Careers and tradlife

[JSMOFFITT03]

While at work the other day I was thinking "is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?".  So I thought to my self,  "I wonder what the guys on trad gang do, and how much do they enjoy there jobs....". So what type of careers do you guys have?  Are they Interesting and enjoyable?  

I figured I would start....

Started as a welder building aluminum t-tops for boats then moved to structural welding/fab,  the moved on to pipefitter/ welder.  Got my inspectors license (CWI). Now for the past 3-4 years been drawing mechanical (HVAC/Piping systems) In 3d Autocad.  All in 12 years started just out of highschool and am now 30....  Time flies,  at times it's enjoyable but lots of ups and downs.   Wish it provided more flexibility to enjoy life and extra curricular activities....  Seems like we all trade most of our time for the green stuff and not enough time enjoying the most precious gift of all "Life"

So how about my fellow trad hangers?  How do you guys juggle work and pleasure?

[Scott Teaschner]

I have been drawn to the outdoors and exspecialy hunting since I was old enough to walk. My Dad was a big hunter and fisherman and that was all I could ever think of. It caused problems in grade school teachers would call home saying I wasnt foucused on school and I was looking out the window day dreaming. I rember taking old Herters and Cabelas catalogs to school and dream about the gear I wanted. This was not your normal 6 year old. I tried normal jobs I just had the same problem i even left jobs when they did not work around the hunting season for me. I had a freind back in Oxford Wis named Bryan Anderson he was about 13 years older than me. He is a great hunter and loves bowhunting. He said to me once they can never take your memories from you and in the end that is all that matters. I live by that it may have cost me a lot of money made but thats the price you pay. I am fortunate enough to be good with my hands got that from my Moms side the artistic mind. I can pick up on stuff fairly quickly. I have beeen doing taxidermy for 22 years, shoeing horses for 14 yeas, and saddle building and leather work for 7 years all on a professional level. I am not getting rich but I am happy and I always have work. I built my own house and I live in the west where they cant fence me in. Just wish my Dad could understand. Sounds like you and I need to get together to design a better bow quiver I am not satisfied with whats out there but I need some help with the fabrication part. Give me a shout maybe you should start building archery products!
Scott

[Sambar]

Nice thread mate I'll go next. Started my life out as a paratrooper in the Australian army when I was 17 I enjoyed my time in the forces jumping out of planes and blowing things up was great fun but not much time to yourself with all the training and operations overseas.  So I left after 6 years and managed a steel fab business and hated it, just wasn't stimulated at work enough so I joined the Ambulance service and now am a paramedic in Sydney and love it. I get plenty of time off as I work 2days 2nights then 5days off to do what I please it's great for my love for the outdoors and hunting.

 I couldn't see myself doing anything else. it has it's good and bad days like any other job but it puts food on the table and has a great work and leasure ratio for me. It has takin me a long time to realize that the rest of the world isn't like the army LOL and to adapt to civi life, but I have finally got there and now love the fact that I can plan my own life at my pace. Plus it's great for the new baby boy on the way for me to have alot of time at home to teach him all the good things in life.

[Bobby Urban]

Not sure how that happened?  cleared it though - geesh

[wapiti1997]

Hunting and fishing has kept me out of trouble my entire life.  My parents were strict and didn't allow me to go out with friends, but I could hunt, trap and fish.

I knew from the time I was 8 or so years old that I wanted to be wildlife biologist.  I trapped and commercial fished to pay my way through college.  

I began my career trapping deer and ruffed grouse for restoration projects in KY. I now work with private landowners to improve wildlife habitat.

I was fortunate enough to be part of the elk restoration here as well, I assisted with the capture and release of the first free roaming wild elk in KY since 1850, the herd now is over 10,000.

Although I can't afford to travel to exotic places and hunt, I never dread going to work. I also do free lance writing and photography.   http://joelacefield.com

[smokin feathers]

I too had a early love of the outdoors and all thats that shot being gun or bow. i use to get in trouble all the time in school for daydreaming and reading any and all huntng,bow and gun magizines i could get my hands on. i lived with my single mother in the city but during the summer and any other time I could get away i was at my grandparents in the woods. My grandpa taught me how to hunt,fish,drive and many other important things in life. I got my first real bow when I was 10 (compound) but within a few months i had a damon hunter as well.

the couple that ran the local archery shop told me as soon as I was old enough and could drive I could work for them and I sure did. I learned the trade all through high school, started shooting 3d etc with both wheels and sticks. The last semester of my senior year the shop closed and I moved out of my moms house to my grandparents. I had originally planned on joining the marines but when I got up there and got to living in the woods full time my plans changed.

My cousin who was like my brother was going to forestry school and I followed in his footsteps as a timber buyer, then I got into prescribed burning and tree planting and struck out on my own, during that time I also opened my own bow shop and thats where I am at to day!! I love working in the woods and coming home to piddle with archery on a daily basis! Lately due to the drought archery and the internet is all I do. gotta love it.

sorry so long

SF

[C Kerley]

It's ironic you should post this thread JSMO, I'm putting thought into the same thing.  I've been in the police world for 22 yrs and, depending on my options, will be done in 5-10 yrs.  I'm going to school now to get a degree in Biology, and we'll see what's available when the time gets closer.  

But, like you, every time I see someone employed in a Conservation type job I pay attention to what it is.

As for my level of happiness, that's a tough call.  There are times when I ask for permission to hunt land and the owner is ecstatic to have a police officer watching his property, and the SWAT stuff is a ball of fun.  But at times like now (3rd shift, trashy part of town) I look at the job as only a baby-sitter for the welfare trash of society.  Very, very little time is actually spent helping an average person with a problem.  In short, very likely I'd leave it tomorrow if I could figure out a way to take my retirement!

[duncan idaho]

I have been military/law enforcement/special ops/swat/narcotics all my adult life. Funny, i always wanted to be "forest ranger" and outdoor writer. I have spent the last 6 years chasing bag guys in the Middle East, currently in Iraq. It was 118 degrees today with 30 mph winds.  Sounds like a "secret agent" right? No, most of the time i dont get a shower once every three days and every major case is gutted by some "suit" sitting on his butt back in DC. I have been doing this so long that i envy most tradgangers because they appear to have a "normal" life. LOL, sorry, bad day today, I do do have a recurve with me over here.

[Huntschool]

Well, I started life as a music major.  I was a pretty good one as I was afforder scholarships and advanced placement at a number of major music schools across the US comming out of my senior year in HS.  

Truth is I spent huge amounts of time with my Dad hunting and an outside environment.

So, first year at college I get sick and have to change majors for medical reasons.  I chose to go back to bio science.  Thats about 180 deg from the fine arts area but I was good at that too.

Spent some time converting courses and building a new career path.  Did Forestry, wildlife and Ag Ed.  I sort of turned my avocation (hunting and shooting) into my occupation.  I now have two college degree programs that are the only two of their kind in the US and my graduates find employment at between 88-94% and that aint bad.

Four years ago we started a collegiate shotgun team and as of April 2011 we are the Division I National Champs....

I am livin large in Southernmost Illinois....

[Darren]

Wow, Scott pretty much summed up my life history....lol. I have to say, I love what I do for a living. I am a full time taxidermist, and I own my own studio. And I am also a guide for bear, whitetail, and waterfowl. If I want time off, I take it. If I want to go hunting, I go. Only person I have to answer to is my wife. It only takes me 20 min to get to one of my whitetail stands, and 2 min to get to my waterfowling spots. Im not going to get rich at what I do, but I am happy, and I get to spend all kinds of time with my girls. Last night I was in the middle of mounting a bear, and I thought to myself, this would be a good time to take a break and go shoot at some 3-D targets in the back. So I strung up my longbow and shot for 40 min, then went back to work. Today i'm mounting a 3/4 mount black bear, then after that, I will see what the rest of the week brings me. Oh yeh, Jeanpaul3006's pedistal moose mount !!!

[Pepper]

Originally posted by Bobby Urban:
Mike - it was a crutiate ligament tear.  I have a ton of great information on the surgery and my best friend is one of the best surgeons in the world - literally.  If you Google his name there are pages of his accomplishments.  If you are anywhere near Rochester NY I will suggest/recommend his clinic performing the surgery.  I am in Michigan so I took him to the MSU vet hostpital where Steve(my friend used to teach)  I think he was more worried than me and he was speaking with the surgeon, anesthesiologist and critical care manager of the hospital the whole way through.  Surgery went great and recovery is in process.  If you want some information that we as non-doctors can understand PM me your email and I will forward you the link my friend Steve sent me.  

Best of luck with your dog and keep in touch.  It is tough to see your buddy in pain.  

Bob Urban

?  :confused:

[GWC]

i started out as a carpenter working for my dad,not a big company,just the two of us.but every friday we took off early and went fishing,always enjoyed it.worked on a gamefarm for awhile,loved that too.but ten years ago i started working for a window cleaning company and made much better money doin that and better hours.five years ago i started my own window cleaning company and love it.i take off when i want,make my own hours.it pays the bills,although not much ever makes it to the bank.but bottom line,i get to spend more time with my three yr old boy and five year old girl and my wife than than most guys i know.and they can go to work with me whenever they want,which they do fairly often.during the late fall and winter,i spend alot of time trapping,and my family enjoys checking my line with me,plus they now each have a bow and arrows so we shoot together.im 34 now,i could work  more hours and have more money but id rather make memories with my kids now,and hope to be as great a dad as mine was.

[Terry Lightle]

Pipefitter,got into fabrication at 18 and will be 55 on July 15

[longbowray]

Went in to usmc at 17 did 2 year and been a high voltage linemen for the past 21 yr and love my job and thank God for it daily , have been bowhunting from the age of 8 kill my frist deer 6 day before I turn 9 with a old bear and a dead head havent look back . God bless

[Jake Diebolt]

I went to college for Fish and Wildlife, hoping to get a job in the outdoors up here in Ontario. The jobs just weren't there (permanent ones, at least), which spelled trouble as I had a family to look after. So I took a Geographic Information Systems course at my college to try and get into a field with more work. I actually enjoy the work most of the time; it's often challenging, but sometimes tedious. I'm better at it than I was at field work, for sure, and the working hours mean I have weekends free to spend with my family...and maybe fit in a little archery   .

[MTArrowLauncher]

Detention Officer,  and Prostaffer for a National gun Manufacturer, and going to school for a Criminal Justice degree.

I envy Scott a lot, Ive always wanted to be a taxidermist.

[bolong]

I started college in 1971. I majored in Physical Education with the intent to go into coaching. After 2 years I decided college wasn't really for me and married my highschool sweetheart. By the way we just had our 38th wedding anniverasy on June 15th. I worked about3 years at a machine shop learning the trade. Then a hunting and fishing buddy of mine who was a firefighter told me about an opening on the Fire Department. The thought of working 24 on and 48 off was very appealing to me. The pay wasn't great but had great benefits. I had been married a couple of years at the time and no kids yet so I applied and got the job. I did more hunting and fishing than the law should allow. I worked my way up through the ranks and became Chief in 1997. I retired January 7, 2011 after a 36 year career. Since then I purchased an accellerant detecting K-9 and started my own business investigating fires. So far it is working out pretty good. A little extra income and still plenty of time to do what I have loved all my life, hunt and fish.

[abbatoys]

17 years as a police officer, current swat operator on the entry team using all kinds of high tech stuff...Nice on my off days to be able to get back to the simpler things like my longbow and recurve. Wish I had the patience and imagination to do the taxidermy thing too....Scott

[GRINCH]

Joined the Navy in 1973 stayed 22 years,weny to work at a repair facility for heavy aircraft,737,757,airbus worked there for 6 years,went overseas for a year,now I'm working on helicopters for the army been a good 6 years with them,it's fun and challenging work.My experience with traditional hunting as been a great diversion to the pressures of every day life.

[Recurve50 LBS]

Been out of work since December. I am a licenced Boiler Operator. Any one hiring?