Do I take the plunge?

hawaii is a good goal.
careful of that 'gettin what you asked for thing....as in....
(ITS HOW BIG?)...

 

Dude, you are exactly where I was in 1993 when I graduated college. My advice: Take the job for a while.

I graduated college with a serious, serious wanderlust and desire to travel. But I got a job in my field right off the bat, then another one at a better place a year later. After six years, I was 28, still young, still restless. I saved some dough, quit and travelled Latin America for 8 months and had the time of my life. It's a trip that has left me with no regrets (very important to ward off the mid life crisis)

But I was super glad to have those six years on my resume when I came back. I filled in the 8 month gap as "freelancer" and "language student" (I did become fluent in Spanish) and found it easy to get an even better job when I got back. Take the job for a while, get some experience..but don't ignore the itch forever...

 

As good of a advice you're going to get. People so often talk about, say Hawaii, as if it's some distant mirage. It's a state, man. You buy a ticket, you sleep on the plane, bam!, you're there. There are waves, and crowds and jobs, and rents, and freeways, and all the other s@#t. My point is, if you have any money, you don't have to dwell on it, you can go tomorrow and work in fast food or something.
There is something to be said about right out of school taking some time off, and many have made that work great..but personally, I think advice above works better.
Just for the record, even at 30, you will likely not feel dead or over the hill. You've got time.

 

Oh, and I have sold just about every vehicle I had on 808 rock to a wide eyed, generally EC, surfer kid from the mainland. I have bought one back when they moved back home to get their life together after good financial plowing on the rock. But they did get to sit in the pack on some big wave days and feel out where they stand.
Self discovery is a great path and moving around helps that. You can always come, visit, stay..

 

I believe this is very important! Experience within a given field goes a long way towards moving up and making more money. You can definitely make more cash now bartending vs the entry level postion you're talking about , but if you want a more 9-5 oriented job in the future, gaining the experience now will make you soooo much more marketable in your 30's, when many people start making serious money. I know the idea of a 9-5 can be a drag, but that's part of growing up. Plus, when you move out west, you will have a skill set that can help you land a potentially higher paying job with benefits and such.

 

East coast surf is not worth going broke for…take the job.

 

I suggest prioritizing my friend, and always keep a long term outlook, making sure you are in a good position not just now, but thinking down the road.

Taking a 8-5 gig, is not the worst thing in the world, and once you have the job you can always look elsewhere for a better job! Its actually a lot easier to get a job, when you already have one. So, you have to start somewhere to get some cash in the pockets, and always look forward to making things more ideal. And, keep in mind, you can always quit! They don't own you for life.

Saying that, I took a risk, and started Swellinfo, and it was worth doing. But, I wasn't so worried if it didn't work out, because I had my graduate degree and a good skill set to find other jobs if need be. When your young, taking risks is easy... It gets harder as you get older. Weigh out your options, and go with your instincts.

I see more people in the water that have the 9-5 gigs, then not. They tend to figure out how to take off on the good days, and work around it. And, if you miss a good day, don't sweat it. Your young, there will be tons more good days ahead.

 

Seriously, don't have kids, and you don't have to.

 

The pay isn't great but at your age and situation it's enough to live on and save up, it sounds like a cake gig and you get to be outside. Do that for the short-term but go ahead and start planning your move to the big Island or to CA whatever you should choose. Whatever you do, don't wait too long because next thing you know you'll be locked down with a wife and kids so fast you won't even know what happened. I'm in the saving and planning phase of my move to the E. Coast (2hrs away). To me that's where I NEED to be, it's what I consider home these days. I look at my current residence as temporary, it's just a matter of time and money. Every day gets us just a little bit closer to "living the dream".

 

Man, you sound just like me at your age. Surfing did indeed save my life, but going back to OC at the time just haunted me and I felt like not much would change. I am glad to be back, but had I not dedicated a large portion of my life to surfing, I don't know where I would be and I don't know what kind of person I would have become. I needed it. I needed it badly. And I look back at all the friends and people I left behind when I fled Maryland and every single one of them is almost exactly the same, 12 years later. It's a shame, but I can't even relate to my old friends. The people that used to be my right hand bros are really nothing to me now. Everytime we talk and catch up, I am reminded of why I left.

But don't get me wrong, there is not a dude from coastal MD/DE that I know that isn't happy as sh**. They are probably the second happiest crew I have ever known. A close second to down here. I have never seen more stoked, awesome people in the water on a daily. Everyone is out there for the same reasons. No rat racing. No fighting. All Aloha. I see more Aloha round these parts than I did in the water in Hawaii. Not sure if there is any Aloha left in HI or CA. Those were the most bitter bunch of guys I have ever known and they just have no idea how great they have it.....

 

bro working for the gvt is easy street, they are incompetent boobs and if you work hard you look bad. enjoy the sick time...make sure its extra sssiiiicccc!

 

Neither do I. And most want kids, despite the logical conclusion that the world is beyond carrying capacity. But you can find ones that either A/don't want to breed or B/have kids from a previous dude and won't demand your seed.

 

nice

 

There's not much at my site outside of Philly but it is the largest medical device manufacturer in the world with global operations so the company as a whole is always hiring for something.

 

You will be working for the government the rest of your life. Don't do it. Go out and get a job with a private corporation. Learn what real life is really like, not what the gov't drones tell you to believe. Work in the private sector for at least 10 years and then decide if you want a cushy government job with all the benefits and half the workload. At least at that point you'll be able to bring something to the table that might help the rest of us.

 

Hey thanks man, appreciate that.

 

My advice if you take the job, save as much money as you can. Live cheaply, avoid falling into the "I work hard, I deserve to buy this new phone, clothes, new ride, laptop" routine. You will feel so much more willing to go do what you want to do in a couple years if you have some dough stashed away and you won't even miss any of the material stuff that people need in order to feel like they are accomplished/successful. Whats more important...a new iphone every two years or the ability to say eff it im going to take my life in the direction I want to take it. Starting with that first check save as much as you can, even if it is $25, it will add up quick and before long you will have a lot more options in terms of the direction you want to take with your life. This is coming from someone who is 28, im not making the big bucks but i still feel like I have some control over my life b/c i have consistently put some money away every week since day 1 when I started working 5 years ago. Good luck!