what would you do?

[surfingwasteland]

I was given a job offer being a wilderness therapist in St. George Utah the other day, meaning I would be going in the Utah Wilderness biweekly, camping, surviving, and helping recovering drug addicts get over addiction/ people suffering from severe depression cope. I had plans on moving west at the end of september (nothern cali or Oregon), so leaving Rhode Island isn't the problem. The issue I am facing now is Do I follow my future plans and take the job to get my foot into the outdoor industry, or do I follow surfing and hope I can find the right career path out in the PNW.

Heres some points to touch on both:

St. George Utah.
-6.5 hours from the southern california coast
-Bi weekley schedule, one week on, one week off= lots of time to travel
-10,000+ dollar pay cut
- empowering experience
-excellent resume builder
-doing the other stuff (not surfing) that I love and getting paid for it
- Saving a ****load of money on rent (living with co-workers)

Pacific North West
- Exploring the unknown, including the job search
- Unreal landscape
- Surfing
- No guarantee of any money at all
- Close to water and mountains
-My girlfriend wouldn't have a nervous breakdown because I wouldn't be away for half the year


I love surfing, but I love challenge and experience. Surfing is the number one factor holding me back from pulling the plug and just going for the job. so if you could answer as non biased as possible I would appreciate it.

If there was anyone else that was faced with a like decision, id like to hear your input

[Swellinfo]

I guess it depends on how important surfing is to you.
Think long term and not just the next year.

Imagine this scenario, you got into an accident and hurt your leg and could never surf again.
Then how would this change your decision?

[surfingwasteland]

Experience is the most important thing in my life. Surfing is a new experience every session, but so is life. Everyday holds something different.

In regards to the accident scenario.... Honestly I dont think like that. When I was 9, I got hit in the head with a golf club, suffered a shattered skull and brain damage. I was told I would never be able to talk again. I wasn't allowed to ride a bike, participate in contact sports, or do anything that put me at any risk. 2 years later I regained full speech, started a life of skating and surfing and am perfectly normal to this day. From that day forward I knew that no matter what I would try to do whatever I wanted, regardless of the situation.

It brings me to the question of is it surfing that I love, or the feeling I get when Im surfing? I guess this is why I am stuck.

[Gfootr]

Taking your Girl out of the equation.

Utah will take your breath away, and the experience will be life changing... you may never get this chance again.

I absolutely love surfing, can't live without it, but I don't get to go every day - I usually have to go a week between sessions.

A 6.5 hour drive to the coast every other week seems like you can have your cake and surf it too.

[MFitz73]

this situation seems to me like you are asking for the best possible way to mix orange juice and milk.... Some might say, he man, its only surfing... where others might say, dude, follow the waves cause its obviously your passion...
so you can't mix oj and milk... you can't, from what it seems, accept this job if you are so passionate about surfing.
seems like this is a job that would require you to give your 100% to the people that are there for your help... not gonna last long there if all you do is think about the waves. just my 2cents...

[Bronze Whaler]

this situation seems to me like you are asking for the best possible way to mix orange juice and milk....so you can't mix oj and milk... you can't...

Costa Ricans mix OJ with milk all day- actually its really good

[Erock]

No way in hell I could do it. The worst 4 years of my life were in college at NCSU--just two hours from my home. Not having unlimited access to salt water messed me up. I thought before hand it wouldn't be that bad.... but it was, that and more. This, and I still came home every summer to live at the beach and teach sailing and kayaking, so I wasn't trapped in Raleigh but my absence from something I had literally grown up with at my fingertips for a month or more at a time had serious ill effects on me.

People say you learn things about yourself in college--I sure as hell did. There is absolutely no way I will ever live outside the coastal region.

Why not apply to be a NOLS leader in Baja?

[purpleheadedyogurtslinger]

dude you can always come back to the beach. I lived in lake tahoe north lake for a winter (about 6 months total) and didn't surf a single day but boarded over 100 days in 6 months! Mind blowing experience probably the coolest thing I have ever done. Go to utah and climb around on some boulders, shred some mountain bike trails, ride dirt bike and get it in because life is short. You will not regret it, the beach is always here.

[shark-hunter]

Don't do it! We need you giving the surf report. You can't give a surf report from Utah. And anybody emailing you telling you you're overcalling it needs a mental exam. If anything, you're undercalling it slightly.

[Jaime L]

one week on, one week off, sounds like an excellent surf schedule. You would have all week to surf out and that would give you time for exploring a lot of coastline in the PNW. It is tougher when you only get one day off a week. Plus it is nice to have a job lined up before you make such a big move. You will then have time to look for a job that will provide 24/7 ocean access in the future. Good luck.