Outside Jobs...

Atomic

Right, simple story is that I'm fed up of working the mundane 9-5 (well I wish it was even remotely close to 9-5) office life with the sh1tty clients, demeaning work environment, spending most of the day behind my desk working at the computer and on the phone damned legal job and have told the bosses that I'm outta there as soon as possible.

(Rant over - Grr).

So yea, I'm quitting my legal job with the aim of working outside. I should have done it from the start as I'm actually much more of an outdoors person with a bit more flexibility so that I can enjoy life with the (forthcoming) wife, dog, kids etc etc...

Only problem being, I'm not quite sure what outdoor jobs are out there!

I, basically, want a job where I get satisfaction of a good days work done at the end of the day!

I worked as a sailing instructor as a teenager and loved that - so I could give something like that a go - although the pay is rubbish!

I'm also really taken with the idea of becoming an arborist / tree surgeon or working in forestry - has anyone had any experience of these career paths?

Basically, do any of you lot get to enjoy your working lives with a bit of flexibility and working in the great outdoors? What do you do?

Cheers :!:

Stevo_666

Given you've got wife/kids/dog etc the first question is how much to you need to make ends meet. A lot of outdoor jobs probably don't pay much compared to legal work, maybe becuase they are 'nice jobs' so employers don't have to pay much to get people to do them.

Desk jobs can be a bummer but money problems suck, esp if they are long term.

RupertCommunicator

I think of pay as compensation for having to do shite things at work.

If work was awesome, people would do it for free and employers would let people do it as a hobby.

Funny that people expect to be paid for stacking shelves but no body is willing to pay me for arsing about on my bike and eating expensive German biscuits while lying on my bed all day...

big_southern_jesse

I also did sailing instruction for a couple of years, but likewise got fed up with trying to live seriously on £75 a week.

To keep near the boats I took up boatbuilding, and now spend my days restoring and maintaining classic yachts. And yes, I have some wonderful sunny afternoons sat on board some beautiful boats in lovely marinas, pottering about, varnishing and having a lovely time.

Equally, in the winter, clothing can consist of thermals,trousers, t-shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, jumper, fleece, overalls, coat, fleece hat, and 2 pairs of gloves. I also work with lots of lethal machinery, toxic materials, and from time to time do some very boring, very repetitive work.

So it's never as great as it sounds. I love working outside, but I am seriously thinking about heading for a more regular, possibly even an office job. I worry about how I'll cope, but the idea of regular hours, regular conditions, and as mentioned above, a greater wage all attract me.

Let us know how the search goes.

P.S. If you want to go back to the sailing, get into yacht courses, much better profits!

Anonymous

i got a chainsaw license a few yrs ago, it was only 4 days long iirc but it was exhausting however, that was the good thing about it.

chopping trees down is as manly as it gets and unbelievably satisfying, if i didnt have a job i loved already it is somethign i would think of doing. one of the guys on the course was a landscape gardener and said he made decent money doing it but had to go out and find his work which comes with a level of uncertainty i would be wary of.

Stevo_666

sheepsteeth wrote:

chopping trees down is as manly as it gets and unbelievably satisfying.

Really?

Anonymous

Stevo 666 wrote:

sheepsteeth wrote:

chopping trees down is as manly as it gets and unbelievably satisfying.

Really?

he didnt chop down a single tree, what a homo.

*AL*

Atomic wrote:

arborist / tree surgeon or working in forestry

Everyone I know involved in that line of work says the pay is pretty dire, unless you do something really high risk like contract felling involving air lift work.

If you want to make a good living outside the confines of an office, you either have to do something really well, or do something that nobody else wants to do.

cooldad

Traffic warden. Hate you already.

bunyip

apply to be a postie, should be taking on soon for christmas. if you apply for the right job you'll get to ride a bike for a lot of your shift. shift times can vary which adds variety but doesn't suit everyone. personnally i like working shifts. again the pays not great but as mentioned not many outdoors jobs are unless you set up your own firm but thats a whole different can of worms!

bails87

Stevo 666 wrote:

sheepsteeth wrote:

chopping trees down is as manly as it gets and unbelievably satisfying.

Really?

LumberJacK fo' shizzle ma nizzles!

Stevo_666

I prefer this one 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z7qMsQsZFo

butcher of bakersfield

I've done both. I left school and trained to be a joiner. Which basically meant laboring for two years.

I then worked all kinds of other jobs, but now sit behind a desk 9 to 5. They're very different things.

I'm an outdoors kind of person, but I'd take the office over standing on a roof in the snow with cramp in my jaw because it's so friggin' cold. Outdoor jobs are great in the summer, but not so in the winter. I also get bored very easily though, so the office isn't ideal. Personally I'd like to be doing something different every week. I guess you have to think about what it is that really appeals to you.

Anonymous

this is the video you want to watch, nowt to do with working out doors mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLvobKg_53g

Proutster

He almost knocked her out of the door!!! Does that count?

starkee

I have worked outside (Landscape gardener ) for the last 20 years. I love my job !
I don't think i could ever take a desk job no matter how shite the English winters ( or summers :? ) may get !.

You take the rough with the smooth but on the whole i leave the house at 6.30 am and am usually home by 4.... so plenty of day left for 'other' activities

Anonymous

starkee wrote:

I have worked outside (Landscape gardener ) for the last 20 years. I love my job !
I don't think i could ever take a desk job no matter how shite the English winters ( or summers :? ) may get !.

You take the rough with the smooth but on the whole i leave the house at 6.30 am and am usually home by 4.... so plenty of day left for 'other' activities

other activites? im assuming you mean lime conkers.

starkee

^^

my misses works in an office to regimented hours so i always have to find 'other' activities to fill the time between me getting home and her ( don't let on as i would have a list of things to do !! ). I'm mostly on job and knock so can be home by lunch time..... perfect for picking up items that ive ordered on line and stashing in the shed ready for fitting/ fettling or just getting an hours ride in !

Not tried the lime conkers yet...... :shock: