Careers of Backcountrypost.com

Dreamer said:
It is looking like my ‘career’ may reach out and drag me away from my summer in The Winds. Hey, tropical storm Barry.
Mostly I’ve been an independent carpenter. As I got older and less interested in the physicality something else found me in ‘08. I work for a corporation performing residential disaster damage inspections for a federal emergency habitability repairs grant program. After storms, fires etc. people suffer loss that can lead to conditions deemed uninhabitable by government criteria and they may be able to get some financial help to keep them from being forced out by lack of means. I work on my own with a tablet. I’m loaded up with applicant info, we meet at the damaged dwelling and I assess disaster caused damage to real and personal property. Conditions can be challenging. I see a lot. Last season I spent seven weeks in North Carolina working Hurricane Florence got home for 8 days and then I was deployed to Paradise, California. I work as hard as I can. Sometimes I top 100 hrs a week. When I am on it is all on then it is over. Being frugal I can live the year on two months work. This all fits with my view of life as an odyssey. It can feel like being dropped into the Twilight Zone.
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Climate change is going to keep you busy. Have a friend that works for FEMA and what was a seasonal job is now 365 days
 
I graduated in 2012 with a Finance degree somehow found myself working in Information Systems. Did that for 6 years with the last 2 remotely. In 2017 my wife and I took our 4 kids And hit the road living in our trailer most the year and working out of it. It was difficult to do work and kid’s school on the road but an experience we won’t forget. This year I moved into accounting and better pay / benefits. Enjoy my job more but gave up flexibility, hoping financial freedom will lead to more flexibility down the road? Guess we’ll see, added one more kid (and last) to the mix last year. So expenses are high at our household! Life seems to be a constant push and pull of finding the right balance!
 
I am a 2nd grade teacher in Colorado. My wife is a teachers as well and we have 2 kids in elementary school. This leaves us with summers off to explore with the kids and in the times in between I plan a backpacking trip or two. This year my wife is letting me plan a bigger trip (because I've turned 40 this summer) so I'm looking into 6 days in the Wind Rivers as of now unless that changes in the next few days.
 
I'm also an elementary teacher! I'm currently in 1st-2nd grade and taught 3rd-5th years ago before having kids. I love teaching, and it's a huge part of my identity.

Backpacking has also become a big part of my identity. For years, my husband and I loved day hikes and took our kids on great trips which included lots of fabulous hikes followed by some sort of hotel room afterward. At age 50, we stumbled on backpacking when a hut-to-hut permit didn't work out. I didn't think I'd be strong enough to backpack, but I ended up loving it and have been thrilled to hike and camp far away from cars and civilization. I now spend much of my non-teaching time training and researching trips. Research led me to this site. Thank you, @Nick! I thoroughly enjoy reading about people's trips and learning about new places to try. My future-trip list keeps growing!

Even though I haven't met any of you, I enjoy learning about your experiences and was glad to read this thread. Thank you for sharing advice and enthusiasm. :)
 
Dreamer said:
It is looking like my ‘career’ may reach out and drag me away from my summer in The Winds. Hey, tropical storm Barry.
Mostly I’ve been an independent carpenter. As I got older and less interested in the physicality something else found me in ‘08. I work for a corporation performing residential disaster damage inspections for a federal emergency habitability repairs grant program. After storms, fires etc. people suffer loss that can lead to conditions deemed uninhabitable by government criteria and they may be able to get some financial help to keep them from being forced out by lack of means. I work on my own with a tablet. I’m loaded up with applicant info, we meet at the damaged dwelling and I assess disaster caused damage to real and personal property. Conditions can be challenging. I see a lot. Last season I spent seven weeks in North Carolina working Hurricane Florence got home for 8 days and then I was deployed to Paradise, California. I work as hard as I can. Sometimes I top 100 hrs a week. When I am on it is all on then it is over. Being frugal I can live the year on two months work. This all fits with my view of life as an odyssey. It can feel like being dropped into the Twilight Zone.
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Good on ya, D! And, love the Muir quote. Carpe Diem!
 
Yvonne said:
Some of my park ranger friends talked me into getting a degree in geology and I just signed up. I probably had an insane or weak moment because this means another few years of hard work.
But since I love lava and rocks it all makes sense. Welcome second career.
Now I need to find a paid internship this summer in a cool park to work, lol. ;)
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I had a couple of Geology classes at the Univ. of Utah awhile back, I enjoyed them. The instructors answer to nearly every question was "differential erosion". Great term.
 
I was a soldier. I deployed 3 times to Iraq and never did my assigned job which was basically a small engine and pump mechanic. I mostly did convoy security.

Then I became a veteran and lost my purpose in life. I bounced from everything possible. Walmart, fast food, school, over the road trucker.

Now I am retired thanks to the VA and after my situation which has me stuck in South Georgia is over I will continue to my true calling. Nomading around the us and world. I hope to develop friendships with people here and on overland bound and be able to create experience that will enhance and better my life and path to enlightenment.

Sadly for the next 4.5 years I am stuck in Georgia and unable to peruse my dream. I feel like I’m in a prison and unable to be free. I can’t wait for the day to come that I can go mobile and enjoy the earth.


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Mike harpe said:
I was a soldier. I deployed 3 times to Iraq and never did my assigned job which was basically a small engine and pump mechanic. I mostly did convoy security.

Then I became a veteran and lost my purpose in life. I bounced from everything possible. Walmart, fast food, school, over the road trucker.

Now I am retired thanks to the VA and after my situation which has me stuck in South Georgia is over I will continue to my true calling. Nomading around the us and world. I hope to develop friendships with people here and on overland bound and be able to create experience that will enhance and better my life and path to enlightenment.

Sadly for the next 4.5 years I am stuck in Georgia and unable to peruse my dream. I feel like I’m in a prison and unable to be free. I can’t wait for the day to come that I can go mobile and enjoy the earth.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Keep the faith, mister. Use this site to dream and plan in the meantime. That is what we all do here. :)

Welcome to BCP!
 
Happy New Year everyone!

I now live in Northern Arizona and work as a manager of a Roof Truss facility. I now work way too much and backpack way too little. I use to live on BCP every day! I miss it here. I hope to frequent the site more regularly again, and get out to explore all the beautiful places in NAZ!
 
I am a case manager for Medicaid recipients. I get to work from home and have 3 day weekends. Decent amount of PTO. Work and life balance is great. However, it has nothing to do with my sustainability degree. Which aches me in the butt, cause that is where my passion lies. TBH I would probably suck at it. Since I always end up yelling and being upset whenever this topic comes up :roflmao:
A mentor or a trailblazer would be nice to have just to show me what options are out there and where to start.
 
I used to work for Keymark, now for Simpson Strong Tie. I am guessing that if you don't use one of those 2 programs, you use sapphire or maybe another?
 
mike_offerman said:
I used to work for Keymark, now for Simpson Strong Tie. I am guessing that if you don't use one of those 2 programs, you use sapphire or maybe another?
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Ahhh... yes, when I was in Utah, Simpson tried to get us to use their software. We are all in with MiTek Sapphire. that is cool you are working for Simpson though! We buy all of our connectors through Simpson. we will be having our Yearly Manager meeting at their plant in Texas! It is a niiiiiiiiice facility.
 
Blake Merrell said:
Happy New Year everyone!

I now live in Northern Arizona and work as a manager of a Roof Truss facility. I now work way too much and backpack way too little. I use to live on BCP every day! I miss it here. I hope to frequent the site more regularly again, and get out to explore all the beautiful places in NAZ!
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Nice to see you around here again! I'm a little jealous of getting to live in Northern AZ for a while. So much to explore. You in Flagstaff?
 
Nick said:
Nice to see you around here again! I'm a little jealous of getting to live in Northern AZ for a while. So much to explore. You in Flagstaff?
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Thanks Nick!

It is great to be back and thinking more about the Backcountry again.

I am in Prescott Valley now. It is nice being close to Sedona, the Mogollon rim, Flagstaff, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, and other areas. So much to explore!
 
Blake Merrell said:
Thanks Nick!

It is great to be back and thinking more about the Backcountry again.

I am in Prescott Valley now. It is nice being close to Sedona, the Mogollon rim, Flagstaff, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, and other areas. So much to explore!
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Nice! I'll be driving right through there next Sunday on my way to Jerome from Phoenix.
 
Nick said:
Nice! I'll be driving right through there next Sunday on my way to Jerome from Phoenix.
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Oh, Jerome! what is taking you up there? I do like a good hamburger from the Haunted Hamburger :) and I'm still trying to convince my wife to stay at the hotel for Halloween. LOL
 
Blake Merrell said:
Oh, Jerome! what is taking you up there? I do like a good hamburger from the Haunted Hamburger :) and I'm still trying to convince my wife to stay at the hotel for Halloween. LOL
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Just stopping there on my way home to geek out at the Puscifer Store and get some food at Merkin Vineyards Osteria. I'm a fan of the owner (Maynard from Tool). I'm also seeing Tool live on Friday in Vegas and Saturday in Phoenix, so I guess I'm just completing the trifecta Tool road trip.
 
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