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78Westy
Trad climber
bored in my office
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 16, 2011 - 03:10pm PT
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Before this goes any further, I know, I'm going to die.
I'm considering quitting a $100k per year job and applying to the DNC to go live in Yosemite. I've been a cook and dishwasher before, I can certainly do it again.
To be honest, I'm not a great climber. I'm 33. No kids. Great girlfriend who told me she applied to a couple of jobs this morning. The rack I have built is reasonable. My experience is limited. I've led a bunch of the easy climbs including the grack, After 6, Munginella, Bishops Terrace etc and followed some stuff up to 5.10a. I don't know self rescue, but have the books and that is next on my list of things to learn.
But I feel dead in an office job and alive when I'm in the mountains, so my heart would feel like it is the right move.
Here is my conundrum. I'm in good physical shape, but my health kind of sucks. I've been through testicular cancer, and currently have another autoimmune disease that requires me taking cellcept. I work in a chemistry lab and I think a bunch of it is due to what I'm exposed to and the stress levels it causes.
Has anyone bought health insurance privately, particularly with some pre-existing conditions? I feel like I should have at least disaster insurance.
Who have you gone with? Am I going to be broke after a couple of years? Can I expect to get some insurance through DNC after 150 days? What is the likelyhood of being able to stay over the winter?
Thanks in advance. And I'm going to die, I know.
Matt
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 16, 2011 - 03:11pm PT
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Yeah, plus yer gonna die abused, despised, and broke. But, hey, its yer life.
Climb on!
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Prod
Trad climber
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Jun 16, 2011 - 03:19pm PT
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If you drive a 78 westy, then you are crazy.
Other than that your meds might cost you a bunch. I have asthma and have to shell out $90 a month for drugs, and my insurance was 20% more expensive than it would have been had I not had asthma. Currently paying $220 a month for a 5k deductable 80/20 policy.
If you don't like your job move on. Yosemite might be a nice place to live for a season or 2, but look it as a I'm here to enjoy myself and figure what's next. Going from 100k to 30k would be tough to get used to, especially if you don't already budget and save. You are most likely to getting what you want, eating out, etc. Can't do too much of that on 30k...
Good luck!
Prod.
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Jun 16, 2011 - 03:33pm PT
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I think DNC sucks, but Yosemite is awesome. Curry was a better company to work for, though some of their rules were very rigid, like having to have short hair.
Yes you will get insurance. Pre-existing conditions aren't covered for one year though and if you get really sick and cant work, then you can lose your housing.
Like Ekat says.. You can work at badger pass in the winter if you are a decent employee.
They will work you as much as they possibly can. 6 day weeks starting out are normal. Double shifts also. I did fine financially, but then I am low maintenance and have always been a saver and I worked a lot. But you wont own anything new. Except maybe some cams.
The park is also busier for longer each year, so its not like the old days. I don't like the park as much now versus even just 20 years ago.
What is your current work? Can you get back into it if you leave for a year? In this economy? Seems like a better plan would be to work, save every dollar that you can, then take a year off. Go traveling and find a new place to live. One with decent paying work and a good place to play. The Denver/Boulder area seems like a good bet. If you also like winter.
Edit: who the heck makes 30 thou in the park, besides management, park rangers, and maintenance crew and maybe chefs? Dish washers certainly don't.
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Jun 16, 2011 - 03:35pm PT
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I just went through the same process and was short listed for a management postion in the Valley with DNC. It all fell apart when we start talking about salary and benefits. What they talked about at the first interview and what was discussed at the third was considerably different.
I was willing to drop down a fair bit to live there for a few years but I wasn't willing to go that low and then have to crawl back out of it at a later time. Looking at the El Cap reports the last few weeks I have wondered if I made the right decision but in reality I wouldn't have been up on the big stone anyhow.
In the end I decided to stay where I'm working and switched to working 4 10's. I explained everything to my director and he thinks I"m going through some mid life thing and realized that I was about to leave so gave in. I always have a 3 day weekend which is allowing me more time to play locally. I'm also think I've become more productive at work as well.
Not sure if that is an option to you, but in this economy it's hard to leave a well paid job. I done the dirt bag full time climber thing in the pass and I know there are plenty of cons to go with the benefits.
Maybe try to take a sabatical or something to get you through. A month in the valley without pay, etc...
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
www.climbaddictdesigns.com
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Jun 16, 2011 - 03:47pm PT
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Rokjox - It's one thing to have an opinion but there's no reason to rantingly ram YOUR reasonings down another's throat. You make some valid points(particularly the insurance).
BUT
Never underestimate to negative power of a job someone is stuck in. It CAN cause illness, and the stress of being stuck and unhappy can really cause a person to sink into melancholy.
The OP will survive. He will do fine. He can jump, and the net will appear. It may not be the net YOU feel is needed to be safe; it probably won't even be the one the OP would imagine is the safety net, but it will be there nonetheless. Everyone survives whatever sh#t they step into. The chances of actually DYING because of walking away from a career are likely a LOT less than getting killed driving on the way to/from work.
There's a lot worse things that can happen in a person's life than to step into a low-paying, crappy job to be in Yosemite for a season or so, and find out it sucks to work as a cook/server at the cafeteria. Like finding out it sucks to be working for a decade or so in a job that you can no longer stand....
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LuckyNeck
Trad climber
the basement of Lou's Tavern
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Jun 16, 2011 - 03:57pm PT
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Money isn't everything. Then again, your job and your location shouldn't be allowed to dictate your enjoyment of life. That's an opinion I guess.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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Jun 16, 2011 - 04:09pm PT
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I didn't read all the replies, but my question is that if you are making good money now, why would you apply for a $7 an hour (or whatever they pay) job? Why don't you just not work for a while?
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78Westy
Trad climber
bored in my office
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 16, 2011 - 04:12pm PT
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So just to clarify a few things.
I totally believe that lifestyle choices influence your health. Just for fun, google the before and after pictures of the presidents.
The drop in income is fine with me. I fully realize what dropping from 100k per year to 15-20k per year does for you. PB&J is one of my favorites. I was just as happy, actually happier, as a grad student earning 16k a year in Boulder. I've saved a decent chunk of my salary for the last 5 years and enough to not worry for a few years if I had at least a 15-20k per year job.
Being broke only makes you unhappy if you envy all of the useless crap that other people have. Unless that useless crap turns out to be your health.
The main point is that whenever I tell people I'm thinking about this, they look at me like I'm crazy. I just want to start living life like it was meant to be lived...outside a cubicle.
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78Westy
Trad climber
bored in my office
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 16, 2011 - 04:22pm PT
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I have already tried the 4 10's and leave of absence deal. No dice. I would love it if possible.
My training is a PhD in chemistry. I'm a lab jockey. SF is about as close of a place I can get to somewhere I really want to be. I've applied to multiple places in Utah and Colorado where there might be work, but I haven't found much. The funny thing is that I'm too expensive and too educated for a lot of the jobs that are currently available.
Rokjox - you make a ton of sense. Thanks for the input. I know you need continuous health care and that it would only be a bridge until the DNC would pick it up.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jun 16, 2011 - 04:24pm PT
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Do what your heart tells you to do. How do you define success?
I know what you mean about insurance, that's kind of a given.
but what does $100k do for you?
I quit my job after 22 years, not making what you are, but a pretty
high 5 figure salary. Got a piddly pension check, finished school,
and am now searching for a job in an elementary school. Jobs are tight
these days, but I wouldn't have done anything differently. I'll be able
to climb more, do something beneficial, and be happy.
I'm not saying everything is roses, nor may it be for you,
but you won't know until you try.
Best of luck!!!!@
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78Westy
Trad climber
bored in my office
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 16, 2011 - 04:28pm PT
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Rokjox - My immunosupressants are for a condition that isn't life threatening, just a huge pain in the ass. I was on them for 4 years when first diagnosed, but when I first moved to the bay area I went without them for 3 years, but recently had to go back on them. Stress and food are key factors. Vegan = no drugs. Vegetarian and Meat Eater = drugs.
I can get rid of the immunosupressants.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Jun 16, 2011 - 04:34pm PT
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Interesting problem Money or Location.
I partially solved this by becoming a vendor for DNC. Thus I get to go up there for business all the time.
It can be hard making less money. Being single it may be easy for you to shift gears, especially if you buy everything you ever need before you quit.
Depends on your DNC job too. They could stick you in a poorly lit cubicle with no outside windows even though you're in the Village.
I've thought about this whole problem quite a bit. I think I prefer to make more money in the city and be free to goof off in the mountains.
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just_one
Mountain climber
CA
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Jun 16, 2011 - 04:49pm PT
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you are not crazy. you are just one of the people who can see the light. live the dream! if you have a dream, then I think you have an obligation to go after it. maybe it won't work out, but you won't know until you try, and knowing is half the battle! best of luck to you. i am in the process of trying to escape the rut as well.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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Jun 16, 2011 - 04:58pm PT
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Just a different perspective. Get a Federal Government Job. After three years you will get 6 hours vacation every 2 weeks as well as 4 hours of sick leave every two weeks. Probable flex time thrown in. Medical and dental comparable with industry. Retirement, comparable to industry. Certainly parts of your job will be boring but (assuming that you are a degreed chemist) some may be pretty cool. Work is a four letter word afterall. Just a thought that if the cubicle is killing you then I can't see flippin burgers in Yosemite.
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OR
Trad climber
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Jun 16, 2011 - 05:18pm PT
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Matt You sound like a bright guy. I'm thinking you are not planning on spending the rest of your life in the Valley. You want to get a taste of that life and climb a bunch. That sounds like a great plan. Get your insurance figured out and do it. You can always go back to your old life. I essentially did the same thing 20 years ago and with a little bit of luck timing and confidence( imo the most important part, mentally) things worked out just fine. My story as follows:
-Graduated college
-Moved out west to SF with friends to get real job
-Got semi real shitty job and got climbing bug
-Quit real job and got job at North Face and climbing gym in Berkeley
-Got the Yosimite thing that you now have
-Moved to Valley and worked for Curry&co.
-Quit Curry and moved to Camp 4 to climb
-Free climbed my ass off every day. Climbed a bunch of walls and met cool people
-Moved to NYC looking for a job in finance/trading.
-Got an interview with a firm run buy a guy who was obsessed with climbing but couldnt climb 5.3. ( this was pure luck)
-Had a fun 15 year career in institutional equity trading, got married to an awsome girl I met in the biz, and just quit my job! ( no im not a rich Walls Street ahole)
-Now im chilling in my place in VT and turning a new leaf over in life.
The point is I took a shitty job in Yosimite so I could experience the Valley and it was a great choice for me. Do it!
PS limit you Deli sessions cuz its fun but not good for the liver or career ;)
Good luck!
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Al_Smith
climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jun 16, 2011 - 06:05pm PT
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FWIW, I had a similar experience. Left my job on the trading floor at an investment bank in Fall '09. Had stayed for longer than I probably should have. Was working 12+ hours/day and waking up at 3 am every morning. Non stop stress and the nocturnal hours had whittled me down over a couple of years. Was afraid to leave - 'tough job market, you have a good job now..don't blow it, what if you can't find/afford an apt when you try to return to SF, the climbing bug will dissipate if you just hang tight, etc, etc, etc.' But decided to make the leap and its been amazing.
Tried to get a job in Yosemite, but was unsuccessful...I spent the year traveling and working on a great many projects. Got my health back, went to the Alps for a long stint, traveled like crazy, caught up with old friends, etc. It was scary at times, but I have no regrets at all.
Now, fortunately, but perhaps predictably, I'm back in the financial markets. My work is much less stressful than the previous gig, and I'm quite at peace. There were plenty of momentary tinges of fear/regret (as in, 'what the hell was I thinking...I've ruined my whole life...and I'm going broke at breakneck speed.') Now its clear that that fear is basic biology. It is supposed to be scary to walk away from a secure food source, etc. But its exhilarating, and as long as you leave the old gig gracefully, there is always a way back into the industry.
Go live your dream. You'll be fine. And if nothing else, it will make for one helluva story. All future interviewers will not only think that gap in your resume is cool/interesting, they'll actually be jealous! 'You quit your job to climb El Cap?' 'Damn right I did, and it was awesome!...I'm into setting really big goals and accomplishing them, I'm a free thinker, a mover and a shaker, and I've seen a lot of things, learned a lot, and am ready to apply that drive here for your firm...blah, blah, blah...'
Good luck!!!
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Jun 16, 2011 - 07:38pm PT
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No you are not. If you don't do it you will regret it in the years to come. Get out there, tick tick tick. You never get it back. Even if you end up realizing the grass was greener you will know.
Erik
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Hawkeye
climber
State of Mine
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Jun 16, 2011 - 07:48pm PT
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it will be amazing to see how climbs that once seemed impossible, you are pulling off with relative ease.
i have a different perspective. if you are not climbing up to your potential now, then its not your jobs fault. it takes drive and determination in whatever path you choose. there are plenty of examples of excellent climbers who also were professionals. George Lowe, Steve Hong for instance.
if you dont have the drive now, then i have a hard time thinking that by not working you will all of a sudden gain it. but with today's access to gyms (yes it seems like a dirty word but is optimal for getting better at climbing faster) and working out that might even cut your stress level down.the other thing to look at is a different job with more flexibility in an area easily accessible to climbing. that can be Colorado, SLC and any number of places. if the mountains rock your boat then try Seattle.
if the motivation is to hard to come by now, i fail to see how it will get there by quitting the challenge that is immediately in front of you. getting to be a better climber and reaching higher goals are more about grim determination than quitting something difficult (ie: your job).
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Jun 16, 2011 - 08:39pm PT
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Maybe relocating to another place where you can climb or do stuff outdoors after work would be a good compromise. Take a salary cut but improve the balance ....
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