I am a college student who, like many others, is questioning what I want to do with my life, and if the path I'm currently on is the right one.
I really want to travel the world and climb mountains. There are so many places I want to see and summits I want to make, but I'm currently studying to become a doctor and a lot of times I don't feel like I'll ever have the time or ability to pursue my dreams. So, I've been thinking of alternate career choices.

I see a lot of people who are mountaineers/climbers/skiers etc. and do that stuff all the time. But I'm wondering, how do they have money to do this? To travel and buy equipment and live to be in the mountains all the time? How do they make a living?

Thank you to anyone who can help me understand this. If anyone also has suggestions to how I can combine my love for medicine and climbing, that would be great too!

Welcome to the club! I recently graduated from college where my love for climbing and travelling really took off. Before starting college I thought I wanted to get a job right away and work my way up.....blah blah blah

I started taking my interest in the outdoors to the next level and became friends with a bunch of mountaineers/climbers. Soon enough, all I wanted to do is climb and travel. The way I manage to be able to afford it was to completely re-evaluate what is needed in life. Growing up I was told of all the things you need to buy or have for a comfortable existence. Well, let me be the first to say that my parents were wrong about this subject.

Buying gear is something you have to do but when you travel you don't ever need a hotel, and while in college it's not too hard to pay only $150/200 for rent per month if you get an apartment and have a couple roommates. I always bought my own gas and car insurance but I was lucky to have my parents support me with tuition and food.

I have a friend who climbs more than anyone I know who is currently in nursing school. He climbed every day last summer but hasn't climbed or skid much of anything since his classes started this past September. I really don't see how it's possible to climb all the time as a doctor though. That takes much more time and commitment than nursing.

Upon my graduation in May 2012, I took a whole year off to travel/climb on money I saved. I finally got a job in the oil industry and IMO, working in the oil or mining industry is the best way to climb and travel often because the work schedules typically are rotating which means you work 2 weeks then get 2 weeks off.

With my love for climbing the way it is now, I simply would not work a job that didn't provide lots of time off or was in an undesirable location (like anywhere east of Denver). I would easily turn down a job if it was in Texas or in the Gulf of Mexico no matter how well it paid.

It's not easy to do right away but if you sacrifice material things and decide how much you really love your current career path, you may be able to make it work. I can say it's nearly impossible to climb a lot if you have a career. If you simply have a job it's WAY easier. The trick is to find a good paying job and avoid having a career

I currently don't have an address, I'm not paying rent and don't want a house. I keep my life in my car at all times and since my work provides housing, I simply camp when I'm off.

Good luck!

Edit: Don't let me convince you to quit pursuing the medical field. That's a path that will help others and is an awesome way to live. If you can successfully make your climbing dreams work with being a doctor you have my utmost respect. In reality, climbers are pretty selfish people but when you realize how short life really is, you have to make your first priority to live your life the way that makes you the happiest. No matter what it is, if you are happy you are living life to the fullest. I help people as much as I can but I can't see myself making a career out of it. If you can do it, and enjoy lots of adventures, you have my highest level of respect.

BN:

I agree with a lot of what Matt said above. I'm a physician, and although I have a pretty understanding (and very gracious wife), I would climb more often than I do. I think a lot of this is about deciding what's important to you, and importantly what will be important to you later in your life, which is not an easy thing to do, and is just human nature. I moved to Colorado since I always wanted to live near, if not in the mountains, and that's been my plan since I was very young. I had to put a lot of my dreams on hold for many years, but I'm very happy where I am now, and wouldn't change much of it or trade what I've done.

Of course, years ago when I was in college, if I lived closer to the mountains, I could have put climbing near the top of my priorities. Now with a family, climbing falls behind my family, and job (career, to Matt's point). Depending on where you go to school later (if you do), you could likely do both and keep your options open for later.

In the end you should do whatever makes you happiest. Someone once told me to "follow my bliss", and it's worked for me. To each his/her own.

Of course, when I sign summit registers around here, and see Matt's signature on a lot of them, I still get a little bit jealous from time to time!

Good luck!

Woodie

The 3 best things about teaching are June, July, and August.

I worked for years trying to make my profession in geology work with my desire to climb more - finally gave it up and started teaching.

My wife is getting close with finishing med school. From my vantage point, she has very little time to indulge in hobbies, and that is not likely to change during residency. But she has been on rotations with several physicians who have chosen to work less and have more free time. In general, the next generation of physicians is more inclined to go that route than the older docs who need to buy second homes, nice cars, etc... If you are OK with making say 200k/yr as opposed to double that, you can have a lot of free time.

And if you are into family practice, there are a lot of programs in rural, mountainous parts of the country hurting for physicians that will pay back your loans, pay you a good salary, and give you insane vacation time and benefits.

I am myself a teacher. A job with two weeks paid vacation is not something I could ever do, so finding a way around that was priority number 1.

quit school, sell 90% of your stuff, and live out of your car or a tent. get a seasonal job, work for a few months while climbing, quit job, climb/travel full time for a few months, repeat.

I'm a goldsmith and jewelry designer and was lucky to find the place where I'm at now....much harder to find available jobs in that field here in WY where there are not very many stores. I work a ton during the winter, from October - March, but our slowest time is June - Sept which works out great. I get paid piece work, so as long as the work is done I can leave. I'd say your best bet is to live as close as possible to the mountains. I'm not SUPER close, but 2 hrs is close enough and I'm 45 minutes from Devil's Tower. The place you work for can have a drastic affect. My employers want me to have my own time and will let me take whatever days I want as long as the work is done. I used to climb 4 days a week in my 20's and lived closer to how Matt described, and was very happy. happy now too, but just in a different place. Don't let anyone tell you your dream is stupid.

One of my old climbing partners is a Pediatric Intensive Care Doctor. He arranged his schedule where he would be 4 days on/3 days off/3 days on/4 days off. And the days he was on, if he didn't have a patient that was attempting their best to die, he could be within 15 minutes of the hospital (which was convienent since the local climbing gym was 3 minutes away (7 minutes if there was a train going by). He was very dedicated to his profession, but also had a few first ascents of 5.13 trad routes while he was a doctor. Myself, I am a PhD in Chemistry, polymer chemistry, but currently work in controlled release of pharmaceuticals (ie: Xience DES was my last device) but have used the tract to move around the world to experience mountains worldwide, and now living in a mountain town with climbing 5-30 minutes away.

When you just get out of school (residency for a doctor) its easy to climb all you want. For me, I'm a fulltime single dad, in a relationship, recovering from a major mountain biking accident (7 fractures in my cervical region between C4-C7). I take my family, seriously, enjoy my job, and like to climb. For me. I gave up high paying jobs, for research work I enjoy, family time I appreciate, and get to get outside climbing often. With everything in my life, this week I skied up the local mountain to take pictures of the Milky Way, fell off a 5.13 crack (working my way back from partial paralysis) and took my kids to the Disney movie "Frozen" with my girlfriend, and will probably ski one more day for more photos, and climb another day. Being content with a simpler life has its benefits. Find a balance, and maybe you'll find happiness.

As for expenses. Make your purchases of gear strategically and wisely. You don't need a lot of gear (and most people have more than they need), but the gear you have, make it count. What you want is experiences, not stuff.

Partially paralyzed and still climbing 5.13??? Holy cow!

No, climbing 5.12 and falling off of .13's... In July it was rough because I could barely do a pullup and in some motions could only lift 5 lbs if that (moves affected by the nerves at C5 and C6).Still don't have feelings in parts of my hands (index fingers and middle finger, but for crack climbing, that's not all that bad of a thing) Lots on physical therapy, lots of weights, lots of help from friends. Have a long way to go still...

The important thing it taught me is to appreciate all aspects of life, and those who are in it, because literally in a blink of an eye, it could all be taken away.


As for BriannaNicole, if working with people is a passion, go for it (being a doctor), but many of your coworkers will have priorities of having it all, but think about the balance. Its possible to get out climbing, hiking, travel (especially if you find a practice in a mountain town) where things are close. But to have a prestigious practice (ie: really long hours usually in a larger city) and getting out probably is only a dream, for most (there may be outliers). Also talk to Liba from this site. She is a doctor if I remember right, and has seemed to struck a balance.

If you check her profile (always do that for OP's just to see what their perspective is), it appears she is an undergraduate.

as for keeping things cheap, try to do your medical school in California at a public school. They are pretty good and your tuition will be much cheaper than most other medical schools.

As for how do people who dirt bag it. I know some guys who do it, (one who used to be in the medical field). They live quite a few miles outside of town (rent is cheaper), bike into work everyday (irregardless how heavy the snowfall it is, but cheaper than owning a car), work in food service industries (since they get fed).

as for falling off the crack... still don't have the endurance for the overhanging ringlock section, but that will come

Steve1215 wrote:

Matt Lemke wrote:Partially paralyzed and still climbing 5.13??? Holy cow!

I could be a quadriplegic and fall off a 5.13 crack. A 400 lb used car salesman can fall off a 5.13 crack!



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I can fall off a 5.13 crack too!

However I will also fall off an 11 crack...footwork on the tiny stuff is my Achilles heel

Matt Lemke wrote:I can fall off a 5.13 crack too!

However I will also fall off an 11 crack...footwork on the tiny stuff is my Achilles heel

try sandstone splitter cracks. Sometimes there are no feet (ie: Learning to Fly) so no footwork is required

I have but the ones I have done are in the 10 range. Sandstone splitters are my favorite