While at work the other day I was thinking "is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?". So I thought to my self, "I wonder what the guys on trad gang do, and how much do they enjoy there jobs....". So what type of careers do you guys have? Are they Interesting and enjoyable?
I figured I would start....
Started as a welder building aluminum t-tops for boats then moved to structural welding/fab, the moved on to pipefitter/ welder. Got my inspectors license (CWI). Now for the past 3-4 years been drawing mechanical (HVAC/Piping systems) In 3d Autocad. All in 12 years started just out of highschool and am now 30.... Time flies, at times it's enjoyable but lots of ups and downs. Wish it provided more flexibility to enjoy life and extra curricular activities.... Seems like we all trade most of our time for the green stuff and not enough time enjoying the most precious gift of all "Life"
So how about my fellow trad hangers? How do you guys juggle work and pleasure?
I have been drawn to the outdoors and exspecialy hunting since I was old enough to walk. My Dad was a big hunter and fisherman and that was all I could ever think of. It caused problems in grade school teachers would call home saying I wasnt foucused on school and I was looking out the window day dreaming. I rember taking old Herters and Cabelas catalogs to school and dream about the gear I wanted. This was not your normal 6 year old. I tried normal jobs I just had the same problem i even left jobs when they did not work around the hunting season for me. I had a freind back in Oxford Wis named Bryan Anderson he was about 13 years older than me. He is a great hunter and loves bowhunting. He said to me once they can never take your memories from you and in the end that is all that matters. I live by that it may have cost me a lot of money made but thats the price you pay. I am fortunate enough to be good with my hands got that from my Moms side the artistic mind. I can pick up on stuff fairly quickly. I have beeen doing taxidermy for 22 years, shoeing horses for 14 yeas, and saddle building and leather work for 7 years all on a professional level. I am not getting rich but I am happy and I always have work. I built my own house and I live in the west where they cant fence me in. Just wish my Dad could understand. Sounds like you and I need to get together to design a better bow quiver I am not satisfied with whats out there but I need some help with the fabrication part. Give me a shout maybe you should start building archery products!
Scott
Nice thread mate I'll go next. Started my life out as a paratrooper in the Australian army when I was 17 I enjoyed my time in the forces jumping out of planes and blowing things up was great fun but not much time to yourself with all the training and operations overseas. So I left after 6 years and managed a steel fab business and hated it, just wasn't stimulated at work enough so I joined the Ambulance service and now am a paramedic in Sydney and love it. I get plenty of time off as I work 2days 2nights then 5days off to do what I please it's great for my love for the outdoors and hunting.
I couldn't see myself doing anything else. it has it's good and bad days like any other job but it puts food on the table and has a great work and leasure ratio for me. It has takin me a long time to realize that the rest of the world isn't like the army LOL and to adapt to civi life, but I have finally got there and now love the fact that I can plan my own life at my pace. Plus it's great for the new baby boy on the way for me to have alot of time at home to teach him all the good things in life.
Not sure how that happened? cleared it though - geesh
Hunting and fishing has kept me out of trouble my entire life. My parents were strict and didn't allow me to go out with friends, but I could hunt, trap and fish.
I knew from the time I was 8 or so years old that I wanted to be wildlife biologist. I trapped and commercial fished to pay my way through college.
I began my career trapping deer and ruffed grouse for restoration projects in KY. I now work with private landowners to improve wildlife habitat.
I was fortunate enough to be part of the elk restoration here as well, I assisted with the capture and release of the first free roaming wild elk in KY since 1850, the herd now is over 10,000.
Although I can't afford to travel to exotic places and hunt, I never dread going to work. I also do free lance writing and photography. http://joelacefield.com
I too had a early love of the outdoors and all thats that shot being gun or bow. i use to get in trouble all the time in school for daydreaming and reading any and all huntng,bow and gun magizines i could get my hands on. i lived with my single mother in the city but during the summer and any other time I could get away i was at my grandparents in the woods. My grandpa taught me how to hunt,fish,drive and many other important things in life. I got my first real bow when I was 10 (compound) but within a few months i had a damon hunter as well.
the couple that ran the local archery shop told me as soon as I was old enough and could drive I could work for them and I sure did. I learned the trade all through high school, started shooting 3d etc with both wheels and sticks. The last semester of my senior year the shop closed and I moved out of my moms house to my grandparents. I had originally planned on joining the marines but when I got up there and got to living in the woods full time my plans changed.
My cousin who was like my brother was going to forestry school and I followed in his footsteps as a timber buyer, then I got into prescribed burning and tree planting and struck out on my own, during that time I also opened my own bow shop and thats where I am at to day!! I love working in the woods and coming home to piddle with archery on a daily basis! Lately due to the drought archery and the internet is all I do. gotta love it.
sorry so long
SF
It's ironic you should post this thread JSMO, I'm putting thought into the same thing. I've been in the police world for 22 yrs and, depending on my options, will be done in 5-10 yrs. I'm going to school now to get a degree in Biology, and we'll see what's available when the time gets closer.
But, like you, every time I see someone employed in a Conservation type job I pay attention to what it is.
As for my level of happiness, that's a tough call. There are times when I ask for permission to hunt land and the owner is ecstatic to have a police officer watching his property, and the SWAT stuff is a ball of fun. But at times like now (3rd shift, trashy part of town) I look at the job as only a baby-sitter for the welfare trash of society. Very, very little time is actually spent helping an average person with a problem. In short, very likely I'd leave it tomorrow if I could figure out a way to take my retirement!
I have been military/law enforcement/special ops/swat/narcotics all my adult life. Funny, i always wanted to be "forest ranger" and outdoor writer. I have spent the last 6 years chasing bag guys in the Middle East, currently in Iraq. It was 118 degrees today with 30 mph winds. Sounds like a "secret agent" right? No, most of the time i dont get a shower once every three days and every major case is gutted by some "suit" sitting on his butt back in DC. I have been doing this so long that i envy most tradgangers because they appear to have a "normal" life. LOL, sorry, bad day today, I do do have a recurve with me over here.
Well, I started life as a music major. I was a pretty good one as I was afforder scholarships and advanced placement at a number of major music schools across the US comming out of my senior year in HS.
Truth is I spent huge amounts of time with my Dad hunting and an outside environment.
So, first year at college I get sick and have to change majors for medical reasons. I chose to go back to bio science. Thats about 180 deg from the fine arts area but I was good at that too.
Spent some time converting courses and building a new career path. Did Forestry, wildlife and Ag Ed. I sort of turned my avocation (hunting and shooting) into my occupation. I now have two college degree programs that are the only two of their kind in the US and my graduates find employment at between 88-94% and that aint bad.
Four years ago we started a collegiate shotgun team and as of April 2011 we are the Division I National Champs....
I am livin large in Southernmost Illinois....
Wow, Scott pretty much summed up my life history....lol. I have to say, I love what I do for a living. I am a full time taxidermist, and I own my own studio. And I am also a guide for bear, whitetail, and waterfowl. If I want time off, I take it. If I want to go hunting, I go. Only person I have to answer to is my wife. It only takes me 20 min to get to one of my whitetail stands, and 2 min to get to my waterfowling spots. Im not going to get rich at what I do, but I am happy, and I get to spend all kinds of time with my girls. Last night I was in the middle of mounting a bear, and I thought to myself, this would be a good time to take a break and go shoot at some 3-D targets in the back. So I strung up my longbow and shot for 40 min, then went back to work. Today i'm mounting a 3/4 mount black bear, then after that, I will see what the rest of the week brings me. Oh yeh, Jeanpaul3006's pedistal moose mount !!!
QuoteOriginally posted by Bobby Urban:
Mike - it was a crutiate ligament tear. I have a ton of great information on the surgery and my best friend is one of the best surgeons in the world - literally. If you Google his name there are pages of his accomplishments. If you are anywhere near Rochester NY I will suggest/recommend his clinic performing the surgery. I am in Michigan so I took him to the MSU vet hostpital where Steve(my friend used to teach) I think he was more worried than me and he was speaking with the surgeon, anesthesiologist and critical care manager of the hospital the whole way through. Surgery went great and recovery is in process. If you want some information that we as non-doctors can understand PM me your email and I will forward you the link my friend Steve sent me.
Best of luck with your dog and keep in touch. It is tough to see your buddy in pain.
Bob Urban
? :confused:
i started out as a carpenter working for my dad,not a big company,just the two of us.but every friday we took off early and went fishing,always enjoyed it.worked on a gamefarm for awhile,loved that too.but ten years ago i started working for a window cleaning company and made much better money doin that and better hours.five years ago i started my own window cleaning company and love it.i take off when i want,make my own hours.it pays the bills,although not much ever makes it to the bank.but bottom line,i get to spend more time with my three yr old boy and five year old girl and my wife than than most guys i know.and they can go to work with me whenever they want,which they do fairly often.during the late fall and winter,i spend alot of time trapping,and my family enjoys checking my line with me,plus they now each have a bow and arrows so we shoot together.im 34 now,i could work more hours and have more money but id rather make memories with my kids now,and hope to be as great a dad as mine was.
Pipefitter,got into fabrication at 18 and will be 55 on July 15
Went in to usmc at 17 did 2 year and been a high voltage linemen for the past 21 yr and love my job and thank God for it daily , have been bowhunting from the age of 8 kill my frist deer 6 day before I turn 9 with a old bear and a dead head havent look back . God bless
I went to college for Fish and Wildlife, hoping to get a job in the outdoors up here in Ontario. The jobs just weren't there (permanent ones, at least), which spelled trouble as I had a family to look after. So I took a Geographic Information Systems course at my college to try and get into a field with more work. I actually enjoy the work most of the time; it's often challenging, but sometimes tedious. I'm better at it than I was at field work, for sure, and the working hours mean I have weekends free to spend with my family...and maybe fit in a little archery ;) .
Detention Officer, and Prostaffer for a National gun Manufacturer, and going to school for a Criminal Justice degree.
I envy Scott a lot, Ive always wanted to be a taxidermist.
I started college in 1971. I majored in Physical Education with the intent to go into coaching. After 2 years I decided college wasn't really for me and married my highschool sweetheart. By the way we just had our 38th wedding anniverasy on June 15th. I worked about3 years at a machine shop learning the trade. Then a hunting and fishing buddy of mine who was a firefighter told me about an opening on the Fire Department. The thought of working 24 on and 48 off was very appealing to me. The pay wasn't great but had great benefits. I had been married a couple of years at the time and no kids yet so I applied and got the job. I did more hunting and fishing than the law should allow. I worked my way up through the ranks and became Chief in 1997. I retired January 7, 2011 after a 36 year career. Since then I purchased an accellerant detecting K-9 and started my own business investigating fires. So far it is working out pretty good. A little extra income and still plenty of time to do what I have loved all my life, hunt and fish.
17 years as a police officer, current swat operator on the entry team using all kinds of high tech stuff...Nice on my off days to be able to get back to the simpler things like my longbow and recurve. Wish I had the patience and imagination to do the taxidermy thing too....Scott
Joined the Navy in 1973 stayed 22 years,weny to work at a repair facility for heavy aircraft,737,757,airbus worked there for 6 years,went overseas for a year,now I'm working on helicopters for the army been a good 6 years with them,it's fun and challenging work.My experience with traditional hunting as been a great diversion to the pressures of every day life.
Been out of work since December. I am a licenced Boiler Operator. Any one hiring?
I'm an Environmental Health and Safety guy for a small lithium ion battery manufacturer. Been doing about the same for 20+ years. I like the work but would rather be retired and living in a shack in the woods. I have 8 years left until my mortgage is paid off and my youngest graduates from high school. I can't see myself working full time after that.
Pretty neet stuff.... It's awesome how some people are able to work in a field they love and manage to keep it that way...
Sorry for the typos, my fancy phone I got for fathers day gets connected to the net better than the lap top at home. Gonna have to fix that.
Bolong- congrats on the 38th that's awsome. My wife and I knew eachother in highschool but didn't start dating till a few years later. We are going on our 9th. Still in the newly wed stage in comparison.....
Scott sounds like an amazing career to me. Kinda funny I'm in to the taxidermy thing too. Just don't get enough to practice on. I do a lot of euros but have yet to actually accomplish a skin mount. If I wouldn't have missed that monster In MO with my wheelie bow that would have been my first attempt. By the way, I was checking out your lattice weave Armgard the other day... Absolutely beautiful work.... Anyone who hasn't seen it should go take a look in the classifieds.... I was going to contact you on possibly getting one made... I'll send you a pm....
Still looking for that dream job..... Tough to figure it out....
Keep them coming this is great stuff
I have been too blessed to even talk about it.
Wildlife biologist for 30 years (Purdue 1977). Worked IN, KS, MO and ended up Wildlife Director in KY. Retired from that in 2007. Now Director of NASP.
God has answered my prayers so many times more than I deserve.
pipeline welder/pipefitter.22 years.Love my job.Probably another 10 years.Anyone want to hunt southern iowa/northern mo. contact me.I am off work the last week of Oct.-and the first 3 weeks Nov. on some monster whitetails.Contact me,Usually trade with someone.
Started out working in a machine shop right out of high school, decided I couldnt stand in one place for eight hours and went to college for criminal justice. Spent 3 years as a police officer and decided I wasnt making enough to baby sit every jerk on the planet, Left for New mexico and arizona for 4 months and spent every dime I had saved hiking and camping with a great uncle. Met a guy shooting eight ball one night and he offered me a job as an electrical helper, worked for him for couple months and returned home. Got into the Local electrical school and spent 5 more years going to school, now have a masters license and my own buisness also have a taxidermy studio after spending a boatload of money to study underneath a couple of the best Taxidermists in the country. I dont have the free time that I once did, but dont feel bad for me, went on 7 different hunting rips last last year including wolf, elk, mule deer, whitail,and week of walleye fishing in canada. Lifes a bitch.
Joined the Navy out of high school, then a couple jobs till I hooked up at the paper mill for 20 years. Got bought by a company from South Africa that treated us like crap so froze my pension,went back to college and got my teaching degree. Been an Elementary teacher for 9 years, and I retire June2014. Love teaching, love the kids, the politics and our Governor suck!
Graduated H.S. in 1970 then spent a year and a half in College but never figured out what I really wanted to do. Quit school and 6 months later I got drafted. Spent three years in the Army, got out and worked the line at General Motors. Knew right away I did'nt want to do that the rest of my life so I went back to school and became a Registered Nurse. Been an RN for 29 yrs. now and looking to retire next year. I work weekends only now so it leaves me plenty of time during the week to hunt and fish.
went to school for forestry but dropped out. :banghead: i now work for the railroad as a sheetmetal worker/pipefitter. i enjoy my work and the guys i work with, like a big brootherhood.
I have been a wildlife biologist for 10 years for the state of Indiana. I can't imagine doing anything else.
Right out of high school started out working in a restaurant making pizza and speggite. I worked there for about 3 years and went to work in a manufacturing plant, I was a certified aluminum welder and supervisor there I was there 13 years but I knew I didn't want to spend my entire life there.
I started taking PC classes at the local collage, I started working at a company that only had 3 pc's when I left 2.5 later they had well over 300 in 7 locations. I went to work for an IBM business partner and have not left. I have been there over 10 years. I love my job and hate it at the same time. I love it because it's doesn't stay the same and I hate it for the same reason. Keeping up with the latest technology gets old.
I design specialized furnaces and controls for growing single crystals...then use what I design to grow gemstones. Mostly rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds..that sort of thing.
Also do a bit of designing and growing technical crystals for different companies. Most of those end up in some sort of laser.
Hey Z that sounds cool. Do you have any school /field trip opportunities there?
I love what I do for a living. I am currently a Special Agent for Homeland Security Investigations. Working for the Feds is great retirement/medical benefits and it affords me plenty of time for the deer stand.
As a Federal Agent I will be forced to retire on my 57th Birthday. 11 years left...
I have worked at a multitude of different professions. From a crane operator in a copper company, AOL phone troubleshooter, Walmart Corp office building and configuring the computer systems for all new stores, and now working for the Federal Govt as a Prison Officer. I agree with Migra Bill about working for the feds.. great place. Only 9 more classes and I will have my degree for Computer Forensics and hoping to further my Fed career somewhere away from inmates!
Unlike most of the tradgang, I did not have any influences for hunting from relatives or friends growing up but a few years ago I jumped in head first and loving life. Now its about all I think about!
Grew up a hunter in a family of non-hunters. My first real job was at the local Sporting Goods store. That lead me to working for a major Sporting Goods Wholesaler and that lead me to becoming a Sales Rep in the Hunting/Fishing industry. I have had the opportunity to work for a variety of Archery and Firearms companies. I thought I would do that until I retired or died.
However, I had the opportunity to go to work for a local Tractor/Heavy Equp dealership near my house (About 1 mile) Which allows me to be home every night. That is a good thing with a wife and two young children.
I am a veterinarian been practicing for 12 years. The last 8 years I have been limited to equine reproduction, specifically embryo transfer. My schedule is very grueling but very awesome at the same time. I work 6 months straight all 180+ days without a day off but then I get 6 months off. My work is Feb. 1- Aug. 1 so by this time of year I am worn out but an insomniac as well. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, however and I know elk season is coming!
I don't love where I live but I have a good career and life and do feel fortunate for what I have.
This Fall is 36 years in the Forest Industry. Started as a "chopper" (powersaw operator), Graduate of the Maritime Forest Ranger School(1976), 15 years as a Silviculture Contractor, been on my own land (500 acres)and a few small lots of others since 1994. Live in the country on 250 of our acres and get to spend most days outside. Getting tougher (I'm 60), but love what I do and often comment that "I'm the luckiest guy I know."
My first 12yrs. out of high school were spent working for the city parks and rec dept. doing several different jobs due to budget cuts. Seemed like every year you were on the chopping block :dunno: My best friend suggested i try to become a lineman at the local power company so 17yrs later here i am and lovin it, As far as tradlife goes, let's just say the last wheel bow I owned was a Bear Whitetail II back in the late 80s.
this aug i will hit my 19 year as a profesional firefighter/ paramedic. and been a flightmedic on a lifeflight helio for 13 years, and still have more days off then my wife can find projects to do. 5 years to retire
I spent a carreer in banking, primarily in the lending area. The job was good to me, and while it wasn't in an area that tied in to my outdoor interests, it did pay pretty well. Part of fullfilling my hunting dreams required the money to do the trips I dreamed about, and for the most part the bank gig allowed me to do that.
It also exposed me to retirement planning, and early on I had set a goal to retire early. I met that goal 3 years ago at the age of 54, and am now living the dream! I wasn't rich, but I was to the point that I could afford not to work full time, and now enjoy the freedom to hunt more than any man deserves.
Lots of jobs are trade offs between doing what you truly love, or making enough money to do the things you really want to do. The ideal of course is to find a job that does both, but in my experience they are few and far between.
I am a wildlife biologist in western Illinois. I'm not getting rich, but I'm outside a lot. My duties are too numerous to mention, but the most favorite aspect of my job is working with private landowners interested in improving habitat. Been at it 21 yr's.
Short order cook at several restaurants in my teens. Started working at a local funeral home right out of high school doing maintenance work. Really enjoyed what I was doing and went to work with another funeral home as an apprentice in 1980. Along with two other partners, bought the company 2004. Can't imagine doing anything else. Don't always have the time to hunt/shoot as much as I would like but usually manage to get in a little shooting time in the garage at work.
Hey Scifres - I'm a safety guy too.
Great thread btw...
I got my CSP in 1997 after 6 years as a safety guy for a gov contractor. Now I am about to start as the safety guy for an oil and gas drilling company in Kansas.
Remember - work always turns into work at some point so make the people the priority. What we own ends up owning us so give something away whenever you can.
It is not the title or the toys it is the people.
My favorite title is Dad.
va
I'm a registered professional in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Been doing it for almost 30 years now. It's not as chalenging or as rewarding as it used to be, but I have a little ways to go before retirement.
I have one more to finish college then it's part-time for me if the stock market can at least stay put.lol
Looking forward to spending LOTS of time and money hunting and at the camp.
Woodworker and home builder for most of my life and after what I call a 30 year apprenticeship I now work for the National Park Service at Fort Laramie, NHS. All the skills that I have learned over the years I get to put to work there as an exhibit specialist in historic preservation. I am fortunate that I love my job and get to work with a great group of people. This job has also afforded me the opportunity to move to Wyoming which I also love with my family. Not doing the wood working business full time has given me more time to spend with family and be out of doors, I get to be Dad and husband again. The schedule is so that I should have plenty of opportunity to take the kids out hunting so I really could not ask for more, best move I have ever made.
I'm about to turn 65 and have only been employed for eight years of my life, including three years in the Army. Rest of the time I have been self employed, mostly in sales. Feast and famine! My life has not been any special finanacial succes, but it's been good. I have two wonderful daughters who are married to good men and have given me seven grandchildren. All of them live within three miles of me. I spend a lot of time taking grand kids fishing, shooting and hunting. The oldest is 17 and can bench press a full olympic bar. He can also carry a whole lot of boned out elk!
I'll retire when bed ridden! :) That's both by choice and necessity. :biglaugh:
I currently work as a regional transportation coordinator for the nations largest (for profit) drug and alcohol Detox and Rehab facilty.
Most days I get out late and a so stressed out that I cannot shoot. I love my job but our clientele is anything but reliable.
Our company wants beds filled at all costs. Since this is a Union shop I am often put in impossible situations with staff vs corporate office.
Its tough to get time off, I should get paid a lot more (held back by the union!) but I love the challenges presented to me. I am able to be a creative problem solver and have made humongous gains for the corporation. The days go by fast and I am gaining a lot of valuable experience for my next position, when I move. I have to deal with many situations that police often look at me and ask wether I have to deal with this type of stuff often. I shrug and say yep daily often twice daily.
My previous Job was a Tropical Fish Hatchery. I loved it but I ceilinged out in 2 years and family obligations caused a move. the state shut down many of their hatcheries and I couldnt find anything close. Before that I was a substitute teacher for about a year and a half.
I was a bit peaved in College, I was naieve and thought the only outdoor job was "Game Worden" which i wasnt interested in. Now I know how wrong I was. I went to school for PR and hoped to work for a company in the outdoor industry! Funny how you end up doing something completly different. I always thought that wouldnt be me.
I am lucky enough to be one of those people that is self employed. I own a small [much smaller now] construction co. My wife of 28 years is the only person I always pay attention to. Lately all my work has been for people that I know or know me that makes the jobs go much smoother. It looks like I may get to build a custom home in Russia east of the Ural mnt. So I may get to do a little bow hunting over there. I can normally hunt when ever I choose to.
MAP
I worked 30 years for a system of Wilderness Camps/Schools for kids in trouble. The first 5 years (before marriage) I was able to take month long canoe trips with the kids along with extended backback trips pretty much anytime I wanted to.
Nothin' fancy here...I'm a utility worker with a Natural Gas company. Doesn't make me rich, but is a steady, reliable income. It allows for plenty of down-time with my family and some time here and there for hunting/fishing. Very interesting thread, BTW!
Im a maintenance mechanic for the school district. Started off working for a local plumber when young. I stuck with the plumbing and heating and became licensed and at one point started my own plumbing heating company. Well business just wasnt to be my thing and am happy with my current maintenance job. Just real happy to be employed in this economy.
Ill keep it short. Full time iam HVAC tech. My wife just asked me the other day if I was happy with my life. I said the only thing I hate about my life is my job. On the side I do Taxidermy, paint wildlife,build beer pong tables.Most fun is when I get to hunt and fish with my two boys and my dog.
Like others here I started out to be a forest ranger but I just didn't have the discipline for school at the time. Now I work for a large food manufacturer as a mechanic/operator of one of the largest anhydrous ammonia refrigeration systems in North America. Not a bad job and actually the best labor job a person can get in this area but it's not what I want to retire from.
I've been in construction all of my working life. Born and raised on a farm so it came natural. I have had my own company ( small company) for 21 years now. It has enabled me to do the hunts I have done the last fewe years. I hunt with a couple buddies who are the same and we decided years back that when we were old we would tell stories about what we did and where we went instead of the same old "I wish I had done this". Can't look back.
Graduated from the University of Minnesota aiming to teach Industrial Arts in a small town high school but got sidetracked by a job as a graphics and photography technician at a large newspaper that paid double what a starting teacher made. Great job, good benefits, lots of time off for hunting. Worked there for twenty years until I got laid off when the newspaper industry and the economy tanked simultaneously.
Too young to retire and having never used my teaching degree I am now back in college working on a Mechanical Engineering degree with hardly any time for hunting. You don't get any smarter as you get older, the young people I am around every day are a really impressive bunch. Fortunately old age and treachery can usually keep up with youth and talent... ;)
Great Thread!!! I've lived my entire life in a small town in south central Kentucky, growing up riding our bicycles to the farm ponds to fish or hunting small game when in season. Got hooked-up with archery at a KY State Fish & Wildlife camp and received my first recurve for my 11th birthday.
I'm a second generation funeral director and purchased the family business in 1999. The business sets my schedule and it seems I'm always the busiest when I should be hunting but it also has several advantages. I know all the farmers and land owners and have an open door to most places. Second, the building has several large rooms where I set up a target and backstop and can practice out to 20 yards.
I enjoy anything outdoors from riding motorcycles to raising a garden. I also volunteer with Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief and Baptist Global Response. With BGR I have literally traveled the world giving a cup of water in the name of our Lord.
I've been an outdoor writer/editor for 30 years. Then an opinionator on a daily newspaper. Then I got smart and got a contract liquor store (in WA the state runs the liquor stores and in small town contracts out to people to run them.)
I started out in HVAC. Went to college for it and continued with it until I burnt out on the hours. Through some twists and turns...I've been a program/project manager for a small division of a large company and oversee Automotive cooling component validation, and other automotive validation testing for the past 4 years. Its a fairly fullfilling job, and I like the company I work for. It can be alot of stress and long hours dealing with the auto supply chain. The upside is I have nearly 4 weeks of vacation, most of which is taken in the fall.
I have a beautful wife and 2 beautiful children. I make enough to get by and GOD has been good to me. I manage to shoot my recurve nearly every night.
Cool thread!
Brian
Son of a teacher-coach (father) and small-town newspaper publisher/editor (mother). And I'm a social studies teacher-coach who writes a weekly outdoor recreation column for the local daily paper and freelances for a few magazines and authored a book, My Neck of the Woods. Working on the second one right now. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
[When I left for college, torn between sporting goods, wildlife biology, journalism, teaching].
Teaching doesn't pay much, but is largely recession-proof. The hours are very similar to one's children, which is a good thing. It would be an ideal job for a guy whose passion is fishing. It's not bad for a whitetail bowhunter who does not coach in the fall (I've turned down opportunities to coach cross country, another passion). Most schools have tight leave policies which in my case have severely hampered my non-resident hunt dreams.
Think I've got 7 years until early retirement, but may stay in it until my daughters graduate (10 years) so I can keep an eye on 'em and they don't leave the house wearing one set of clothes only to change into something unacceptable. I'll also have a better feel for the guys that may be lurking around the house. Ha.
Army 23 years and still going....haven't figured out what I'm going to do when I grow up
To all- Thanks for joining in on the thread....
Its pretty interesting the different avenues people take. Im quickly learning, In the end the only thing that matters will be the people standing next to you, the rest is all vanity. Life is great and I cant wait to teach my daugther(8) and 2 boys(3&4months) the life in the outdoors and traditional archery...
Keep it coming guys, this is good stuff
Started working on weekends at livestock sales at 12 did that till 17 then went to farm work. Have installed satellite dishes, law enforcement, assembled aerial booms, ran dryers making gluten and starch, swapped out diesel engines, the last one worked in foundry doing arc air gouging and running a natural gas torch. Because of an injury in the foundry forcing me to change what type of work I can do, my schooling is paid for. What I'm having a hard time at is figuring out what career path to take.
I am a loan clerk now, after six years working in horticutlure. To be honest i really don't like it. It's boring, I sit in my office interviewing people, then i either say yes you can have a loan, or no you can't.
The plus side is I do work bankers hours.
I became a blaster in 1986 working for a powder company providing blasting services for mine and construction sites all over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In 2006 I went to work for a construction company as a drill/blast forman till the recession gutted out the economy. Being on layoff for extended periods of time makes you count your blessings. Other then part time work, I have been on the street for close to two years. I hate to change career paths at 54 but I don't see things getting better anytime soon.
I baled hay and mowed yards in middle school and worked in grocery store in high school. In college I worked at a REC where I ran a chainsaw and helped with pole change outs. I also did some office work. Graduated with a degree in education and taught 5th grade for 5 years. Loved it, but the inability to take time off to pursue animals was s tough on me. Decided to jump to something else. Became a GPS survery for a rural water, which lead to an inspector job and then project manager job with the company. I was then promoted to executive director at the ripe old age of 31. I was lucky enough during the time leading up to this promotion to have my own bowhunting column and even do film work for an outdoor show. Liked the writing, ended up hating the filming as the the show started as an education show but quickly turned to a kill for pay deal. No longer being concerned with how to get in the situation to have opportunity. I am not a hired animal assassin. I respect the animals and hunting much more than that. Made me sick actually and almost quit hunting because of it. Decided to go back to my roots and begin traditional hunting, which I love with all my heart. In my position now, 7 years later, I get to utilize my teaching skills to work on the best asset my company has, our employess. I am striving to improve them not only professionally but personally as well. I am teaching them how to "fish" so they can feed themselves for a lifetime. It is awesome to watch their growth and I love it to death. the bonus is I have the time to hunt when I want and spend time with my young family.
I graduated from Penn State in 2006 with a Bach. degree in Civil Engineering. I started working for the state of Pennsylvania a few weeks later and have been there ever since. I can't say that I love my job, but I dont hate it either. I would much rather be working with my hands. It is a cool job in that you get to see what you designed actually get built..........I would just rather be the guy building it.
Chemistry Teacher here, as well as Track coach, XC coach, assistant Athletic Director, Equipment manager, and currently enrolled in a masters in teaching program.
Yeah, it's tough to find the time. Late bow season in PA usually runs during Christmas break for me, so it's the only time I really spend a lot of in the woods. Other than that I go when I can.
Interesting post. Have been a dispatcher for the last 38 years with the State Patrol - the last 26 years as a supervisor. Interesting but stressful work. Thinking strongly about trying to retire at the end of the year. My wife says I will probably have to cut back on buying bows, arrows, etc. Guess that means I'll have to start stocking up now . . .