Jobs?

[Snake Farm]

What do you do for work? Im curious to see what occupations people have that allow them to do a thru-hike, leaving work for months at a time. Are you unemployed, self-employed or leaving a job to do the trail?

In my case, I got a job 6 months back that I actually enjoy and pays really well for a 20 year old but im giving them my 2 weeks in March for the AT. Hopefully they'll invite me back when I finish.

How about you?

[sbhikes]

I quit my job. I didn't get hired back. I found a different job after.

[Luddite]

I'm a raft guide but I didn't do it this last summer, its not a year-round job unfortunately. I'm currently working a crap job, but I'm playing a lot of poker on the side. I'd like to earn my income playing poker, but I'm not there yet.

[Blissful]

I'm an author. When there are no contracts on my work, I have plenty of time (like this past summer and fall). But I have also had my editors cheerfully work around it.

[Luddite]

I'm an author. When there are no contracts on my work, I have plenty of time (like this past summer and fall). But I have also had my editors cheerfully work around it.

Really? what have you written?

[hobbs]

Grizz I am a draftsmen and engineer, I leave this spring for my thru.. No, my employer wont give me more than a few weeks. But thats what I knew when I made my decision and thats one you have to as well. But regardless there are many who have and will again to do a thru....

[Kel, the "Stickman"]

CDL truck driver at a lumberyard, and part time logging... I quit the driving job when I decided to hike, but got a call asking me to come back by the time I had made it SOBO as far as Greymoor Friary. Still have mixed feelings about not completing the hike, but will be back out there someday. Trick is to have a job that you can walk away from, and be willing to work doing "whatever" when you come back... The bigger issue, if married, is to have a very supportive spouse... and I am one lucky guy!

[SurferNerd]

I'm an IT Engineer. I work in the field. I work projects, normally meaning no need for a mortgage or bills. Projects are easy to find, pay really well, and you keep moving.

[kayak karl]

haven't had a J.O.B. for three years, but if an employee asked off for 6 months i'd fire him LOL

[mweinstone]

artist.i make crap folks know they dont need.colorful blobs and such.never sold a peice yet.for money i toil in moldy cat spray lead asbestose caveins folks call their homes. spare time is spent calculating infinity. hiking is instead of going to a doctor or buying medical insurance.all hikes are medical emergencys.

[topshelf]

I plan on doing a thru in a few years, but I teach middle school. It gives me a one year contract I can choose not to renew at any time. I plan on not renewing and going SOBO in the next couple years.

[Iceaxe]

I'm a plumber.. It's a ****ty job but somebodies gotta do it.
Crawlin around under houses, re-piping, replacing sewer lines.
Used to be a good trade here in the peoples republic of California.
Used to have job security and stuff building new homes..
Used to..
I have no problem leaving this toilet behind to hike the AT.

(Plumbing jokes are soo easy)

Sh#t flows downhill.. :-?
Don't chew your fingernails.. :eek:
Tired of this crap..:D
Yea.. Yea...

[Lone Wolf]

I'm a plumber.. It's a ****ty job but somebodies gotta do it.
Crawlin around under houses, re-piping, replacing sewer lines.
Used to be a good trade here in the peoples republic of California.
Used to have job security and stuff building new homes..
Used to..
I have no problem leaving this toilet behind to hike the AT.

(Plumbing jokes are soo easy)

Sh#t flows downhill.. :-?
Don't chew your fingernails.. :eek:
Tired of this crap..:D
Yea.. Yea...

#1 in the #2 business

[Megapixel]

Food service kitchen manager. I have been given a six month loa from a very generous boss who wants me back and sees me as a cog in the future wheel of the restaurant. He believes in letting employees do what they want as far as outside dreams and desires, thus creating happier and more content employees.
I've seen this kind of grace given to other employees; albeit much shorter time frames. I believe my work ethic and maturity level in a business where its a bit harder to find are some of my "keeping points," but the biggest one of all is an honest generous employer. I've had over 15 jobs in my life, never once a boss like this. I think it's fair to say it's a rare find.

[Yukon]

Grizz I am a draftsmen and engineer, I leave this spring for my thru.. No, my employer wont give me more than a few weeks. But thats what I knew when I made my decision and thats one you have to as well. But regardless there are many who have and will again to do a thru....


Same here, started out drafting and now an engineering tech. Want to do the AT someday but recently just bought a new home so I'm hoping my fiancee will get rich lol

[johnnyblisters]

During college I worked as a Ridgerunner in New England. Now that I have graduated, I'm a carpenter slowly building up the thru-hike fund. Slowly.

[Snake Farm]

artist.i make crap folks know they dont need.colorful blobs and such.never sold a peice yet.for money i toil in moldy cat spray lead asbestose caveins folks call their homes. spare time is spent calculating infinity. hiking is instead of going to a doctor or buying medical insurance.all hikes are medical emergencys.

I think you are slowly becoming my favorite forum poster/ fellow hiker. :]



Interesting responses from everyone, didnt expect them to be so varied. I just work at a Wal Mart Distrubution Center. Best job i've had so far though, 4 day weeks, good pay, good benefits and I get to laugh at all those poor schmucks working in the stores! Nothing i'll miss for too long though.

[Sonno]

I have a job field testing hiking boot designs...

Actually I'm a life long pro cook and an aspiring photographer. I can pretty much work when ever and where ever. The trade off is it doesn't matter when or where the pay pretty much sucks. Not married anymore... thankfully...

[fiddlehead]

I'm a plumber.. It's a ****ty job but somebodies gotta do it.
Crawlin around under houses, re-piping, replacing sewer lines.
Used to be a good trade here in the peoples republic of California.
Used to have job security and stuff building new homes..
Used to..
I have no problem leaving this toilet behind to hike the AT.

(Plumbing jokes are soo easy)

Sh#t flows downhill.. :-?
Don't chew your fingernails.. :eek:
Tired of this crap..:D
Yea.. Yea...

"You can't judge the depth of the well by the length of the handle on the pump"
"Payday's Friday"

2 of my brothers are plumbers.
They make an incredible amount of money.

[garlic08]

I'm self-unemployed.

[Torch09]

Professional bum. Living with my parents now, running a daily paper route and finishing up my seasonal job at a warehouse.

[walking bird]

walkingbird is a veteran of forein war i get veterans disability check

[Johnny Thunder]

before my hike i made a good check as an IT recruiter. but the time collecting that money wasn't worth it.

then i spent a few years hiking and working as an IT consultant in the off season.

now i'm teaching english expenses paid in south korea and sending home a good check every month.

i'll probably go back to recruiting in some way when i find something worth the money.

[RGB]

I work a *****ty campus job right now, but I'm grateful to have it in times like these.

I'm currently trying to set up my freelance graphic design studio, and that is my longterm plan after graduation, and hopefully Peace Corps. I really want to keep it online so that I can work from anywhere, and be able to just pick up and go whenever I want. In conjunction, I'm also starting a travel blog that focuses on living with less and traveling on the cheap which will start when I go to Sweden next semester. I hope to generate some more income from affiliate marketing with this blog and keep with the theme of having a mobile business. Not sure how long I can keep it up, but I'm sure as hell going to try. Working a "real" job during my internship was hell, and I will avoid conventional work for as long as possible.

[Awol1970]

i toil in moldy cat spray lead asbestose cave-ins folks call their homes.

That is so so so true. I too have the opportunity to work in the homes of people from all economic levels. I've been in $10M houses that needed a Superfund type cleanup from the government. People amaze me with their piggishness. I've also been in the slums were you could eat off the floor.

Electrician BTW

[Old Hiker]

Middle school teacher - my boss is letting me have a leave of absence for three months next year and will hold my job until I get back. Her reasoning is if a woman can have maternity/new family leave, I should be able to have he same opportunity for a life altering event.

I'm going to try and post from the trail for my kids to follow in both geography and science.

Being retired military with a monthly check also helps!

[Mountain_Goat]

Mechanic going back to school in sept. for environmental studies so i can earn a paycheck.

[Sickmont]

This July 10th i'll have been employed here at a (Ford)Lincoln-Mercury dealership as a parts counterman for 11 years now. It's been a long time.....

[lava]

Software QA supervisor for a large company. Told my boss I was going to leave to hike the AT. He didn't even blink and said, well then we'll have to prep someone to take your place until you get back! We're still working through the official leave of absence process, but it's really cool that they are willing to work with me. Granted, either of us could change our mind by the time I'm done, but it's still cool to have that as the initial response.

[HockeyGirl]

Lecturer in a college in the UK (think highschool, not university!)

Our college doesn't do LOA so having to hand in my notice but will be happy to see the back of the place anyway to hike in 2012.

Moved back to mum's house and rented my flat (apartment), so trying to save like mad as I have no idea what I will be doing work wise post hike.

Feel free to offer me a job :)

[Speer Carrier]

I don't think it matters what kind of job one has or career for that matter. When the itch to do a thru hike is stronger than anything else in life, you hike and deal with the consequences later.

If your job is one that is plentiful and requires little experience to do, the decision is probably easier to make than if you're a partner in a law firm.

If you're young, just starting out, have no family or committed relationship, and no big responsibilities the decision is easier than if you're married, have a family, and a boat load of responsibilities.

I've encountered thru hikers and thru hiker wannabes up and down the trail from a variety of backgrounds, and they all had the itch that had to be scratched and it didn't make much difference to them what they were leaving to scratch it.

[wvgrinder]

I'm self-unemployed.

And I'm self-unemployed. :rolleyes:

[10-K]

I'm a slave to the man, rendering unto Caesar.

But, I make my own schedule for the most part and as long as I can be reached for business related decisions that really only I should make I can be anywhere for as long as my wife will let me go.

That's not a problem though because I wouldn't go anywhere my family couldn't reach me anyway.....

[Carbo]

Got laid off after 40+ years of non-stop working in IT, Finance, Proj Mgmt. At 64 I want to continue working, but at this point it looks like completing a thru is more likely to happen than getting a job.

[sherrill]

male escort

[trailangelbronco]

I escort Females

[canoehead]

I escort anyone.
I own an outdoor / adventure education - guiding business. I have hired a few thru hikers along the way.
25"-30" of snow here. I'm headed out BC Skiing in the back yard..
www.tekoamountainoutdoors.com

[Speakeasy TN]

Security at a major hospital. Between the body armor and gear belt, I do about 5 miles a day with 15 lbs. Like getting paid to train!

[Snake Farm]

Middle school teacher - my boss is letting me have a leave of absence for three months next year and will hold my job until I get back. Her reasoning is if a woman can have maternity/new family leave, I should be able to have he same opportunity for a life altering event.

I'm going to try and post from the trail for my kids to follow in both geography and science.

Being retired military with a monthly check also helps!


walkingbird is a veteran of forein war i get veterans disability check

Thank you both for your service, and to anyone else on here that I missed! Because of great men like you we can all take the time to hike the AT and not worry about other things.

[restless]

For 13 years, I built hiking trails. Most of the jobs were seasonal. Sometimes I would take a break and work at an outfitter for a season or two. Then back to trail work.

Now, I'm still building trail but have a full time position with the National Park Service. In other words....

....I get paid to hike. I know..but someone has to do it:D!!!

[mweinstone]

why cant all the unemployed people go to an old folks home and bring home an old guy and get all the money the family pays the bad hospice in exchange for homestyle care.?hell, i could fit a couple old dudes in here. then i could sub out the caretakeing and go hiking! they would have a blast hanging out with me . and the food would be better and they wouldnt have to be in one of those places. bet they would like it.im talkin bout the wards of the state who get no visits and cost 200 thou a year. hell ill do it for fity!

[Toolumpy]

I work in the utility department inlower Michigan. Well water, storm water and sewer crap. Get 3 weeks vacation and can save up(carry over) 2 X my vacation so can really have 9 weeks off at a time if I save up. Long time to go without taking time off but it is worth it. Taking a month to go from Hot Springs to Waynesboro this May.

Also a Big Thanx to all the service men and women.

[CrumbSnatcher]

Hot Springs to Waynesboro will be a good time, have a great hike!

[hpark]

I am the Director of Household Operations. Hey, sounds better than "housewife." ;) I am also in college to finish my degree and become a middle school Math teacher. Plenty of time off in the summer to hike all over the place. I am not going to be able to do my thru hike for another 8-10 years. :( Right now, I can only be gone for maybe 3-4 weeks at the most and that's a stretch. I have 3 kids. I need them to get older before I leave for 5-6 months. My husband is wonderful, but he can't go with me for more than maybe a day. He has severe sleep apnea and has to sleep with a CPAP machine. The poor man is electricity dependent.

[kayak karl]

I'm self-unemployed.
that only 50% of your customer base. where's the entrepreneur spirit? :D

[Blissful]

Really? what have you written?


Just saw this, sorry.

I write Christian fiction.

[DLANOIE]

Stay at home dad.

Quit my good paying HVAC job to raise my two boys. The wife is a nurse and makes enough to support us.

When I thru hiked, I was working in a sawmill as a sawyer/machine operator.

[little bear]

I am the Director of Household Operations. Hey, sounds better than "housewife." ;) I am also in college to finish my degree and become a middle school Math teacher. Plenty of time off in the summer to hike all over the place. I am not going to be able to do my thru hike for another 8-10 years. :( Right now, I can only be gone for maybe 3-4 weeks at the most and that's a stretch. I have 3 kids. I need them to get older before I leave for 5-6 months. My husband is wonderful, but he can't go with me for more than maybe a day. He has severe sleep apnea and has to sleep with a CPAP machine. The poor man is electricity dependent.





I like that "Director of Household Operations" I had to call my stay at home wife and tell her that.

[on_the_GOEZ]

Full-time student and full-time cook/waiter in a large bar/ restaurant down here. All of my tips from the past year are funding my thru hike.

[Ogre]

Computer Programmer. I make video games. You know, those things keeping kids (and adults) from going outside. Sorry.

[Sickmont]

Computer Programmer. I make video games. You know, those things keeping kids (and adults) from going outside. Sorry.

Oh, the irony is too much.....

[Bravefriend]

in 2006 when i hiked i was a self-employed carpenter. beautiful thing is if you have a trade like that you can pick it up when you get back. of course now i am in outdoor retail..........and i love it. getting others into the mountains!? epic would have never known this passion without that hike. changed my life.........sure:D

[sbhikes]

For 13 years, I built hiking trails. Most of the jobs were seasonal. Sometimes I would take a break and work at an outfitter for a season or two. Then back to trail work.

Now, I'm still building trail but have a full time position with the National Park Service. In other words....

....I get paid to hike. I know..but someone has to do it:D!!!

I hate you.

[Skidsteer]

Just saw this, sorry.

I write Christian fiction.

You really need to come up with a better name for that. :D