View Full Version : Returning and Reentry
I finished my hike on August 31. It's been a month.
I didn't experience much trauma coming back around being indoors, hearing traffic noises, taking showers enough (goodness how I love being clean again!) and all that. But one thing I've struggled with is aphasia. That's where you can't remember the word you are trying to use.
I'm surprised how many things I can't remember, including ordinary words, terms for things in areas of knowledge I've got expertise, people's names, etc. It's gotten me dinged at job interviews that's for sure.
My memory also sucks for events that happened before the hike. This can make loved ones mad.
I still have lots of dreams about hiking the trail. Especially since that Ken Burns national parks documentary has been on PBS. I take one look at a range of mountains and my dreams are full of the trail.
I'm finding it hard to get a job. I worry a bit that maybe I shouldn't have left corporate america to hike. I don't think it will forgive me. I may end up at minimum wage again, which I suppose is better than right now at sub-minimum nothing. Does anyone know a good way to gain the skills needed for temp work or waitressing? I'm afraid I suck at that sort of thing, but it might be all I can do now.
Am I the only one who has found themselves in these kinds of predicaments?
Rocket Jones
09-30-2009, 18:54
Times are tough right now. Get a job - anything - as quickly as possible, just to get some money coming in. Then keep right on looking for a better job. In interviews, don't be afraid to talk briefly about the hike, emphasizing the perseverance and dedication that it took to stick with it. Talk about your 'get it done' attitude. Tie it all in with your work ethic and how you'd apply it to the job. I don't know if I'd mention the idea of going on another long hike, maybe leave the impression that it's out of your system now.
Blue Jay
10-01-2009, 11:00
[QUOTE=sbhikes;900849I worry a bit that maybe I shouldn't have left corporate america to hike. I don't think it will forgive me.
Am I the only one who has found themselves in these kinds of predicaments?[/QUOTE]
Don't worry about leaving the corporate world. It is immortal now and cares less than nothing at all for us mortals. Do NOT tell the new vampires you meet you have ever hiked as they will in fact never forgive you. You have life they do not. Humans can only find death there. Since you saw the Ken Burns thing about John Muir, you have to be aware that you are one of us now. Get the best job you can and work until you have enough to escape again. You know where the hole in the fence is located.
I'm quite certain that telling employers about hiking the trail before the job offer is bad. They do not care about any kind of determination or perseverance it demonstrates. They don't see it that way. They only see the "gap" in your work history and that you showed disloyalty to the system. Unfortunately, they could probably find out about my hike with a little google searching.
The odd thing about reentry from this amazing adventure is how I actually do want to work again. I feel revived in a way. I conquered so many fears and endured so much hardship and feel like it made a positive difference in me. I'm sure I can find a way to put that into a job interview without revealing anything about hiking the trail. And so far I can hide the gap because I've been working a seasonal job over the winter.
The hole in the fence is like my little secret I carry inside. But I don't want to escape again for such a long period of time. I enjoy being a part of normal life, too.
How do you survive, Blue Jay?
Blissful
10-01-2009, 14:40
Just wondering how old you are.
I have that now all the time. I take ginko biloba and it helps some. I also mix up words. It started in my early 30s. You might have hormonal changes, esp from the stressors of hiking and not hiking.
Chaco Taco
10-01-2009, 16:03
Go hiking. We went out a few times when we got done and it was nice not having time constraints. Go to hostels and email your resume, then go back out.
Chaco Taco
10-01-2009, 16:05
I finished my hike on August 31. It's been a month.
I didn't experience much trauma coming back around being indoors, hearing traffic noises, taking showers enough (goodness how I love being clean again!) and all that. But one thing I've struggled with is aphasia. That's where you can't remember the word you are trying to use.
I'm surprised how many things I can't remember, including ordinary words, terms for things in areas of knowledge I've got expertise, people's names, etc. It's gotten me dinged at job interviews that's for sure.
My memory also sucks for events that happened before the hike. This can make loved ones mad.
I still have lots of dreams about hiking the trail. Especially since that Ken Burns national parks documentary has been on PBS. I take one look at a range of mountains and my dreams are full of the trail.
I'm finding it hard to get a job. I worry a bit that maybe I shouldn't have left corporate america to hike. I don't think it will forgive me. I may end up at minimum wage again, which I suppose is better than right now at sub-minimum nothing. Does anyone know a good way to gain the skills needed for temp work or waitressing? I'm afraid I suck at that sort of thing, but it might be all I can do now.
Am I the only one who has found themselves in these kinds of predicaments?
Everyone goes through it. Some people remain wanderers and travel more. Corporate America sucks, dont ever regret hiking. Life is better after a thru hike than before one.
I'm finding it hard to get a job. I worry a bit that maybe I shouldn't have left corporate america to hike. I don't think it will forgive me. I may end up at minimum wage again, which I suppose is better than right now at sub-minimum nothing. Does anyone know a good way to gain the skills needed for temp work or waitressing? I'm afraid I suck at that sort of thing, but it might be all I can do now.
If you have good social skills, some thick skin, and a sense of humor then bartending or serving may be the job for you. There is a fair amount of hard work and it can be stressful, but if you've done some hiking then that part should be no problem.
It turns out that there are few jobs out there for someone with a Social Studies degree that earn more than bartending, so I've been doing just that since I graduated five years ago. In terms of retirement and healthcare there are few benefits, but it allows me to be pretty footloose. I've taken three vacations this year and have hiked at least once in every month. Last year, I spent two months on the AT and my employer still took me back. If they didn't then I'm sure I could have found a job in less than a week, even in a crappy economy.
Bartending/serving fit my lifestyle and could be a could be a good low commitment job until you figure out your next move.
p.s. Lots of people suck at serving, how many time have you had bad service in a restaurant? The worst that could happen is that you find out it is not your cup of tea.
Many Walks
10-01-2009, 19:00
sbhikes, you made a conscious decision to leave the corporate world and I suspect it was to pursue a lifestyle better suited for you. I did the same thing as a corporate senior manager and don't regret it a bit. Those days are behind us and what remains is all in the future. Look forward without regret for anything in the past.
When you were out hiking did anything cross your mind that you would REALLY like to do as a career? If so, develop a plan to get into that as you might be happier in the long run. If not, just about anything will do till you find the right path.
No doubt every hiker who has seen the National Parks documentary feels the same way as you do. Wish you the best!
How do you learn how to make all those drinks?
Chaco Taco
10-01-2009, 21:32
How do you learn how to make all those drinks?
Bartenders Bible and go to bars and check out what the scene is where ever you live. Big money is in college towns!
I finished my hike on August 31. It's been a month.
I'm surprised how many things I can't remember, including ordinary words, terms for things in areas of knowledge I've got expertise, people's names, etc. It's gotten me dinged at job interviews that's for sure.
My memory also sucks for events that happened before the hike. This can make loved ones mad.
Am I the only one who has found themselves in these kinds of predicaments?
Ha, this happens to me every time I take a long distance hike. I lose my mental acuity on the trail because trail life is usually so laid back and worry-free that I only have a few things of concern. My memory and mental acuity starts coming back to me after about two to four weeks after being back in the societal swing of things.
That is one of the reasons I usually wait a couple of weeks before starting to pursue a job when returning from an adventure.
Datto
Bartenders Bible and go to bars and check out what the scene is where ever you live. Big money is in college towns!
I live in a college area. I remembered a co-worker of mine earned 40k a year TEN YEARS AGO working bar at somwhat high end restaurant/bar (rather than a college crowd, it was the late 20s to late 30s crowd). According to the inflation calculator (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/), that's about 51k in 2008 dollars. Damn....
The college kids eventually become "young professionals" and go to those more chi chi bars.
(He only left bar tending because the hours were hard)
A good friend of mind in the hiking community has an MBA. She now waitresses at a high end steak restaurant instead. She makes very good money AND has the flexibility to do the long hikes she loves.
Don't worry about leaving the corporate world. It is immortal now and cares less than nothing at all for us mortals. Do NOT tell the new vampires you meet you have ever hiked as they will in fact never forgive you. You have life they do not. Humans can only find death there. Since you saw the Ken Burns thing about John Muir, you have to be aware that you are one of us now. Get the best job you can and work until you have enough to escape again. You know where the hole in the fence is located.
i have to agree.. before i did bridal consulting was working as assistant manager in a wings n tenders kind of restaurant with a bar, fast casual, nothing fancy.. story begins as i get a job as a waiter there, over the next several months i get promoted to cashier ( yes that was a PROMOTION can ya believe it?) then to dish washer, then to prep cook to shift cook then bartender...finally then being promoted assistant manager " oh but captain sounds like you was well taken care of in that position" heh ur WRONG, about 2 months in after a horrendous restaurant launch i came upon the owner in the office dang near tears cuase 5 people had just quit that day.. i made him a promise " as long as you own this place you dont turn your back on me and i wont turn my back on you" , these was words i thought he took to heart.
yes being the horrible romantic i am i thought that actualy ment something. Fast forward 2 years of a catastrophic mess of a resturant going down the tubes ..totaly out of control, 2 years of showing up around sunrise for truck deliveries then staying till after 1 in the morning to clean up for the night, double shifts back to back, money spent out of my own meager salary ( averaged it out to be about 5.37 an hour) to buy cleaning supplies, some cases even FOOD to stock the restaruant with becuase he was too stuborn to pay for it himself.
i stood on through SEVERAL staff changes i outlasted FIVE GENERAL MANAGERS..well 6 if you count the 19 year old nephew he put in charge when the place first opend...i dont..BUT anyway just picture the SINGLE most dysfunctional resturant in america.. this was it long hours bitching customers, not enough cleaning supplies or food to last a shift lack of management to the point people set thier own hours, missed days when they felt like it, came in two hours late big deal people was cuaght stealing from the register , was told they was fired, kept working anyway. this was a job that drained my very soul just to show up to each day but i held my promise.. i was the single most hard working , and faithful employee he had in that place.. and no thats not an over inflated ego that is simply the truth..some dumb blonde waitress thought she was the hardest working employee there when she sat on her butt 2-3 hours at a time cuase of no customers..that sadly was the norm for people working there.
So ok that wasnt reall a fast forward but now here it is..2 years later.. after blood ( actual blood blood like bleeding from my body not just a term) sweat and tears put into that promise i held with him... when a health inspector showed up and the resurant failed inspection ( 12 critical violations i think it was?) and i will have you know all these violations was not my mishandling of food but HIS failures as an owner..not paying $2800 dollars to have the leaking walk in refigerator fixed , being too cheap to have the grease interceptors pumped once a month.. ALL of this COMPLETELY his fault...who is the FIRST person he turns to , after the inspector leaves he turns his stupid middle eastern mug to me like " i thought you would never do this to me... why you do this to me ive been good to you, YOU cuase me to fail this inspection , you backstab me is what you did!"
Now i do not claim to be the BEST employee.. i may have been the most faithful and hard working but i do know i had my faults,everyone does. But to experience just a total abandonment after such loyal service.. to be cast aside mentaly like that anyway, was devestating.
" oh but captain what about those promotions you got you made it to assistant manager..that was him regocnizing your hard work" WRONG again..first off show me an assistant manager for a successful resturant that would would for 5.37 an hour ( yes that is below ohio minimum wage but he had me on salary system so my pay wasnt caclulated by the hour) and then also consider those several staff changes.. I WAS THE ONLY ONE LEFT to freakin promote.. i SHOULD have taken a clue, but i was just too stuborn and thought honor still ment something in todays work force.
For awhile i was angry... furious even...even as i continued to slave away till the final day he closed his doors. but i owe that man alot.. he tuaght me SO much about the resturant biz... even if he was providing prime example of what NOT to do he still tuaght me ALOT so im grateful for that part of him in my life. But as for a job in corporate america... ( even tho assistant manager in resturant isnt exactly office work its still susceptable to the hierachy of management obviously)...screw them...screw them to hell and let them rot there if they are going to look down on me for doing a little hiking.. ive been MORE than loyal to that system only to have it dishonor ME in return.. people still need to work obviously but i will never again go so far out of my way to please what a hiring manager "wants" to hear out of me., if i find myself in an assistant manager ( GM god forbid) job again( doubtful)i will be professional.. i will show up on time and do my job to the best of my ability... but whatever problem the higher ups are having...exactly that..thier problem , any job i work for will understand THEY dont hire ME .. I hire THEM i CHOOSE to work there, whocares if they have millions of people groping for a job.. in ANY economy there is always a need for skilled professional hard working employees,,that never changes... infact a bad economy works out better in my favor.. more employers scrutinizing who isnt " making the cut" anymore and this is not ment to bash anyone who has lost a job to the economy but the ONLY thing im saying with ALL this ranting is the hiring managers seem to think they hold the power with the hiring choice, rather it is the lower employee who holds the power becuase it is THIER grease and hardwork that makes the company run so any manager that doesnt respect that you have a life, that includes hiking more like than not if you reading this post here on this website, you do not want to work for anyway.. they have to realize you have a life outside of work, if they cant appreciate that i tell them then i cant appreciate working for your company and i walk out, ive been lucky having success with the self employment thing, allows me to live and work the schedule I want but even after i quit , i will not go back to work for another company run like how that saudi i worked for ran things ( and no thats not a derogitory term thats where he was actualy born)
( by the way one last little thing i will share with you.. for the tax year of 2006 i earned an estimated 12-15k dollars.. when i got my w-2 do you know how much it said i had gotten paid? FIFTEEN HUNDRED yeah thats $1,500..i thought oh surely this is just a typo ill take it to him and have him fix it.. he swears up and down thats all i made and that i paid zero taxes out of my checks that year, really checks is a bad term since he paid cash and had us sign for it...i was having 70 dollars " tax" taken out each week and ill never see another penny of that money again, the dam thief)
i have to agree.. before i did bridal consulting was working as assistant manager in a wings n tenders kind of restaurant with a bar, fast casual, nothing fancy.. story begins as i get a job as a waiter there, over the next several months i get promoted to cashier ( yes that was a PROMOTION can ya believe it?) then to dish washer, then to prep cook to shift cook then bartender...finally then being promoted assistant manager " oh but captain sounds like you was well taken care of in that position" heh ur WRONG, about 2 months in after a horrendous restaurant launch i came upon the owner in the office dang near tears cuase 5 people had just quit that day.. i made him a promise " as long as you own this place you dont turn your back on me and i wont turn my back on you" , these was words i thought he took to heart.
yes being the horrible romantic i am i thought that actualy ment something. Fast forward 2 years of a catastrophic mess of a resturant going down the tubes ..totaly out of control, 2 years of showing up around sunrise for truck deliveries then staying till after 1 in the morning to clean up for the night, double shifts back to back, money spent out of my own meager salary ( averaged it out to be about 5.37 an hour) to buy cleaning supplies, some cases even FOOD to stock the restaruant with becuase he was too stuborn to pay for it himself.
i stood on through SEVERAL staff changes i outlasted FIVE GENERAL MANAGERS..well 6 if you count the 19 year old nephew he put in charge when the place first opend...i dont..BUT anyway just picture the SINGLE most dysfunctional resturant in america.. this was it long hours bitching customers, not enough cleaning supplies or food to last a shift lack of management to the point people set thier own hours, missed days when they felt like it, came in two hours late big deal people was cuaght stealing from the register , was told they was fired, kept working anyway. this was a job that drained my very soul just to show up to each day but i held my promise.. i was the single most hard working , and faithful employee he had in that place.. and no thats not an over inflated ego that is simply the truth..some dumb blonde waitress thought she was the hardest working employee there when she sat on her butt 2-3 hours at a time cuase of no customers..that sadly was the norm for people working there.
So ok that wasnt reall a fast forward but now here it is..2 years later.. after blood ( actual blood blood like bleeding from my body not just a term) sweat and tears put into that promise i held with him... when a health inspector showed up and the resurant failed inspection ( 12 critical violations i think it was?) and i will have you know all these violations was not my mishandling of food but HIS failures as an owner..not paying $2800 dollars to have the leaking walk in refigerator fixed , being too cheap to have the grease interceptors pumped once a month.. ALL of this COMPLETELY his fault...who is the FIRST person he turns to , after the inspector leaves he turns his stupid middle eastern mug to me like " i thought you would never do this to me... why you do this to me ive been good to you, YOU cuase me to fail this inspection , you backstab me is what you did!"
Now i do not claim to be the BEST employee.. i may have been the most faithful and hard working but i do know i had my faults,everyone does. But to experience just a total abandonment after such loyal service.. to be cast aside mentaly like that anyway, was devestating.
" oh but captain what about those promotions you got you made it to assistant manager..that was him regocnizing your hard work" WRONG again..first off show me an assistant manager for a successful resturant that would would for 5.37 an hour ( yes that is below ohio minimum wage but he had me on salary system so my pay wasnt caclulated by the hour) and then also consider those several staff changes.. I WAS THE ONLY ONE LEFT to freakin promote.. i SHOULD have taken a clue, but i was just too stuborn and thought honor still ment something in todays work force.
For awhile i was angry... furious even...even as i continued to slave away till the final day he closed his doors. but i owe that man alot.. he tuaght me SO much about the resturant biz... even if he was providing prime example of what NOT to do he still tuaght me ALOT so im grateful for that part of him in my life. But as for a job in corporate america... ( even tho assistant manager in resturant isnt exactly office work its still susceptable to the hierachy of management obviously)...screw them...screw them to hell and let them rot there if they are going to look down on me for doing a little hiking.. ive been MORE than loyal to that system only to have it dishonor ME in return.. people still need to work obviously but i will never again go so far out of my way to please what a hiring manager "wants" to hear out of me., if i find myself in an assistant manager ( GM god forbid) job again( doubtful)i will be professional.. i will show up on time and do my job to the best of my ability... but whatever problem the higher ups are having...exactly that..thier problem , any job i work for will understand THEY dont hire ME .. I hire THEM i CHOOSE to work there, whocares if they have millions of people groping for a job.. in ANY economy there is always a need for skilled professional hard working employees,,that never changes... infact a bad economy works out better in my favor.. more employers scrutinizing who isnt " making the cut" anymore and this is not ment to bash anyone who has lost a job to the economy but the ONLY thing im saying with ALL this ranting is the hiring managers seem to think they hold the power with the hiring choice, rather it is the lower employee who holds the power becuase it is THIER grease and hardwork that makes the company run so any manager that doesnt respect that you have a life, that includes hiking more like than not if you reading this post here on this website, you do not want to work for anyway.. they have to realize you have a life outside of work, if they cant appreciate that i tell them then i cant appreciate working for your company and i walk out, ive been lucky having success with the self employment thing, allows me to live and work the schedule I want but even after i quit , i will not go back to work for another company run like how that saudi i worked for ran things ( and no thats not a derogitory term thats where he was actualy born)
( by the way one last little thing i will share with you.. for the tax year of 2006 i earned an estimated 12-15k dollars.. when i got my w-2 do you know how much it said i had gotten paid? FIFTEEN HUNDRED yeah thats $1,500..i thought oh surely this is just a typo ill take it to him and have him fix it.. he swears up and down thats all i made and that i paid zero taxes out of my checks that year, really checks is a bad term since he paid cash and had us sign for it...i was having 70 dollars " tax" taken out each week and ill never see another penny of that money again, the dam thief)
took so long to type the response it timed me out and i had to sign in again
took so long to type the response it timed me out and i had to sign in again
Labor Board types would be interested. The $70 out of the check part especially. You are better off now, but I would still contact someone about your SS/withholdings during that period.
How do you learn how to make all those drinks?
Practice. You don't even think about it after a while. Besides, making drinks is the easy part.
Its hard, even when you only hike a week at a time, to remain loyal to the heartless corporate machine.
You've faced the real world, leaving behind the made up world of soulless egomaniacs who crave power over others above all other things. They'll tell you that their world is the real world, that the trail is fantasyland. The truth is that out there existed long before their complicated world of memos and e-mails.
Once you've glimpsed behind the curtain it's hard to go back to OZ.
Understand that the world will not be as bright, or as moving, or as real. The people you deal with will never be able to relate to your experiences, and many will not understand and may even fear your confidence.
Never fear .... the trail is still there, patiently waiting for you whenever you need it. That knowledge alone can sustain you.
Having been in the business world for over 40 years I will disagree with a lot of the comments. Most of my work life was as a business owner where I hired a lot of people. I do not think that most employers will look on someone who completed a thru hike as having a "gap" in employment. Most will understand that completing that type of journey took a lot of planning, hard work, and determination to accomplishing a mission. These are all very desirable qualities.
You may need to show that you will bring these same qualities to your next job. You may also want to let them know that you plan on staying in your job for awhile and that you are looking for a career. (Assuming that is true, don't lie.)
You might have better luck with small employers who have less of the corporate group think. Also consider organizations that will value your hike experience, e.g. REI EMS, Park Sevices, outdoor magazines, the sporting goods departments of national chains and so forth.
Treat your job search with the same planning and determination that got you through the trail. Even in the current economy you can find a job. It might be tough, but so was the trail.
I agree that the corporations are soulless vampires. But I disagree that the people who work in them are. Or that they are mindless drones.
There is lots of interesting, creative work out there and not everyone is mistreated or miserable. I worked at one soulless company for almost 7 years and had the time of my life. My mind was constantly engaged in creative, interesting pursuits. I almost would have done what I was doing for free. It was a journey every bit as rewarding as my 2-summer hike was.
I've got a temporary job starting later this month. Gotta find some more gigs like that. I think this might be a more pleasant way to earn a living for a while. One thing I learned from the trail is I don't really need much to be happy.
I agree that the corporations are soulless vampires. But I disagree that the people who work in them are. Or that they are mindless drones.
There is lots of interesting, creative work out there and not everyone is mistreated or miserable. I worked at one soulless company for almost 7 years and had the time of my life. My mind was constantly engaged in creative, interesting pursuits. I almost would have done what I was doing for free. It was a journey every bit as rewarding as my 2-summer hike was.
I've got a temporary job starting later this month. Gotta find some more gigs like that. I think this might be a more pleasant way to earn a living for a while. One thing I learned from the trail is I don't really need much to be happy.
Temporary work is great if you can get by on little and don't spend much (which it sounds like you can). There are lots of outdoor related jobs that are seasonal like working at a ski resort, rafting instructor, etc.
I worked as a ridgerunner/caretaker on the AT and I would recommend it. It is fun, you're outside and hiking and can stash away some money, since rent is unnecessary.
Don't be so hard on yourself; you've been back a month, that's not a lot of time to have found a job in this economic climate. I agree with those who say grab any job just for now. Even a minimum wage job will keep you busy and keep your mind away from missing the trail.
I don't know about you, but if a potential employer looked at my hikes as mindless gaps in my resume, it's probably not someone i'd wanna work for anyway.
Good luck
I don't know about you, but if a potential employer looked at my hikes as mindless gaps in my resume, it's probably not someone i'd wanna work for anyway.
Good luck
Well said.
Pickleodeon
10-03-2009, 11:01
sbhikes, I've found myself in some of the same situations.
Fortunately, I still live at home with my parents (I'm 23) and don't have a whole lot of expenses. However, I plan on buying a car, moving out asap, rebuilding my savings acoount. So, to do that, I need to get a job, asap.
I have a teaching degree, but the hiring process was the end of last school year- May/June, while I was on the trail. I had to renew all the education paperwork crap- clearances, so that I can be put on a substitute list, but right now there aren't a whole lot of substitute openings.
So I'm looking into other jobs which will be minimum wage type places, I applied at a pond/nursery place, but most places like that the season is almost over in PA. I really don't want to go back to working someplace like Target and there are no REI, EMS, places with the exception of Cabela's- no thanks.
We'll see what happens. Good luck with the job hunt, sound like we're in the same boat.
SB--
I am going through the exact same thing. Sometimes I can't for the life of me remember common words for things, or at the worst articulate exactily what I want to say.
I am not having a hard time adjusting to most things--sleeping in a bed, showering whenever I want, house chores, etc. But I do miss the trail. But--oddly enough, I really really want to go back to work, but so far no dice in my field, so I think I'll have to branch out.
I'm worried about the giant gap in my resume...now I have 2 of them. I don't feel like I need to explain myself but in wonder if taking time off did hurt me in the long run. I don't exactily work for 'corporate America' but I think no matter what field this will probably hurt me.
I suppose this post isn't that helpful, but I'm thinking of you!
I'm worried about the giant gap in my resume...now I have 2 of them. I don't feel like I need to explain myself but in wonder if taking time off did hurt me in the long run. I don't exactily work for 'corporate America' but I think no matter what field this will probably hurt me.
Don't worry about a gap in your resume. It's not like you were sitting on the couch for months at a time!!!