[pct-l] Jobs after the Trail
Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes
diane at santabarbarahikes.com
Fri Mar 1 19:17:05 CST 2013
My IP address seems to be on the spam list so let's see what happens
here after changing some email settings...
My experience was thus: I quit a good high paying job to go hike the
trail. I hiked the trail two summers in a row, two halves. In between
hikes I found a company that would offered repeated seasonal work, so
I could say that I was continuously employed. When I sent out resumes
and cover letters and filled out applications, there was nothing to
indicate I had frolicked through meadows of wildflowers for two
summers. When it came time to go to interviews, I decided I would not
volunteer any information about hiking unless it seemed like the
answer would be helpful.
I do not remember exactly what I was asked, but ended up talking
about my hikes in two interviews and got both jobs. The question was
probably why did I leave Company X (because it's such a high-profile
great local company). I told them that I decided I wanted to travel.
That's the reason I told Company X I was quitting anyway and it was
true. When asked about the details, I decided to tell them about my
hikes. I decided that if they didn't think what I did was a sign of
determination, strength and the ability to achieve whatever I set my
mind to, I wouldn't want to work there anyway. People were very
interested. I got both jobs.
I had already proven to myself that I could live on very little
money, that there was more to life than getting a job and that I
could make what money I had last for a long time with seasonal jobs.
Basically, I was cool and comfortable, not desperate. I had nothing
to lose and they had everything to gain.
On Mar 1, 2013, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 26, 2013 at 11:32 PM, Abilene B.
> <abilenebushong at hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>>
>> This might sound like an odd question but my friends and family keep
>> telling me how thru-hiking the PCT will make me a more desirable
>> employee
>> when I return. They explain that it will look good on my resume
>> and give me
>> one up on my competition. My career is in parks and recreation, so
>> it seems
>> obvious I guess that it might - but does anyone know how? Has anyone
>> experienced this happening to them after returning and getting a job?
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