Career Choices

I just got back from a survey job that my employer sent me out on. I'm not a surveyor, but I can hold a rod with a prism on it level and pound spikes, lathe, and hubs into the dirt. I can do the manual labor and be on the 'dumb' end.

The other part of the team was a trained surveyor with 9 years experience crammed into 6 years. He was 25 and single which allowed him to work the harder jobs in remote areas like Cold bay, Dutch Harbor, and the oil fields in Sakhalin Island, Russia.

By hard jobs, I mean 12 hour days, 6-7 days a week. In one month he can pocket $13K working 2 hour days, 6 days a week. Of course, being a hard lot, they tend to drink like fish on the day off if alcohol is present.

If a guy (or gal) likes the outdoors and is smart, I'd definitely suggest surveying in Alaska to them.

My career? I like it. I know that the grass is always greener on the otherside of the fence and since I just got paid it's really easy to be tempted to mourne the career not taken.

Realistically, I have a family at home and a career I can do till I'm 80. In the long run, I'll make more money than a surveyor and I have my time that I can share with my family not to mention that it was damn hard work. I lost 7 pounds and my metabolism changed.

I was outside the truck when we were done with a setup. Typically I'd eat part of, or a whole sandwich at this time since we never took time to stop to eat. I felt eternity twitch and my appetite just imploded. I know that this sounds weird, but it happened in an instant and I felt it.

On that trip I lost 7 pounds and still don't have an appetite. Last night we had pizza and I usually eat a large. I told my wife to order a small for me and I ate half of it. I had a few pieces and just was done.

You know, I wouldn't trade the better appetite and improved eating for a ton of money and no time, but I would recommend it for young single guy who likes the outdoors and is sharp, but only if he invests a lot of the money he makes so he has something to show for it later.