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Welcome to episode 9 of ‘Boards, Beer & BS’ the Snomie.com snowboard podcast.
What is this ‘Boards, Beer & BS’ about?
In this episode of ‘Boards, Beer & BS: The Snomie.com Snowboard Podcast’, I talk about careers that give you the most freedom to snowboard and get the amount of days on snow that you desire.
Topics and links from episode 9:
- How to snowboard 100+ days a year
- Work to play vs. play as work
- Careers that fit snowboard freedom the best
- Why snowboard related jobs aren’t always that great
- What about entrepreneurship to get freedom to snowboard? Is starting your own business for everyone?
- Why college is really really hit or miss for most people
Job summaries and breakdown:
Work to play pluses:
- ‘Safer’ option (your route is planned and expected if you pick a professional job)
- Separation between work and play
Work to play minuses:
- Might take longer and cost more money for a professional career requiring university and training (eg. engineering, dentistry, doctor)
- You might not get as much free time to snowboard as you’d like
- It can take time to get into a situation where your career grants you more snowboard freedom
Play as work pluses:
- You typically get more time to do what you love from the start
Play as work minuses:
- You might lose some love for what you enjoy once it becomes your job
- Career path isn’t as clear and set our in a lot of ‘play as work’ jobs (future not guaranteed like a professional job)
Careers that fit best for freedom to snowboard:
- Professional jobs that leave some freedom on weekends/off time (eg. engineering, dentistry, radiologist, ship/yatch workers)
- Work from a computer jobs (graphic designers, web developers, programmers – set your own hours in a lot of cases)
- Location based jobs (eg. Vancouver where most average jobs have more freedom to snowboard due to close vicinity to ski resorts / or working at a ski resort in a normal job)
- Snowboard related jobs (eg. snowboard coaches, working in the industry)
- Entrepreneurs (start your own business and set your own hours)
Why snowboard related jobs aren’t always great:
- Blurred line between work and play time
- Pay isn’t always great (eg. snowboard coaching for resorts)
- May be ‘snowboard related’ but no different from non snowboard jobs with lack of snowboard time
Working for yourself pluses (entrepreneurship):
- You set your own hours and choose your own field
- You can create passive income (earn money while you sleep)
- Your income is limited by your creativity and skill (sky is the limit)
Working for yourself minuses (entrepreneurship):
- You have no future guaranteed path (no ‘safe’ or ‘traditional’ path to follow)
- No set working hours (always on the clock even when you relax)
- You’re responsible for your income (you get paid based on how well/hard you work)
- You have to be a set type of person (positive, willing to adapt and constantly learn and improve)
Why college is hit or miss:
- Most students don’t graduate in time (5 years for a 4 year degree)
- High debt after graduating
- Less than half of all college graduates end up using their degree in the field they studied
- For the ‘career’ jobs (eg. accounting, dentistry, medicine, engineering) college is required, but for non-career jobs the benefits of college are very questionable (and often not worth it)
Hosts:
- Jedidiah Tan – Snowboard instructor, founder of Snomie.com
Pictures from my recent travels to the Dead Sea: