Would you rather

its really a catch 22 if you dont work how can u afford to surf??? And if you have a job that pays good but you cant afford to take off to surf how do you make time to get to the beach .

You have to pic and choose what more important. Living in poverty with a 6 year old browned surfboard or, Working and having good boards to ride and not being to able to take off every time there is a swell

 

the best guys here have jobs with hours that afford them time to surf every swell.

 

Yeah, but seeing the time-frame for how long it will take to pay off my student loans has a way of making life seem a hell of a lot longer.

 

I'm hoping to start working at a firm where they dont mind if you come in a 10, as long as you stay till 6, and get your work done. its a deadline drivien kind of business. real small firm, laid back, creative atmosphere

i was lucky enough to call in sick yesterday, but i have missed a bunch of swells since i started here

 

I have a full time job (good salary with benefits etc) and surf every good swell. It also helps that we dont get good swell every day on Delmarva or else I would get fired.

 

Get married and have kids. Then ask yourself that same question.

 

grass is always greener bro. I wrestle this one every day of my life. Sometimes (sitting at work watching firing webcams) I want to sell everything but my passport and just go to baja... then sell the passport!

But am I willing to do that with my life? Some days yes, but other days im glad that I didn't. One things for sure, unemployment is a privilege for those who are genuinely between jobs. If you just want to be a surf bum, please do it on your own dime.

 

one thing I can tell you is with a ****ty attitude you'll have a hard if not impossible ever advancing your life past this false dilemma

 

Do what makes you happy. I was told once, Do what you like, like what you do..

There are ways to surf and work. I think either direction you head whether surfing or working or both, you'll find time to get some action

 

This is one of the reasons I am back in school and chose a career path that will allow for advancement and will give me plenty of time to surf: Teaching.

 

good luck finding a teaching job!!

 

My choice is neither... I think you need to strive for balance in all areas of life or else whatever sparks your stoke will eventually burn out. That is what I've learned anyway.

 

people on unemployment make more than me.... that is super depressing. but in a few years i should be making 60k if im lucky..... thats even more depressing. I wish i paid attention in grade school, HS and went out of my way in college.

Looks like ill just have to save my money up, surf when i can (6am-8am) and eventually start my own business selling tombstones (everyone dies)

have a chipper day

 

I am in the same situation, but what I found out is that even though my job pays well, a bulk of my paycheck goes towards mortgage, utilities, loans, and all other miscellaneous expenses that come with starting a family. So in the end, I don't have the extra dough to buy boards or go on those trips that I told myself I would take when I accepted this job. I work the 8-5 shift, and I can sort of get some surfing done after work during the spring/summer times when there's still light at 8 pm. This winter, no chance in he11! I haven't surfed since Thanksgiving and it sux.

As far as not having a job and living off unemployment, I sort of got a taste of that recently because prior to this job, I was unemployed for 3 months and I surfed a lot during that time. I noticed a lot of improvement and progression in my surfing too, since I thought about maneuvers the night before, and would try and practice them first thing in the morning, and my arms/legs/body were already conditioned from all the surfing done day after day. Surfed during the mornings, and filled out applications during the afternoon. It was fun at first, but the wife eventually started to give me crap about it. After a while, I felt like a bum, and I noticed that there was a certain characteristic with the group of individuals out in the line-up during working hours on the weekdays, if you know what I mean.

So I don't know yet... plus there's the issue of having a family and trying to put their needs in front of mines. The best I can hope for is that one of my kids ends up being a pro athlete and I can retire early, ehehe.

Don't feel so bad, I was here at work too yesterday, watching the cams and reading the blogs/reports that it was worthwhile to paddle out. Even though it was only waist high here, I would've given anything to be out there.

 

I think both your hypotheticals are of lives way out of balance. One is a good job with no surf. The other is a miserable life of poverty with a chance to surf once in a while. It's all about finding some middle ground, no?

I've been lucky enough to find it, but it is a NON STOP struggle to maintain.

Yesterday I crept into work sooo late, skulking into an hourlong meeting 45 minutes late with water draining out of my nose. Luckily I work at a place where so long as you put in your time, do your work and excel, you can show up at 6 pm or noon and nobody cares.

 

I look at it as a pay now or pay later deal (unless your born rich). Working harder and longer when your young should yield more time to surf as you go with the hopes of being somewhat comfortable when your older. On the other hand you can work to get by and surf all the time when your young but have a tougher life when your older and may not be as employable with not much on your resume. Surfing is the most important thing in my life next to my family. I do what I need to do to take care of them first then surf all I can.

 

to me i want a balance of both a nice paying job and still being able to surf. But the thing with me is im very adhd and add eve though ive been tested and came out negative for it but i still lose focuse in school but still excell somewhat good. so im going to the community college and being trained as a firefighter and then when i graduate high school i can get a lifeguarding job at the beach and when i finish my firefighter trainning i can get double jobs work as a lifeguard during the summer for the beach but still be on call and winter comes im straight firefighter. get paid double the amount.

But the thing is this past summer when i lifeguarded for 2 months at a camp 1 hour away from where i lived i missed surfing all the time but it was good as come august i was able to surf all day everyday and even now with school im hardly not missing a swell as i dont have to work during the school year, due to the fact my parents pay my insurance and i have enough money for gas and money for dates or what not.

But i would say you want a balance of surfing and a good job with some paid sick days so you could take off and surf when its good, plus if it pays good you can go on a trip during a holiday.