliver you where you ought to be.
|
|
JimT
climber
Munich
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 10:53am PT
|
I´m an engineer and make climbing equipment, even my climbing trips are a tax write off:-)
|
|
Floorabove
climber
The Gunks y'all
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 10:53am PT
|
StahlBro and Batrock nail it!
Fireman = nice balance of time vs money.
3 days to climb, go to Firehouse to rest on the fourth day.
|
|
Friend
climber
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 10:56am PT
|
Talk (face to face) with people older than yourself and try to understand the choices they made that got them where they are today. And where they might be 10 or 20 years from now.
Take a course or two in personal finance. Get a handle on the time value of money and the opportunity cost of some of these decisions against each other over the long haul.
|
|
Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 11:04am PT
|
Life's a carnival, with all that a side show brings
The oppertunity
that flashes and passes out a sight
so fast that grabbing throws one off the climbing mark
there is always time to be a Yo-Yo. but the string is stronger & longer while you are young
and there is the thing
that no one gets out alive,
thwart the reeper
but
the sting of lonely survival can be crushing
Not in a good way,
the needs of a companion can not be met by feline or K-9
Your swell will eb
then a soft place is as nice as a hard bed,
Ive never slept on more'n just aplank
Any way
anyway you go it is not alone you want to be in the end so?
So Work save ducats, for the buckets of rain that is sure to fall
as Always
WAS . . . was
Nice To Read
Red'sea Is WAS and I think the weedge !?
when was the deeds to do
still chewin' that white bread too
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 11:26am PT
|
Edit: Good for you Sewelly! I ended up super-lucky in my career because I locked eyes with a guy at a job fair. I was waiting to hear back from a job application fighting off mosquitos and netting birds for summers in Alaska (after doing it for a winter in Hawaii), and then I ended up in silicon valley building computer networks. I had some vaguely relevant background, but overall I was lucky with right place /right time in the Internet gold rush. If I took the same college path today that I did back then, I would never be able to own a home in California, especially in a good school district.
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
|
|
|
Nov 15, 2017 - 11:54am PT
|
It depends on what you think is "decent."
My life looked like this from about 1987 - 2007:
No kids. Although considering my reckless behavior, I'm probably shooting blanks anyway ;-)
A job I liked. But came with easy hours, good pay, generous time off and professional rewards. I had about the only job in music production which fits that description.
Live frugally. I always rented for the least money for a good place. Never got tied down with a house. First new car in 2009.
Live near a popular bouldering area. Stoney point was a two afternoon a week scene for me all summer. Good training, found strong climbing relationships. This also gave me the ability to go out on weekends and be productive, never feeling "off the couch." Two days climbing, rest Monday, boulder hard Tues, do extra work on Wed, boulder Thurs, pack Fri, repeat.
The hardest part in the puzzle is the job. When I went to college I was planning a career playing classical trumpet. I did so for about ten years, but when I got hooked on climbing it became clear to me that it was one or the other. I went climbing. No one I knew at the time really understood.
So I followed my heart. But, not having a trust fund, with some caution.
College good or bad? My plumber is a millionaire. The barista down the road at Starbucks has a masters in social sciences and $30k debt.
|
|
| Messages 1 - 44 of total 44 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!