Soon to be College Grad looking for Advice

[JdGoodhart]

Dear HT,

I am a soon to be Drexel University grad looking for advice. Since I can remember I've loved to hunt and fish and have decided to make it part of my career path. I have a face for radio and don't want that kind of gig so tv is out of the question. I'd love to do marketing or sales for a company like Sitka or something along those lines. Many of the companies I'd like to work for are located out west. Part of me wants to make sure I have something solid lined up before moving but another part of me wants to move anyway and see what happens, possibly guide for a little until I could find a real job but still within the "Outdoor Industry"

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Two things to consider.

As far as going west or away from home, it is far easier to move away after school and come home later than it is to do the opposite. You can always come home because that is where your support is. It is easier to move away earlier because there is not as much tying you down.

As far as a job in the industry, I think I would stay away from the guiding or things directly associated. God bless those that do, but I would hate to make what I love into my work.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get more specific help from others on here.

 

[MJE2083]

Try to get something lined up, and hopefully it works out. If you give it six months and haven't hit on anything, you can still move if you wish. Do an internship, get some experience, no matter where it is. I feel like the job market is so specific these days I would try to stay in the outdoor industry as much as possible if that's what you want to do. If you settle for a marketing/sales gig with a tire company or big pharma, don't expect that will translate well to the outdoor industry. Keep in mind that the job market in western cities is a bit limited compared to Philadelphia. Don't be afraid to take risk though, you're young and you presumably have less bills and responsibilities than an older person.

If it was me, I'd try to find something close to home or somewhere that I had a support system. No shame in crashing in your parents basement for a few years. Have a plan though and try to stick to it. Cut your teeth somewhere local for a year or two and then look to make a big move.

 

[Irrelevant]

I think there's a lot to be said for finding something tangential to the outdoor space that will allow for greater income and flexibility and then using those resources to hunt and fish like crazy. I don't know what your degree is in, but find a job you can do well, learn to enjoy it, and then build a life around hunting and fishing.

 

[MJE2083]

I think there's a lot to be said for finding something tangential to the outdoor space that will allow for greater income and flexibility and then using those resources to hunt and fish like crazy. I don't know what your degree is in, but find a job you can do well, learn to enjoy it, and then build a life around hunting and fishing.

There is something to be said for that! Not everyone can have their dream job. We still need plumbers, garbage men, etc... I love the outdoors, it's my passion, but I don't do it for a living. What I do have is a job that can tolerate(and actually enjoy most of the time). I have good benefits, lots of vacation time for hunting and fishing, and pays me well enough to buy gear, take trips, etc... That's what's important to me. Sometimes when doing what you love becomes a paycheck, you don't love it as much anymore.

 

[Mountainguide]

It is what you make of it. I moved out west straight out of high school and worked for outfitters, and fed cows in the winter. I then started working on ranches full time. I did that for 12 years, and I never worked a day of it. I had jobs that were outdoors, in wild places and had total freedom. I loved every second of it. Even my worst days in those jobs are better then my best days at my current job. My dad always told me to chase my dream not money and I did. If you don’t try now, you never know what could happen. And that would bother me more then failing

 

[homers]

"Soon to be College Grad looking for Advice"

Don't get married...Follow your passion.

 

[Muskeez]

Do what you are good at, (Marketing? Sales? Labor? etc.? ) not just what you love. If you are good at something you will excel at it and enjoy it. The $$ will follow and you can then afford all the toys that go along with these expensive hobbies. Move now if you can and if you don't need the emotional attachment of having family close by. That's an important thing to consider.

Many years ago while working in a factory a co-worker said to me, "look around, everywhere, - everything you see had to be sold by someone." I took his advice, finished my business degree and started selling office supplies as my first sales job. That led me to start my own business. I've been blessed more than I deserve!

 

[Gerald Martin]

If you went to the bother of getting a degree find a job in an area you like that can net you the money and the flexibility to enjoy your off work time in the mountains. I would highly discourage trying to combine your hobby with a menial wage part time job in the outdoors and trying to find satisfaction in that. I moved to MT 16 years ago and thought becoming a guide would be a great way to combine my hunting skill and love of the outdoors together. As I looked around and engaged with outfitters and saw the difference in hunting for fun vs guiding a paying client and all the associated baggage that came with it, I quickly realized it was a good way to ruin a passion and a vocation. The guys that do it well work way too hard for the money they make per hour and there are a lot of outfitters whose business model leads to many unhappy clients. You have to really want it for it to be worth it. For me, I found it better to stick with "regular work" and keep hunting for me.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Whether it is in the pursuit of a career or just adventure, make the move now while your life is portable. If you put it off it won't happen. There is something about wide open opportunity, even if you are working menial jobs for a few years that will really make you an interesting person. Get a job in an outdoor shop, spend as much time as you can learning and enjoying hunting/fishing (IE: build credibility), network with some reps, who knows what will happen.

 

[LuketheDog]

Pay off your school debt ASAP...

 

[Estimator86]

I graduated from college in Southern IL Dec. 2017, moved to Montana May of 2018. DO IT! But I do recommend getting a decent job figured out before you move! Something even like Scheels would be a good gig. They give their workers a nice percentage off on their stuff, which as we all know is where your checks will go anyways.. Ignore the "don't get married" BS, if you have a good one she will move with you! If she doesn't want to move west, she isn't a good one..

 

[MThuntr]

I suggest not being a guide...all the ones I know spend their free time complaining about not being able to fish or hunt and all the flatlanders that are out of shape without a clue.

I will say I know a handful of product reps from fly fishing companies and they have the next level ability to relate...if they client is a "bro" then they flatbrim and bro out about wicked streamer action (no lie I've heard that conversation more than a few times and it gives me a migraine)...if the client is a good ole boy then they talk about the days before A River Runs Through It.

 

[el unit]

Move west and don't look back! Life is too short. I also recommend not being a guide. If big game hunting is a true passion of yours, find a decent job that will allow you time off to hunt lots in the fall. There are construction jobs available that pay decent and have weekends off until you find the job that relates to your education.
Or seek out that job that will pay you to hunt elk- not easy to find, but they are definitely out there if you think outside of the box!

 

[rustneversleeps]

Move to Alaska for 5 years, kill some crazy stuff, catch some crazy stuff, and move back to the states and start a career somewhere out West.

 

[LCH]

I regret not moving west when I had the chance. Now married to a local girl and kids in school, we're pretty well locked down. I'd still like to go, but it would be very selfish of me to move all of them away from their home just so I could hunt more often.

I do have the next best thing going though, I live in the middle of the country and can take 6 weeks paid time off per year. I can be to the northern rockies, the desert SW, the gulf, the east coat, or even Canada if I'm so inclined in a long day of driving.

Bottom line I guess, move west if you can, but also make sure you make a career that allows you to step away as often and whenever you need to. PTO is pretty well worthless IMO if you have to put in for it a year ahead of time and compete with others for dates/etc.

 

[High Desert]

If you want your job to be in the outdoor industry, you could start by getting a list of the exhibitors at the SHOT show and the Outdoor Retailers show. See the breadth of companies out there and where they are located and what employers your education, interests and skills line up with. For instance, in northern Utah we have Black Diamond, Browning, Barnes, Hoyt, Backcountry.com and many others. I'm sure most major western metro areas have their share as well. National Shooting Sports Foundation used to have a job board. There is a land trust association job board out there somewhere as well. Good Luck!

 

[LopeHunter]

I am a sales executive though nothing to do with sports or outdoors. A lot of sales jobs these days do not require you to be based at a specific location so you may find you can get a job "out West" and not yet be living out West. I like being out West myself and have never looked back after bouncing off the Midwestern turnip truck.

Sales skills are transferrable between industries. Some companies do not promote within so need to have demonstrated skills before join that company. Other companies only promote from within. I worked for a sales team early in my career that provided very, very good training. Was several weeks of training spread over 18 months so would go to an internal class then have a month or so back in the field then the next class, etc. There are techniques that help you to minimize time lost on less efficient planning and administrative issues so you can maximize time driving relationships and sales. All in all, the training got me jump-started in my sales career and also showed the company was prepared to invest a lot of money in getting me up to speed so was willing to compensate and respect me. I was not part of a burn and churn culture. Those cultures will suck your soul out of you and make you hard to the world.


I like the suggestions in prior posts this thread about places to go meet and greet vendors and to look for jobs. LinkedIn is very good for building connections and seeing jobs at your current career level. Ask for informational interviews and even if you can do a practice interview. The more you interview then the easier it is and an informational or practice interview can sometimes plant the seed that leads to getting in the door later on in your career. Practice interviewing with people you know that hire.


My last tidbit is I hire people not to build a kingdom but to take care of issues that are causing me heartburn. I often ask a potential customer what is the one thing about their work that is keeping them up in the middle of the night. All of us in executive roles have one or two things we are wrestling with and you might be the answer or have the answer. Some of my best customers are ones I have helped connect to other people I know as an issue needed addressed that was not one I could address myself. They like me and that gives me an edge when they want a solution they can depend on and trust will be what it needs to be. I set expectations with the customer and if something is going off the rails then I let the customer know right away so they can reset expectations. Those conversations are not fun though the customer knows they are never going to be in the dark.


Congrats on your journey so far and your upcoming journeys and adventures.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Lots of good thoughts above, I would add this general advice: Avoid adding constraints and losing optionality in your 20's. Homes, debt items such as pricey cars, kids, expensive tastes begun in ones twenties really can limit your ability to chart the course you really want once you grow up a little and get a better sense of where you want your life to go. There is plenty of time in your 30's to pick these things up.

 

[westbranch]

I think there's a lot to be said for finding something tangential to the outdoor space that will allow for greater income and flexibility and then using those resources to hunt and fish like crazy. I don't know what your degree is in, but find a job you can do well, learn to enjoy it, and then build a life around hunting and fishing.

Yep, exactly this is why I am a CPA at a small local firm. Also that path seems to have worked for Big Fin. I could be making way more $$ in a big metro and a bigger company, but can still make decent $ and have a great lifestyle in a small town. When we lived in Minnesota we made sure we had short commutes and good work/life balance. Any job will have busy times, but if you have a 30+ minute commute and work 9-10 hours a day you will be spending way more on food, eating unhealthy, not getting enough exercise, etc. Being smart with $ in your 20s will give you a huge head start. After about 5 years of working we decided to take a long trip/sabbatical and I did not work for 5 months in 2017 and my wife had almost 3 months off, and we used that time to travel to national parks and forests throughout the west before we relocated to Idaho. We planned and saved and it did not set us back at all. I had over 5 weeks of vacation in 2018 and will be similar for 2019. My goal over the next 5 years will be to push that to 8 weeks or so, which I think can be done.

Choosing to get married is also big like others have mentioned. My wife and I are 30 and have been together since college 11+ years ago. Not sure how to describe what it is about our personalities and interests but so far it just works. A lot of friends/acquaintances think we should be spending more $ on vacations, fancier vehicles, going out to eat, drinks, and whatever else. But then they also see the rest of our lifestyle and wonder how we are able to spend as much time as we do hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing. People ask me how I convinced my wife to move to the mountains, or to let me spend money on hunting/fishing stuff. The simple answer is that I didn't.


Now back to work as this is my busy time that pays for the rest of the year.