Living the Dream vs. Financial Stability

APunx176

APunx176

Active member
So I am going to college next year and it has got me thinking about some stuff. I currently live in the midwest between 2 relatively small/sketchy hills. I have been thinking about going to a college near Woodward, Colorado, or Utah, because skiing really is my favorite thing to do by a longshot and the offseason absolutely kills me around here, but that would leave me in debt for a long time. So what is more important? Living life to the fullest or keeping your finances straight?
 
Both have pros and cons, if skiing is important to you but not 100k debt important, you could move to CO for a year, work, play and reflect. Then the next year pay instate tuition.

Is that how it works? (Im canadian so not entirely sure).
 
go to school and get it over with, then go get a wicked job in the state you really wanna live in. You'll have a good job and more money than everyone else working as lefties and actually be able to enjoy the skiing lifestyle, and be able to afford gear, car, lift tickets etc
 
the mind state I've always had is if you go to college/university and get yourself into debt, sure you might get a higher paid job at the end of it, but you're going to spend years and years working a Monday-Friday 9-5 job (or more)n trying to pay that debt off. By the time you have paid it off, who says you are still going to be able to enjoy skiing like you once did. You might have kids, or a wife who doesn't enjoy it.

You don't have to go to college straight away, spend a year or 2 skiing as much as possible then take a look back at that time and decide if it is what you want to carry on doing. If you find a job that you don't mind, chances are there is some level of career progression in that field
 
Go work at Alta for a season, then decide if you need another or are ready to buckle down with school. Saving money in your undergrad is crucial. Having that financial tether sucks when you're done. Don't forget, college breaks are long and numerous, you can totally swing it in the midwest with a few trips.

Trust those who have gone through this.
 
13502358:JibbaTheHutt said:
the mind state I've always had is if you go to college/university and get yourself into debt, sure you might get a higher paid job at the end of it, but you're going to spend years and years working a Monday-Friday 9-5 job (or more)n trying to pay that debt off. By the time you have paid it off, who says you are still going to be able to enjoy skiing like you once did. You might have kids, or a wife who doesn't enjoy it.

You don't have to go to college straight away, spend a year or 2 skiing as much as possible then take a look back at that time and decide if it is what you want to carry on doing. If you find a job that you don't mind, chances are there is some level of career progression in that field
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13502426:dangerdad said:
Go work at Alta for a season, then decide if you need another or are ready to buckle down with school. Saving money in your undergrad is crucial. Having that financial tether sucks when you're done. Don't forget, college breaks are long and numerous, you can totally swing it in the midwest with a few trips.

Trust those who have gone through this.
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But how do you get enough money to have an apartment and ski? I mean obviously you can work at the resort or get some sort of job but that doesn't seem like enough to pay the bills
 
13502428:APunx176 said:
But how do you get enough money to have an apartment and ski? I mean obviously you can work at the resort or get some sort of job but that doesn't seem like enough to pay the bills
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employee housing at Alta then you can ball out and ski everyday cuz you live in LCC
 
Online classes are also an option. You can move out to any resort you really like, get a job there, and then live in employee housing. You'll be able to ski as much as you want, while working and getting paid, and also be able to take classes at your own pace.
 
You know I went to college right after high school and it was a pretty bad idea. I didn't know what I wanted to do.

What I really regret not doing is going to trade school. A lot of trade schools have one year programs and your out and certified making cash. Not 4 years of math and English. Had I done that for a year or two not only would be debt free right now, I'd be rolling in cash and not a dirty poor ski bum.

My advice to anyone in high school right now is seriously look at trade schools. Everyone I talk to has this conception if they go to a trade that's all they ever will do the rest of there life. When in turn its usually professional trade workers are retiring in their early 50s. It's mainly cause most trades have really good unions.
 
13502337:dbchili said:
go to school and get it over with, then go get a wicked job in the state you really wanna live in. You'll have a good job and more money than everyone else working as lefties and actually be able to enjoy the skiing lifestyle, and be able to afford gear, car, lift tickets etc
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As someone who took this path, I would like to say that I am happy and I enjoy my life. Although, I went directly from high school into University and I regret that decision. I live close enough to the mountains to ski thirty days a year, but I hardly get to enjoy the skiing lifestyle. (but that's just how I have arranged my priorities)

Go make some memories for a year. Take a whole year to be broke and see what you can make of it. Meet people and make connections, take it seriously, but don't stop yourself from having fun. Hope that helps.
 
Go to college in colorado, get a good education meet a ton of kids with similar interest and ski alot, then graduate and work in the mountains for a year or two, wont effect your career and believe me when i tell you, you will get sick of living paycheck to paycheck in the mountains and want to move on with your life, skiing can still be a part of it. but its the best move. work hard for 5-10 years then your set to ski as much as you want in a comfortable living situation. plus you will have several friends that you met from college that do the same thing so you will always have people to shred with.
 
I'm at Wharton right now in senior year. I went to high school in the mountains (french originally) and loved skiing everyday. Getting into this school was a blessing, and it's not costing me a dime thanks to the international transfer game, but I now see everyone getting recruited by Goldman, etc. and getting these absolute slave contracts, working 120 hours a week, no vacation, straight out of undergrad... fuck that.

I'm definitely going to take a couple years off and live the ski life while i'm still young enough to do it. Diplomas are unfortunately very important, so get your's and do it right. Maybe don't slum it in some bad school just to ski. I skied shitty parks for the last 2 years and still had a blast, you don't need to go to Breck to have fun skiing. You can still accomplish any academic goals you set without sacrificing skiing for sure, life is long and you never know how long skiing is going to last for you
 
13502337:dbchili said:
go to school and get it over with, then go get a wicked job in the state you really wanna live in. You'll have a good job and more money than everyone else working as lefties and actually be able to enjoy the skiing lifestyle, and be able to afford gear, car, lift tickets etc
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This man has got it correct
 
You can do both. Work a summer job in one of these places. Even something shitty. Maybe work at a restaurant, deliver pizzas, be a cashier, if you're lucky or have applicable skills maybe get a job at one of the summer places.

Depending on where and what you want to do, if your focus seems to be in the off season you don't really need to go to college where this will take place. You could also apply to be a counselor at the summer camps out at hood.

If you have any skills that related to skiing check out some of the jobs at these plces and maybe apply to a couple.

As far as where you go in the season,it all depends on what you want to do. Some people get by fine with alright skiing while they're in school, some people want the most epic skiing, some people can't juggle both.

Do what you gotta do, just remember college isn't cheap, if you're going into debt for this think about this when making your decision.

Good luck
 
13502537:pattyWhack said:
As someone who took this path, I would like to say that I am happy and I enjoy my life. Although, I went directly from high school into University and I regret that decision. I live close enough to the mountains to ski thirty days a year, but I hardly get to enjoy the skiing lifestyle. (but that's just how I have arranged my priorities)

Go make some memories for a year. Take a whole year to be broke and see what you can make of it. Meet people and make connections, take it seriously, but don't stop yourself from having fun. Hope that helps.
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trust me, I appreciate where you're coming from. I went to uni right after high school, and went to live/work in a large city far from skiing right after. I never did the ski bum thing, even though I'd always wanted to.

That being said, I couldn't be happier I didn't. After putting in a couple years at my job, I transferred to Switzerland with my company. Now I live near the mountains, get paid more, ski way more, and get to see Europe every weekend for the past 2 years. Plus, as you get older your priorities change, I still love to ski and I always will, but now I can doing cool ski vacations and buy a chalet eventually.

Lastly, no one I know who bummed for a year ended up doing any amount of serious school after, and had I have done it i'm not sure I would have either, and i'm in a way better position because I didn't.

I'm not saying a house in the suburbs and 3 kids is for everyone (stereotyping), but if you do the school and decide that's not what you want, at least you'll be able to opt out at will. You can't really do it the other way around. Put in the time now, it will pay off in spades.
 
Skiing is a rich mans sport for a reason. You can be a ski bum and im sure it will be fun a hell...but when you aren't making a lot of $ and you want to buy a house, start a family, etc it will be very hard.

All about the balance. Im a weekend warrior get up most weekends / holidays and usually ski around 30-40 days a year. Im happy with it.
 
After high school I went to a community college 5 minutes from a big ski resort in Tahoe. I saved money, went to school for cheap, worked a couple days a week and skied almost every day. I took my time, taking classes I wanted to take and figuring out what I want to be. After a couple years and a few too many knee surgeries, I finally transferred to university in Reno, 35 minutes from Northstar. I was still able to ski during school. Now I have a great career working 3 days a week and ski bumming it the other 4. My student loans aren't nearly what some of my fellow student's were, because I went the community college route.
 
13502572:KravtZ said:
Skiing is a rich mans sport for a reason. You can be a ski bum and im sure it will be fun a hell...but when you aren't making a lot of $ and you want to buy a house, start a family, etc it will be very hard.

All about the balance. Im a weekend warrior get up most weekends / holidays and usually ski around 30-40 days a year. Im happy with it.
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Totally agree, but with that, there is a time in my life where i couldn't get enough of skiing. So I full on support anyone who says they want to ski bum.

I have been lucky enough to start my career in the whistler area, so I was able to still get 80+ days on the mountain last year. But I get far less working hours, or income than I would if I were to work somewhere else. At times its a struggle, but as you said, balance is key for long term happiness.
 
go work at a mountain and then take some online courses in the summer. I ski all winter and live in whistler, then i go home in the summer and do some online collage courses... its the best of both worlds.
 
I am from Utah and went straight to Colorado to get my degree after high school. Went from skiing 60+ days in UT to 30 days in CO. I got offered a full time finance job after college and realized I wasn't ready to live that life stile so I moved to New Zealand for 2 years and traveled Europe and SE Asia for 6 months. Its common for Europeans to travel after high school and figure out what degree they want to get before jumping straight into uni. Taking a year to ski and work will give you time to explore options.

You can schedule meetings with career counselors at the colleges that you want to go to before you decide what uni you wanna go to. You could work as an environmental engineer, which could potentially put you outside a lot.
 
13502585:lhowlz said:
go work at a mountain and then take some online courses in the summer. I ski all winter and live in whistler, then i go home in the summer and do some online collage courses... its the best of both worlds.
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I agree with this, I do very similar and I'm happy with my life. Instead of taking classes I work my ass off 6 days a week at a subaru dealership during the summer, save as much money as I can and spend it on a place for the winter. Granted I practically have no social life throughout the summer... But hey you cant have it all!
 
I have plenty of freinds who have "real" jobs paying good money and although everyone says once you have a good paying job you can enjoy yourself more itreallydoes not happen. You have job requirements which take up most of your time and most of the time they are just working and saving to come stay with me for one week a year to enjoy them selves. Sure they earn maybe double what I do but they have nothing to spend it on as they are atuck working all the time.

Basically yeah you you can get some great paying job but don't expect more money to mean more ski and enjoyment time.
 
As a very old guy by NS standards... This is where I'm at:

I skied ~5 days a week in High School in upstate New York. I looked at schools out west but it wasn't a great option for me at the time b/c of tuition prices. I went to school in Syracuse and got an engineering degree. I skied 3-4 nights/days a week at a local small hill. Once I graduated I only applied for jobs in CA, UT, CO, etc.

Now, I'm well over a decade into my chosen career, live in a mountain town and ski ~50 - 70 days a year.

I work basically a 8-5 but skin before/after work and take every other Friday off in the winter by working 9 hour days as opposed to 8s.

It's worked for me. I know people who have 'lived the dream' as a professional, and I know people that live the dream professionally.

Both work, it's just about where your passions lie.
 
13502599:tomPietrowski said:
I have plenty of freinds who have "real" jobs paying good money and although everyone says once you have a good paying job you can enjoy yourself more itreallydoes not happen. You have job requirements which take up most of your time and most of the time they are just working and saving to come stay with me for one week a year to enjoy them selves. Sure they earn maybe double what I do but they have nothing to spend it on as they are atuck working all the time.

Basically yeah you you can get some great paying job but don't expect more money to mean more ski and enjoyment time.
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This pretty much sums up my argument for not spending vast amounts on college etc.
 
Well you could go to some college out west that isn't too expensive, get a good job around there or you could take a skip year and ski a lot, work and get some $$ saved up for college
 
13502599:tomPietrowski said:
I have plenty of freinds who have "real" jobs paying good money and although everyone says once you have a good paying job you can enjoy yourself more itreallydoes not happen. You have job requirements which take up most of your time and most of the time they are just working and saving to come stay with me for one week a year to enjoy them selves. Sure they earn maybe double what I do but they have nothing to spend it on as they are atuck working all the time.

Basically yeah you you can get some great paying job but don't expect more money to mean more ski and enjoyment time.
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I agree with this. Definitely some people that have made it work, but plenty that didn't.

If you work a job you LOVE and would do it for free, then to me it doesn't matter what you make as long as you're enjoying it.

Mountain lyfe is the only lyfe
 
Waiter/waitress jobs are nice because you can ski all day and work the evenings when tips and shit are good. A lot of my friends do that and make a lot of money. Bartending too once you're 21.
 
I definently know your feels. I am thinking about this alot...

The question is how long will you be able to ski a 100 to 80%... probably till your arround 28 or something.

I'll probably be going to university after I've finished my current school at wich point I will be 18.

Afterward I'll have to go to Military or the Abulance or something similar for 6/9months... already almos 19...

Then going to University and I'll be done with aproximatly 23 or something...

Right now I think that the best sollution would be to throw in some years purely dedicated to skiing before going to university, just to see how it goes along and get another perspective of the whole thing.
 
13502627:T-Van said:
I definently know your feels. I am thinking about this alot...

The question is how long will you be able to ski a 100 to 80%... probably till your arround 28 or something.
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I don't know about that. Sure I don't ski park as hard now but I would say I actually ski the rest of the mountain way harder now. Your priorities change. Gettin that 4 on 4 off seems way less important then getting out and skiing some new big line.
 
I did a gap year after high school and did a full season in Whistler. I went to university the following year. Being from Australia I would go skiing for at least 3 months every year while summer holidays were on. Deferred my studies twice to do another full season. Took me over 4 years to finish the degree but worth it for sure.

Now I have a real job and literally every day I think about this. Should I quit and just ski or work and ski every weekend down here in our winter then go for 4 weeks somewhere at the end of every year?

One day in Whistler I was in a cab and the driver was about 75 years old, long hair hippie looking dude. He told me he'd been a ski bum his whole life and it was awesome. He said but now his body is pretty banged up he definitely can't ski that much anymore and he has no money so he told me he'd be working two jobs until he dies.

Probably need to decide if you want to work now and chill later in life in retirement or have a life that is fun until you start getting old and all your friends have money and stop working while you work two jobs until you are dead.
 
13502631:tomPietrowski said:
I don't know about that. Sure I don't ski park as hard now but I would say I actually ski the rest of the mountain way harder now. Your priorities change. Gettin that 4 on 4 off seems way less important then getting out and skiing some new big line.
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yea, you're totally right.

I just want to get some more time skiing from the years where my body is still a 100% and ski how and whatever I want to ski to the fullest.

Not saying the the years beyond this would be any less fun.
 
13502582:Download-My-Apps said:
Totally agree, but with that, there is a time in my life where i couldn't get enough of skiing. So I full on support anyone who says they want to ski bum.

I have been lucky enough to start my career in the whistler area, so I was able to still get 80+ days on the mountain last year. But I get far less working hours, or income than I would if I were to work somewhere else. At times its a struggle, but as you said, balance is key for long term happiness.
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Thats awesome man congrats. Im 25 and still can't get enough of skiing. Think about it 24/7. I guess for me I care a LOT about my career and attempting to make a lot of money.

Im jealous of the ski bum life for real. Wish I could move somewhere like Whistler area closer to awesome skiing but tethered to nyc for work. So VT on the weekends for me. Grew up doing that anyways so its not a big deal. 3 hour drive to my home mtn / ski house. Great escape from the shit hole otherwise known as nyc.
 
Do your research!

Know the costs and what is realistic and you can find a happy medium.

I went to University of Nevada graduated in 4 years debt free. Skiied 100 days a year at school just working a resort job and taking classes after lifts closed at 4. In school I was pretty broke but I know my degree will never evaporate now that I have it. I haven't had a job outside of ski resorts yet but my parents are happy and I can at least sellout to the real world if I get injured or we stop getting snow.

Now that I'm outta school and highly experienced in budgeting I go to Timberlibe for summers and ski all winter in Utah. Plus I have the connections from college to couch surf all over the US.

Regardless of what you decide make your passions your priorities.
 
13502523:sellinger said:
Online classes are also an option. You can move out to any resort you really like, get a job there, and then live in employee housing. You'll be able to ski as much as you want, while working and getting paid, and also be able to take classes at your own pace.
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I like this idea. How credible really though is online college and do you really get to take the classes at your own pace?

13502572:KravtZ said:
Skiing is a rich mans sport for a reason. You can be a ski bum and im sure it will be fun a hell...but when you aren't making a lot of $ and you want to buy a house, start a family, etc it will be very hard.

All about the balance. Im a weekend warrior get up most weekends / holidays and usually ski around 30-40 days a year. Im happy with it.
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I ski about 30-40 days currently too and I am not happy with it. I would prefer to have at least 60-70 days.

13502599:tomPietrowski said:
I have plenty of freinds who have "real" jobs paying good money and although everyone says once you have a good paying job you can enjoy yourself more itreallydoes not happen. You have job requirements which take up most of your time and most of the time they are just working and saving to come stay with me for one week a year to enjoy them selves. Sure they earn maybe double what I do but they have nothing to spend it on as they are atuck working all the time.

Basically yeah you you can get some great paying job but don't expect more money to mean more ski and enjoyment time.
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Thanks man, your posts always help me out!

13502620:Mr.noodle said:
Well you could go to some college out west that isn't too expensive, get a good job around there or you could take a skip year and ski a lot, work and get some $$ saved up for college
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This sounds like a good idea too. I know that some places like the University of Utah have buses that go to and from park city a lot but I feel like going to that college wouldn't leave me with much free time.
 
13502634:jacktwem said:
I did a gap year after high school and did a full season in Whistler. I went to university the following year. Being from Australia I would go skiing for at least 3 months every year while summer holidays were on. Deferred my studies twice to do another full season. Took me over 4 years to finish the degree but worth it for sure.

Now I have a real job and literally every day I think about this. Should I quit and just ski or work and ski every weekend down here in our winter then go for 4 weeks somewhere at the end of every year?

One day in Whistler I was in a cab and the driver was about 75 years old, long hair hippie looking dude. He told me he'd been a ski bum his whole life and it was awesome. He said but now his body is pretty banged up he definitely can't ski that much anymore and he has no money so he told me he'd be working two jobs until he dies.

Probably need to decide if you want to work now and chill later in life in retirement or have a life that is fun until you start getting old and all your friends have money and stop working while you work two jobs until you are dead.
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The downside for that is that you don't know when you're going to die, or if your body is going to hold up later in life. Maybe you won't even want to ski when you're much older.

Idk, just something to think about.

You can save and still do the skill bum kind of thing as well. It's all about what you want, and if you can make that happen.
 
13502661:APunx176 said:
I like this idea. How credible really though is online college and do you really get to take the classes at your own pace?
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As credible as a normal class. Check and see if your university has online courses available that are pertanent to your major. And yeah you really do. It's like you have set homework assignments and tests that you have to do by due dates, but you can work ahead as much as you want or take your time to learn all the material at a pace you like. As long as you finish by the deadline though.
 
ummm, you can do both. Spend time hunting down scholarships, there are tons of them out there that can add up very quickly to help offset costs of your college education. Put a real 5 year plan in place and stick to it.

Also, (sry, not sry, for getting political) vote for Bernie Sanders for prez, he's advocating getting the US gov out of profiteering college debt and trying to pass a bill that would provide free public college education of which would be paid for via taxes on wall st trading
 
My dad always told me to follow my passions and if you find passion you will find success. And damnit he was right. Does success mean making millions of dollars? Not always but I would rather live happy than live wealthy.
 
13502784:Prophetmatt said:
Or you become self-employed and be financially stable while being able to take off when you want.
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Not everyone is as lucky as you are matt!! cant wait for RMR this season though
 
13502784:Prophetmatt said:
Or you become self-employed and be financially stable while being able to take off when you want.
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I though about doing this too because I have some Game programming skills. If I could come up with some good game ideas I'd be set (that's the problem though)
 
go to an elite university, study computer science, get a job at a software company in a city of your choice, make a ton of money, ski 30+ pow days a year

that is the dream and also extremely financially stable

seriously though, learn to code, that college debt vanishes right quick after a few paychecks. plus its the most fun white collar job
 
13502784:Prophetmatt said:
Or you become self-employed and be financially stable while being able to take off when you want.
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The idea of self employment is always attractive. Eventually, I think I could head that direction, once I'm established in my field. But many of the people I know who are self employed have less free time, because they can't afford to take time off, it comes directly from their pocket. But if you can work it out, then you're laughing.
 
13502841:Download-My-Apps said:
The idea of self employment is always attractive. Eventually, I think I could head that direction, once I'm established in my field. But many of the people I know who are self employed have less free time, because they can't afford to take time off, it comes directly from their pocket. But if you can work it out, then you're laughing.
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Haha it's totally the truth. I've been running my own business (this is my third full time year) and it's WAAAY more work than I thought before I started.

I film weddings for living (mid-high end range for Central PA) and I love it. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it.
 
13502426:dangerdad said:
Go work at Alta for a season, then decide if you need another or are ready to buckle down with school. Saving money in your undergrad is crucial. Having that financial tether sucks when you're done. Don't forget, college breaks are long and numerous, you can totally swing it in the midwest with a few trips.

Trust those who have gone through this.
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dont do this because you won't leave
 
aint no real right or wrong path and followin others may not be yours

I didn't hear old man millers call till 30sumthin and by then i had a couple decades of food service and a carpentry/roofing trade, a cool profesional old lady, and a decent nest egg.

18 wasatch good n bad seasons later still as stoked to wake up head up and make turns

go to work eat sleep and feed the addiction again the next day till it melts.

Being finanicailly stable is a blessing based from a solid foundation. The Mrs. came through a debt free college degree but mine was otj.

We live in a modest house ,drive modest cars, take modest vacations if we needed more $$ we would work more ,spend less or deal w/ roomates.

and if i'm" livin your dream"

you really outta consider expanding your imagination
 
13502835:dizzydizzy said:
go to an elite university, study computer science, get a job at a software company in a city of your choice, make a ton of money, ski 30+ pow days a year

that is the dream and also extremely financially stable

seriously though, learn to code, that college debt vanishes right quick after a few paychecks. plus its the most fun white collar job
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That's not my dream and I already can code a bit, so I agree!
 
It's totally possible to work in a field that you feel passionately about. In that case, you could potentially be gaining as much fulfillment from work as from skiing, and maintain a balance of both (and anything else you like) in a generally rad life.

I moved out east from BC to do my masters in landscape architecture and couldn't be happier to dedicate my life to that field - even at the expense of a couple BC ski seasons.

When I do get on the mountain it's one of the best things in life, but I don't feel the need to give up the rest of the things in in my life to do it. And I've worked with plenty of people who go on weekly backcountry adventures, dedicate a working week's time to a creative job they love, and who have enough income to be able to think about raising a family. Personally I think that's more fun than working a shit job to afford skiing every day.

So really, I think it makes sense to just pursue what you love, trying to avoid limiting yourself in the future.

If you really care about what you're getting your degree in, then pay the money and you'll thank yourself when you're being paid for something you enjoy. A job will not prevent you from skiing if you actually want to go skiing.

On the flip side, if you don't really care about what you're learning in college/uni, then why pay for it at all? Go skiing until it's not the only thing that makes you happy any more.
 
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