How to justify the decision to thru-hike to employers afterwards

[MaxM]

This August I'm going to be graduating with my Master's, and as of now my plan is to do a NOBO thru-hike starting sometime around April 2010. I have already justified this decision to myself - I'll be able to get a job later, but if I take a job now, I might not necessarily have the opportunity to do the hike later - but what I'm worried about is how to justify this decision in job interviews after my hike. I'm not too worried about being able to find a job (my degrees are in computer science and AI, which seem like fields that are still doing OK), I'm just worried that my decision to do the hike will look like "taking a year off," and make me look slacker-ish. Any advice on how to 'spin' this more positively? Should I proactively bring it up in my resume/cover letters in order to better control how people perceive it? I'd especially appreciate replies from anyone who's been in the same situation with a post-graduation hike.

[goduke]

This August I'm going to be graduating with my Master's, and as of now my plan is to do a NOBO thru-hike starting sometime around April 2010. I have already justified this decision to myself - I'll be able to get a job later, but if I take a job now, I might not necessarily have the opportunity to do the hike later - but what I'm worried about is how to justify this decision in job interviews after my hike. I'm not too worried about being able to find a job (my degrees are in computer science and AI, which seem like fields that are still doing OK), I'm just worried that my decision to do the hike will look like "taking a year off," and make me look slacker-ish. Any advice on how to 'spin' this more positively? Should I proactively bring it up in my resume/cover letters in order to better control how people perceive it? I'd especially appreciate replies from anyone who's been in the same situation with a post-graduation hike.

Go hiking. The HR manager will be glad that you got the hike out of your system. I worked in the Computer Engineering dept for 37 years. i wish I had hiked the trail BEFORE I started work.

Good luck

Duke

[Blue Jay]

You are a free American. You do not have to justify yourself to anyone, much less to human trafficers.

[Big Dawg]

I'm just worried that my decision to do the hike will look like "taking a year off," and make me look slacker-ish.

I wouldn't think hiking 2000+ miles, and the logistics that go w/ it, will make you look like you're being slackish.

I'm not a thru hiker, so can't answer from that perspective, but from info I've read in past forums & thru hikers I've talked to, your completed thru hike will be more of an asset than a liability considering the potential it shows in your ability to conquer a large task.

Best of luck!

[The Other Tom]

I wouldn't think hiking 2000+ miles, and the logistics that go w/ it, will make you look like you're being slackish.

I'm not a thru hiker, so can't answer from that perspective, but from info I've read in past forums & thru hikers I've talked to, your completed thru hike will be more of an asset than a liability considering the potential it shows in your ability to conquer a large task.

Best of luck!

what Big Dawg said. It shows you're a good manager, and not a quiter. Use it to your advantage.

[Petr]

Given your situation, you shouldn't be worried about it at all.

1. You've already shown through academics that you can be responsible and work hard toward a "productive" goal.
2. The best thing to be in an interview is interesting...and most people in management will have no idea about the AT and find it fascinating that you spent 5 months in the woods.
3. While "hiker trash" and some of the hygiene/drug/alcohol/laziness issues that SOME associate with the term is celebrated around here, I think the general public views hiking as a healthy physical and mental/spiritual thing that they respect and, furthermore, wish they could do.

I'm starting my last year of medical school in two weeks and have 10-30 residency interviews to suffer through in the next 6 months. I fully plan on telling the interviewers that I worked my @ss off to compress the last two years of my schooling into 18 months so that I can thru-hike before my residency starts July 1.

My justification: I had a goal and I worked hard until I accomplished it. Bosses tend to appreciate that personality-type. I did it in med school, I did it on the AT (at least I hope I do), and I'll do it in my career.

[Hikes in Rain]

I've hired a lot of people, and having a through hike or any similar acomplishment on record would be a plus to me. It shows determination, goal-oriented outlook, and management skills. It also indicates an unwillingness to "conform" which would make you fit right in with my staff!

[Dr O]

I wouldn't work for anyone who made me feel like I have to justify anything I do while not on the clock.

[Dogwood]

MaxM, after you complete your thru-hike you will better comprehend how your success has made you better, and a better employee, in so many ways. The newfound confidence, character, and knowledge you gained on a succesful thru-hike will shine through in an interview. It's what a wise employer will look for in an employee. No reason to spin it. That will be the way it is!

Stop feeling like you have to justify your life to anyone. It's your life, your goals, and your character! Let them speak for themselves. They are who you are!

[Lemni Skate]

I think almost anyone would look at the hike as a plus, even if a thru-hike isn't the thing for them. I'd play it up as an accomplishment in my resume.

[Many Walks]

Agreed, you don't have to justify anything, but in an interview you can tell them you seized the opportunity to hone specific real life skills in a severely challenging environment that you and a future employer would certainly benefit from. Those skills include: time management, resource utilization, logistics management, financial management, self starting, schedule management, geographic comprehension, communication with many cultures, etc. Throw in a few adjectives like persistence and tenacity as you briefly explain what the AT is about and how difficult it is.

Most people would appreciate you passing a test like this between school and their employment. Sort of like Corporate Boot Camp, but you will have already gone through it giving you a leg up on the other recent grads in their employment. You might start at a higher pay grade do to the experience.

Be positive, quit apologizing and start doing!

Hike your hike while you can. You'll never regret it.

Wish you the best.

[johnnybgood]

Slackish to me and anyone with any intelligence is defined as "not busy" or sluggish in nature .
Therefore walking 2,178 miles is quite the opposite and should be seen as a positive by any employer .

After all you could have bummed around doing nothing for a year , except getting fat and lazy.

[MaxM]

Thanks for the replies - and to clarify, I don't feel that I have to justify this decision (i.e. this isn't about my attitudes towards the hike), I just anticipate being asked to in interviews (it's about potential employers' attitudes towards the hike). So don't worry - I definitely know that the hike is going to be great, and make me a better candidate if anything, I just want to make sure that I can express this fact to someone interviewing me. And it would be nice if interviewers all had attitudes towards a thru-hike that are this friendly, but sadly I anticipate that this is not necessarily the case (and in this job market, I won't exactly be able to afford turning down an offer on principle just because I don't think anyone should view it as a negative).

[stranger]

Oh man, why do you think someone is doing you a favor by giving you a job?

Go on your hike, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow, you can always get a job, even in America, even in a recession. The economy is only going to improve from here, and it will take a while to do so, it will take years.

You won't always be able to hike, a competent employer will understand this, and like earlier posts said no one is going to think you are a slacker by walking thousands of miles over mountains.

[Pokey2006]

I quit a career-oriented job to do my AT hike. After, I went on a job interview in the same field, at the same company, actually, with higher-ups who knew me, and knew what I had been up to. One of them actually asked me why I had "given up my career." Huh? I didn't realize that six months off to pursue a dream meant throwing away all the work I had done prior to that.

Unfortunately, there are many managers out there who share that man's attitude. Trust me: you want to avoid them. I ended up having problems with that guy later (because yes, I did get that job). Look for managers who are excited by what you have accomplished, by your sense of adventure and your spirit of independence. Work it!

Also, as time goes on, you'll find it's easy to fudge that six months off when you do your resume.

[trailangelmary]

I take it you are wanting to hike before you start your career. So, just do it. It will all work out. If you don't hike now you may regret that you made another choice. Hiking the AT is an experience you will never match. I know this not from experience but from listening to hikers over many years. Don't give up that dream...don't delay...accomplish that goal. You will not regret it.

[Maddog]

you dont have to justify $h*t!!! ******'em!!!

[double d]

First off, congrats on your masters degree and especially at your age, that is a high accomplishment. I would have loved to have hiked the AT after I earned my masters degree, so your desire to hike the AT now is a great idea. Now...as for your question, during an interview, I would incorporate your hike in a way that highlights who you are as a person, such as, you had a personal goal to hike the AT from start to finish and you accomplished that goal in about 5-6 months. What more can a hiring committee be impressed by? Nothing more needs to be said, as I'm sure each member of the committee has wished they have done something like your about to do in their life and not done it.

[boarstone]

....And you'll be seeing the states up close and personal...who knows..maybe you'll see one you'll like and pursue your career in it...near the AT of course!

[Two Tents]

Man! Good for you! A masters and now a Thru hike. Go for it! You have earned it! It's not what they will say that matters. You are the man in the mirror. What are you gonna say to yourself if ya don't do it?