This time last year I started work at a summer camp in Canada, and had the best summer of my life. I'd been having problems with on-off depression for a couple of years before it (and have had the same problems since coming back), but working as a camp counsellor was just a perfect remedy for me. Spending all the week in the great outdoors in a fulfilling job with children who looked up to you - spending all the weekend visiting nearby places and getting drunk with co-workers - it was just perfect. I'm nostalga-ing hard about it now, but I'm already 23 and my plan was to spend just one year on these sorts of trips. Despite my depression I've never struggled at university, and am currently applying for several interesting and well-paid jobs. I just feel like once I get a 'real job', these sorts of exciting and carefree jobs of my youth will be over for good. But, on the other hand, maybe it's the right time for that, given my age.
So for anons who are already on the career path, how did you make the decision to 'become an adult'? Do you ever regret not making more of your youth? Isn't life in your mid-20s just depressing, particularly if you're single?
>>17264620
i personally love office work, so as a back up job / pays the bills, its great. i don't need to live luxuriously but most office work pays me well enough. so im lucky that for me a 'real job' also happens to be what keeps me happy (Though the office i work in is a bit unique, perhaps ill like it less when i move on).
for you, have oyu considered finding a similar career path? maybe go to the camps you worked at and try to apply to be a higher up, something that pays more, less contact with the children themselves, but you can still get that same atmosphere?
have you also considered other similar outdoor situations? could you start up your own camp for instance? could you become a park ranger? could you teach classes, give tours, start a tour based company, teach scuba diving, etc. etc.
there are a lot of options. consider pursuing them.
what are the interesting well paying jobs you are applying for at the moment?
>>17264824
My country (the UK) doesn't really have a camp culture like North America, or even any areas of unspoiled wilderness, so jobs like park ranger are very rare. Really I'm just annoyed that I wasn't a camp counsellor every summer between 18 and 22 - there were some summers where I pretty much just lazed around doing nothing. Of course, I could look at it the other way and be grateful that I managed to have that one amazing summer, but it's still a bit bittersweet looking back on it.
I have a master's degree in psychology, so at the moment I'm applying for jobs at universities. If I decide I enjoy the field, I could quite easily become a professional psychologist and have a pretty comfy salary of £50k. The ones I'm going for at the moment are £30k, which is way more than I've ever had before - I just don't know if that extra money is worth admitting to myself that my youth is over, and entering the 'sensible' phase of my life.
>>17264948
you can still have fun though. i mean you liked the camping atmosphere so have you considered taking all that extra money and investing all your vacation time in little camping trips, and using the weekend to jsut generally go out and explore the way you like?
perhaps saving up and moving somewhere with more of a camping scene later on?
i dont think having a steady nice job means the end of fun. i love myo ffice job and while it requires my attention theres a lot i can do.
also wont you have summers off generally if working at uni? maybe not ALLLL summer but a longer vacation there than most?
>>17264975
Yeah that's what I'm hoping for, whatever job I get I'll still have a month's holiday each year, minimum. But it feels like I'll be forced into pretty standard sort of holidays - a week here and a week there, instead of spending a few months somewhere and feeling properly immersed in that culture. But I suppose it can't hurt to save up money now and keep my options open for later.
As far as I'm aware, uni jobs still go all year round. I've been applying for research assistant posts, and research actually increases during summer because the lecturers don't have to worry about students anymore, and can just focus on their own research.
>>17265012
ah well thats a bummer. consider saving up and maybe moving to a place with a culture that supports camping one day. try to find the fun where you can.
i dont think you have to say goodbye to youth.
I manage an entire business, but my boss says that the best thing about ime is that i still maintain childishness while having the ability to function as a top tier adult.
