What do you do for a living?

[Pony Soldier]

I think we have done this before but---. I'm kinda retired - off and on. I was a fisheries biologist, geologist, mining engineer, mine manager, professor and rancher. Now I assist people in finding placer gold, government permits, put up hay, and train horses.

Retirement means I work under my terms and limitations. Hopefully I will mine gold on my claim this summer, put up my winters wood, hay and cut trails for hunting. There might be some consulting and for sure there will be recon for new elk ground.

I have taken every day of elk season off since the 80s and that isn't going to change.

 

[RadialJett]

Airline pilot. Lots of ways to make time for hunting. Get’s harder to make time for family and hunting. For younger single folks the job really gives you ultimate freedom. I’ve met folks that live in an RV, move it wherever they want to hang out and commute to work from there. Another guy kept a backpack at the airport, when we finished work he hopped a flight to Switzerland for the weekend. And, if you already fly airplanes, its easier to incorporate light aircraft into your life and get remote in a hurry.

 

[chucko]

Land surveyor in Alaska travelled most of the state usually with a gun in hand seen a ton of remote land . I have been charged by bears played merry go around with moose behind trees had a mountain goat charge me and not leave me alone for a 1/2 hour that was as scary as any bear charge, Had a pilot fall asleep at the yoke of a 180 crossing the Yukon flats. All kinds of fun stupid stuff .

 

[IDVortex]

Land surveyor in Alaska travelled most of the state usually with a gun in hand seen a ton of remote land . I have been charged by bears played merry go around with moose behind trees had a mountain goat charge me and not leave me alone for a 1/2 hour that was as scary as any bear charge, Had a pilot fall asleep at the yoke of a 180 crossing the Yukon flats. All kinds of fun stupid stuff .

Glad to hear you picked a low stress job.

 

[as.ks.ak]

I am an operator for a municipal water and wastewater system in “remote” SE AK. Lots of things within those two systems to keep a guy busy. Not to mention help with other public works needs.

I also own a small custom sewing gig on the side. Take on as much work as I want at a time..this site has taught me there will always be plenty of it. I more do it because I love designing things I discover I need/want in the field…havent sewed nearly as much since having a second son and buying a new house and turning the old one into a rental…

Working for the muni I have incredible benefits, a job that’s never going anywhere with solid leave. Pay is very competitive as well. I get to rip on my four wheeler right from my driveway in the spring and drive straight to my bait station to bait bears, I can walk from my front door on foot to start my goat hunts. I get just shy of 5 weeks of PTO a year and will get a bump to 6 weeks here in a few years when I hit 10 years of service.

Not much to complain about. Living remote in AK has its own struggles. But so far those have not outweighed the benefits. Like keys left in the
ignition, front door that’s never locked, and a commute to work that’s driven by my lambourfeeties.

Someday I’ll have a plane and a nice big hangar to sew all sorts of goodies backcountry try related. Maybe some stuff related to the aviation industry, maybe do some upholstery?

My life goal is to continue to hunt white critters with black or yellow horns into my late 60s. I’d love to harvest a sheep and goat in my 70s.

Work plans are lather rinse and repeat until my kids are grown. Build a nice retirement while slowly building the rental property income. Maybe get into guiding closer towards retirement once my boys are a bit older. That’ll get me afield and make a decent supplemental income while being on PTO. Feels like I’m trending in the right direction.

I should add, I worked in the tourist industry when I first arrived up here, and I must say— i MUCH prefer dealing with people’s shit rather than dealing with shitty people.

 

[mi650]

Who is John Galt?


I was in warehousing for 30 years, the last 8 of which I had my own company. Covid killed it, so for the last almost 3 years, I've 'gone Galt'.