[pct-l] What do you guys do for money?

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

You can do an overnighter every weekend if you live close enough to  
trails. There are trails within a few minutes drive in Santa Barbara  
so I can do an overnighter any weekend that I choose. In other words,  
place matters almost more than job.

Then there are the long weekends you can make out of holidays and  
your paid time off.

Then there are career choices. Teachers get a lot of time off. People  
who work for themselves sometimes can take time off whenever they  
want. Not always.

Then there are the choices anybody can make with what to do with your  
money. You can choose to spend it on mortgages and various payments.  
Or you can shop at thrift stores, drive an old beater, eat a lot of  
lentils and never carry a balance for anything.

I'm just a code monkey which means when I'm gainfully employed I'm  
working the 8-5 grind like everybody else. But I quit my job to do my  
big hikes. I just got another full-time job again so I'm back to  
carving out time from paid time off and doing weekend overnighters.

Diane

On May 18, 2011, at 4:54 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

>
> This question is for thru-hikers and those that go on overnight hikes
> multiple times throughout the month. What do you do for a living? I am
> considering making a career change that would allow me plenty of  
> time to do
> what you do either for pleasure or professionally. So far I have  
> considered
> mountain guide and forester. Forester sounds good to me because I'll
> constantly be outdoors, it is stable work with health benefits though
> education costs are significant, mountain guide is my dream job but am
> concerned that I won't be able to support a family with the income.  
> I've
> also head nurse because by setting your own hours, you can work  
> your butt
> off for an extended time and end up with a couple weeks off in a  
> row to roam
> free :) What do you guys think, what are some of your professions?