Jobs that would let you work outdoors and/or in remote areas (letters, construction work)

[wallstreet1986]

Hi I'm a young guy figuring stuff out and recently graduated from college with a business degree.

I was wondering what kind of jobs would let you work outdoors and maybe in a remote area with beautiful nature and still have a decent standard of living and work towards a future.

It would be too easy to move up to a place like Great Falls, Montana and work at a McDonalds barely making ends meet with roommates for $6 an hour and not see the beautiful outdoors I came for. I doubt there are many decent paying professional jobs aside from maybe in healthcare.

What kind of jobs ? Metereology, forestry, healthcare, scientific research? Tough to get these jobs or worth the extra graduate study? Decent salaries? Otherwise a lot of these places seem like they would be a rough place to live.

Areas I would maybe consider moving are:

- the Northwoods, upper Michigan, Duluth, Lake Superior coastline
- Montana
- Rapid City and the Black Hills of South Dakota
- Alaska

I don't like the standard day to day in an urban/suburban area with nothing to do on the weekends and the kind of people that go to malls and restaurants and movies like the rest of the normal world. I'm different I like to hike and camp and ski and read. I'm most at home in the outdoors.

[missyM]

Definitely look to see what the oil companies are looking for.

[NYSD1995]

Well, there are plenty of jobs that let you be outdoors all day - landscaper, arborist, construction worker. The military offers you plenty of outdoor experience as well.

My guess is you don't want to do those jobs. Aside from being in the forest or park services, there aren't many job that will give you the wilderness experiene you are looking for. Most people have to start their own operation either as a guide or tour operator. That takes cash, knowledge, experience, and a rock-solid reputation.

If you want a real outdoors job, you'll probably want to pick a few areas with thriving outdoor tourism, get connected with some guides or tour operators and spend a few seasons working for them. After some years, you should have enough knowledge of the business to consider starting your own operation.

[nl2134]

I'm not sure about prospects in the locations you've listed, but if you want to stay close to a city, consider jobs being an environmental scientist. Many work outdoors all day and collect/analyze samples, etc., so that may be up your alley. Word of warning, though - they do want people with degrees in geology, environmental sciences or environmental engineering. I'm looking there now also, but even with a degree, it's still tough.

[wallstreet1986]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Well, there are plenty of jobs that let you be outdoors all day - landscaper, arborist, construction worker. The military offers you plenty of outdoor experience as well.

My guess is you don't want to do those jobs. Aside from being in the forest or park services, there aren't many job that will give you the wilderness experience you are looking for. Most people have to start their own operation either as a guide or tour operator. That takes cash, knowledge, experience, and a rock-solid reputation.

If you want a real outdoors job, you'll probably want to pick a few areas with thriving outdoor tourism, get connected with some guides or tour operators and spend a few seasons working for them. After some years, you should have enough knowledge of the business to consider starting your own operation.

Yeah. Park services is bad because people are on a waiting list to become rangers and you have to live at one for a few years to become one doing other things. I don't have the entrepreneur drive or business mind to become a tour guide or operator, its not an easy industry either because there's a lot of competition and the reputation stuff would put a lot of pressure and force me to be a people person that I'm not. Ditto for stuff like bed and breakfasts, and outdoor programs, those people work their tails off and still are polite and have to market a lot and then worry about their reputation, not a good lifestyle, no thanks. Guide jobs etc don't pay well. Its a luxury service and very much subject to booms and busts in the economy. As a luxury service it requires a lot more hard work and convincing of people to spend their money than does something else. Additionally you market yourself by attracting award winning this, writing lying testimonials, and taking deceptively nice photos of what you o.

Stuff like logging jobs require way to long hours (why couldn't they just let people make a little less money and work 8 hours a day - I don't get how anyone would want to work longer than that or the mindset of greedy capitalist companies). Same with drilling. It would be cool to be a logger in a place like Alaska or Montana, but the lifestyle is rough mostly due to the whole dang hours thing. Same with construction, definitely not a 9-5 and you get rough people who yell at you a lot and make your life miserable. People work hours like 4:30 am - 7:00 pm. How is that physically possible? how can you even keep up that kind of stamina? How come everyone doesn't drop dead of a heart attack, sure puts a lot of strain on your body. I probably wouldn't even last a half a day and I'm a decently big guy.

As far as the environmental engineering, science, etc jobs, there is a lot of competition. Way too many qualified people with PhDs etc so that you really have to be passionate about it to get a job. I just want a dang job people and pay my bills so I can enjoy my freetime in the outdoors - no one gets fulfillment from their work, they are just obsessively conscientious workers/sheep and good actors.

Stuff like being a pilot you need a military training and you really have to be an entrepreneur/market yourself. Its a grind and again no shortage/way too much competition.

If everythings a grind and a miserable uphill conscientious, networking suckup then why would I really want to focus on a particular area. Why would I want to work hard. To beat other people? To beat other people to survive? I'm not an animal in the wild, I'm not a competitive person, that's not what a human's life is about, if I looked at it that way I would be even more depressed.

No to survive safely and make a decent income where you can have health insurance etc you need to have a high level of education and work at a boring city job, face lots of traffic, have no life on the weekend aside from going to the mall, live in a big, boring house in a subdivision that you actually found worth working hard and competing for, shopping for groceries, ironing, carting your kids to soccer and football games where the goal is beating other people for satisfaction, bragging about your kids, and trying to get them to get sport scholarships to college because sports are the most important thing in the world and a capitalist franchise that is a huge university money maker.

I did look at the military but decided not to do it. I don't think I could deal with its imposingness on my life or the fitness requirement. I recently saw Into the Wild, the Chris McCandless story and I liked it, but you know what happened to him, he ended up dead. Additionally it is difficult to be able to live like that hippie couple and I won't be able to be a retiree for another 40, 50 years like that cool old guy who lived with desert freedom near the Salton Sea. I guess you could if you worked at a desalinization plant or weapons testing center like China Lake or something like that. That would be pretty sweet. Bah I don't know what to do lol.

[Driller1]

Water well drilling.

[sunsprit]

Somehow, reality is going to have to set in on your thinking ....

There's a price to be paid for the lifestyle choice you want of outdoorsy living.

At this point, you've eliminated most everything because it involves actual work, physical labor, competition with similar like minded folks, or it's simply too hard or too many hours or too daunting to do ....

Sounds to me like you want to sit on your butt in the woods and collect a great paycheck for simply breathing and being alive and enjoying the outdoors. Nice try ...

Now go get a job and get paid what you're worth with that business degree and try to fund your outdoors habit from that ....

That, or maybe you just need to be adopted by a trust fund family or marry rich.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Yeah. Park services is bad because people are on a waiting list to become rangers and you have to live at one for a few years to become one doing other things.

So, no jobs that require competition for you, ok. You want a field that's easy to get into.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

I don't have the entrepreneur drive or business mind to become a tour guide or operator, its not an easy industry either because there's a lot of competition and the reputation stuff would put a lot of pressure and force me to be a people person that I'm not.

And no jobs that require any business skills or risk-taking, got it.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Ditto for stuff like bed and breakfasts, and outdoor programs, those people work their tails off and still are polite and have to market a lot and then worry about their reputation, not a good lifestyle, no thanks.

Ok, nothing that requires hard work and a good reputation, gotcha.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Guide jobs etc don't pay well. Its a luxury service and very much subject to booms and busts in the economy. As a luxury service it requires a lot more hard work and convincing of people to spend their money than does something else.

You only want jobs that pay well, and are recession-proof. Gotcha

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Stuff like logging jobs require way to long hours (why couldn't they just let people make a little less money and work 8 hours a day - I don't get how anyone would want to work longer than that or the mindset of greedy capitalist companies).

No jobs with long hours, gotcha.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Same with drilling. It would be cool to be a logger in a place like Alaska or Montana, but the lifestyle is rough mostly due to the whole dang hours thing.

No jobs with a rough lifestyle or long hours, OK.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Same with construction, definitely not a 9-5 and you get rough people who yell at you a lot and make your life miserable. People work hours like 4:30 am - 7:00 pm. How is that physically possible? how can you even keep up that kind of stamina? How come everyone doesn't drop dead of a heart attack, sure puts a lot of strain on your body. I probably wouldn't even last a half a day and I'm a decently big guy.

So no physical labor, no long hours.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

As far as the environmental engineering, science, etc jobs, there is a lot of competition. Way too many qualified people with PhDs etc so that you really have to be passionate about it to get a job. I just want a dang job people and pay my bills so I can enjoy my freetime in the outdoors - no one gets fulfillment from their work, they are just obsessively conscientious workers/sheep and good actors.

No jobs where there is competition or where you have to qualified and passionate. Ok.

Originally Posted by wallstreet1986

Stuff like being a pilot you need a military training and you really have to be an entrepreneur/market yourself. Its a grind and again no shortage/way too much competition.

So, no jobs that require training.

Based on your requirements I've come up with the perfect career opportunity for you. It's called Starbucks and they are hiring today!

[nl2134]

Despite being harsh, Sassberto is right. You shot down everything everyone's said so far - what do you really want?

[wallstreet1986]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

So, no jobs that require competition for you, ok. You want a field that's easy to get into.

And no jobs that require any business skills or risk-taking, got it.

Ok, nothing that requires hard work and a good reputation, gotcha.

You only want jobs that pay well, and are recession-proof. Gotcha

No jobs with long hours, gotcha.

No jobs with a rough lifestyle or long hours, OK.

So no physical labor, no long hours.

No jobs where there is competition or where you have to qualified and passionate. Ok.

So, no jobs that require training.

Based on your requirements I've come up with the perfect career opportunity for you. It's called Starbucks and they are hiring today!

I feel like theres nothing wrong with training and hard work and I've chosen a career that I think would be a good fit and am working towards it and know that I would have a lot of opportunities,

I remember at one time I had a passion for the piano and then really excelled at it and it made me happy but I also knew that I didn't want to do it professionally.

I remember when finance and business stuff was exciting to me and I've decided to pour over the interest into tax or business law and that's what I'm aiming towards doing. Variety of functions including negotiating, counseling, estate planning, doing research, writing letters, helping individuals and businesses with their taxes -- probably will work out eventually. Just pretty depressed though and struggle to keep motivated. I'm also working through issues with social anxiety that makes it difficult for me to work for a long period of time or in the public eye.

I need to get outside of myself I guess and just do my work. Yes, job security is certainly something I'd like and there are some important considerations to think of when you look at different jobs (you wouldn't just jump into being a philosophy professor for example, might be harder to find a job than being an accountant) but I think I've chosen pretty well. The outdoors and remote area thing is escapism. I need to deal with people and life in the here and now. I would probably feel very isolated especially at my age in such a remote area.