I am considering moving to alaska... (job, catch, friends)

[Alaskagrl]

Originally Posted by TheGreatDane

thats good to know. i have been told by a buddy of mine up there that getting a fish processing job isnt too hard and still pays good. since he has done that he got some connections like you said and now he is going to be in dutch harbor before too long goin out on a boat for the first time. part of it is that i need to do this to finish college. i am out of money and my dad hasnt had a job in a while. i want to be able to pay for my next year in college without taking too much time off of school and i believe alaska is the place where an ambitious hard working person can make a buck or two real quick.
from what i have read so far being a deckhand on a salmon boat is the way to go for someone in my position.
Ketchikan sounds like it might be the place i need to go. i heard processing jobs pay really well too.
i geuss ill just keep researching and preparing and hopefully this summer i will be seeing fish guts and cold water.

I see--yeah, if you need $$ to finish college and can't do it by scholarship/loans, then yes, absolutely I think you can make money here. Processing jobs, from what I've seen and what my fishing friends told me, are brutal but they do pay. Biggest thing is the nature of the job (boring, exhausting, gross). If you can handle that for a couple months that might be your ticket to connections--just like your buddy did.

Yes, even as I ride a desk, I still long for the experience on a boat--one of my best girlfriends did exactly that (of course, she ended up marrying her first skipper so that worked out good)--but she just talked to folks here on POW until people were convinced she wasn't some BS hippy flash-in-the-pan type of person. She's smaller than me, but she can do all the physical work required (maybe with one or two exceptions) and is considered a seasoned deckhand and tender now (for diving). It can work. Again, best of luck to ya. Maybe I'll see you on a boat if I actually make that happen next year!

You aren't a certified SCUBA diver by chance, are you? THAT would be a huge leg up for some fishing around here--diving for cucumbers/geoducks in winter months and boat experience.

[Barkingowl]

I bet underwater welding would be a great skill to have as well.

[karfar]

Wait, I'm confused. Now yes, I have watched "Deadliest Catch" & I thought it was really difficult to find a job on a boat & EVEN if you did get one, you were definitely not guaranteed to make alot of money. Depends on what the boat brings in, right? I've seen a couple greenhorns get on those boats & turn right back to shore, they couldn't handle it. Personally, I would LOVE to be on a boat w/all men

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by karfar

Personally, I would LOVE to be on a boat w/all men

They'd be too busy fighting over you to catch anything.

[bkyhi]

Barkingowl,

Underwater welding is a great skill that - if you're good, will take you far.

When I was working at retail computer store - years ago before the big stores took over, I knew a bunch of Navy guys who did that. They all told me they got to pick where they work - anywhere the Navy needed work. Bet the same with the private sector. One note - these guys were all probably in their 40's + so they had already proved they can cut it.
I am still a bit in awe that you can arc weld underwater.

But we all know - once word gets around - the good ones are in high demand - regardless what it is. You can be good but you also need connections

[quakinator]

I don't know much about the fishing business, but I did work in the tourism industry in 2002 for Princess Tours out of Anchorage. I worked as a food server on the Midnight Sun Express and had a great time. The season ran until mid September though so it cut 2 weeks into my school semester so I took that semester off to got married so it all worked out. I ended up making about 15k to take home (after taxes, lodging, and expenses) but I economized very well. I got hooked up with a family there (who was the brother of my next door neighbor in my home town) that let me rent a basement room from them for $200 a month which included utilities and they even let me forage out of their fridge occasionally.

I went out to the bars occasionally with my coworkers but since I don't drink, I never spent any money on booze, and cheese fries and Mt. Dews at The Klondike in Fairbanks didn't cut into my profits all that much.

The work schedule was nice, you always knew when you had to work (Two days on one day off two days on, 3 days off - typically 12-14 hour days). I know some people got second jobs in anchorage that they would work on their days off to earn more money, I used it to go fishing, hiking, rafting etc with the family I was lodged with. They had a son a year older than me who decided to get a job on the train too so we were on the same work schedule and the same play schedule hehe

You can check out the princess rail jobs in Anchorage at this website: Alaska Jobs | Careers at Princess | Princess Tours

Their main website also has a lot of employment opportunities that range from Tour guides, bus drivers, to working at one of the lodges up in Denali Natl Park: Alaska Jobs | Princess Tours

If you can't find a job on a boat, you can probably find something decent in the tourism industry. Good luck, keep us posted.

[TheGreatDane]

wow thanks for all the suggestions, i like having a lot of options. i appreciate all yalls help and if you ever decide that you need to come to texas then i can help yall out there. thanks a lot, i hope to be in alaska soon

[Rance]

Underwater welding can age and or kill you pretty quick. Yes the money is good...but the health hazards are not. I had a welding instructor talk me out of it years ago. I was determined to become one...and he was determined that I was not!

[bkyhi]

Rance,

Yes the risks are very high, but some people thrive on that kind of stuff. It was clear they also got a lot of satisfaction, they expressed a whole lot of pride in what they do. Like anything else - you minimize and control the risks. I've worked a bit in risk management for a bank and our credo was we don't avoid risks we manage them. Pretty much what you must do on the slope.

Would your instructor have talked you out of being an astronaut, or working on high voltage lines - very very risky job. ?

If you're just doing it for the money - I'd say your're crazy. But if you do it because you need to - to satisfy your spirit - you're doing it right.


I'm pretty much the type of person if you give me a 90% chance survival rate something is worth doing at least once. But not everyone is like that. If you really want to do something you need to determine if the risks are worth the consequences.

I know a couple of guys who are real risk takers - way too much for me, but fine for them. One of them recently died doing his thing. We celebrated him, very little mourning - a lot of joy in life. If you have no responsibities (dependents) and/or if your wife/spouse supports you - why not.

Let me quote: "I'd rather blow up than rust"

I do agree with Alaskagrl - get your degree then have your fun. I only have a 2 year degree, but I got into the market when a bachelors was just beginning to become a necessity. I was very lucky people knew of my abilities and I've been proving myself ever since, and expect to until I am no longer able. I've been working with 'things' since I was 15, back then employers were willing to give someone a chance to prove themselves. I have done the same - If I think you can do something - I'll give you the freedom you need to hang yourself. But I guess that thinking is dying in our modern society - we are so afraid of things we are sometimes blinded.


Brian

[JavaPhil]

I know 2 underwater demo/construction guys. Yes. It pays well. But the conditions are rougher than deckhand on a fishing boat during crabbing season.