Other than tour guide and forest ranger, what careers will put you in nature?
Asked by
lilikoi (
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)
January 28th, 2010
I am trying to figure out what I want to do for a living. For sure it must be full of adventure, require spending significant time in nature preferably in remote areas and/or places with restricted access that most people never get to see, require hands-on work and maybe writing, be a flexible work environment free of rigid or frivolous rules and/or procedures and without anyone breathing down your neck (at least so it feels like you work for yourself even though you may be under someone else), and preferably involve world travel.
To put it another way, I’d like to be able to use my Gore-Tex jacket and pack on a regular basis. And actually have to check the weather and marine forecasts on a regular basis.
I prefer working first with things, then with ideas, so tour guide or anything else that requires interacting with tons of people on a regular basis is out. I’ve also already considered forest ranger and that is not for me.
What job am I describing here?
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26 Answers
Nature photography, working on a lab boat, crab fisherman.
@gemiwing Thanks for the recs. I think I would love nature and wildlife photography, but isn’t the competition super stiff and thus the pay super low? Do you just have to freelance at first? Who buys that stuff? I’ve never heard of lab boats… any names of orgs that run those that I can search for? I guess they do marine research? I have actually considered crab fisherman before, but I think they probably wouldn’t take me cuz I’m such a little girl.
@dpworkin Are those the kinds of people you see running elephant sanctuaries where injured or formerly captive animals are coaxed back into the wild? I guess you’d need a veterinary background for that? I’ll look into that, thanks!
Camp director, outdoor intervention/outward bound programs, landscaping, landscape architect, storm chaser, river patrol police officer, environmental monitoring.
You might enjoy Chris Guillebeau’s blog
PM me. My daughter did that for years. She did eventually go to Africa to work with big game, but she also loved working in New England with orphaned birds, injured deer, abandoned baby raccoons…
Member of surveying crew, forester counting trees.
Are you on the Garden Island or the land of Mokihana?
Tree surgeon.
A friend of mine is training now and he loves it.
@PandoraBoxx Thanks!
@dpworkin I will, thanks! Tomorrow – when it isn’t so early in the morning and my brain is functioning.
@Tropical_Willie Surveying doesn’t immediately appeal to me, but I might have to consider it more. Would be an easy segue from engineering… I’m not good w/ repitition – my mind tends to wander and I’d likely lose count lol. I’m from Kaua’i, live on Oahu now, but am currently visiting Maui for a short while.
@The_Idler What is a tree surgeon? I have to google that!
Pet Detective, when nature calls. Allrighty then.
Geologist or mining and oil exploration, if engineering is your background.
I’ ll be on holiday in Kauai in a month, beautiful part of the world.
Naturalist, Ecologist, Eco Lawyer, botanist.
@lilikoi Tree surgeon is someone, who climbs trees (usually with help from ropes) and cuts off diseased or dangerous limbs using a chainsaw, whilst hanging in the air.
All-round awesome occupation.
Gardener. Geologist. Marine biologist. Marine engineer. Storm analyst.
Physicians (nurses, PAs, dentists, etc) can travel the world and provide medical care in remote locations.
What the hell is a tree surgeon?
Biologist and wildlife conservationist.
Extreme construction – that’s totally not what the profession is called, but it seems like there would be firms that only build buildings or houses in “extreme” areas, i.e. forests, islands, etc.
Fire lookout – living alone in a remote station atop a mountain, keeping a watch for wildfires.
Or hermit.
I wanted to be a Park Ranger for a long time, the ones patrol campgrounds and state land. I think that would be a pretty cool job.
Your best bet would be to become a geologist, soil scientist, biologist, or ecologist.
I work in restoration ecology, which is the process of restoring an ecosystem that has been damaged or degraded by human activities. PM me if you have questions.
Wild life Photographer,Wild life explorer,Geologist,Environmentalist and Wildlife engineers.
Wildlife engineering is a field which involves management of the wildlife and designing of effective methods to avoid forest fire and environment contamination hazards.Every other detailed process like soil conservation, gound water conservation and other geological activities are taken care of under wildlife engineering.This is a rare branch of engineering which gives a broader scope to work upon and the pioneers in the field along with the beginners enjoy their job more than anything.
Researcher . . . for a scientist or the government.
Hermit/scholar. But you need an independent income for this.
I was a field biologist and a consulting ecologist for a time. Both of those positions put me outside in nature. I was also a museum curator which allowed me to schedule time outside, mostly teaching courses or leading nature walks.
My sister was a contributor to Outside Magazine for a while, which meant that whenever she chose to go outside into nature she could write it off as a business expense.
You could also try for a position testing outdoor gear.
BTW, for those who ask, a tree surgeon is better known in some countries as an arborist. They treat diseased or damaged trees by filling cavities and pruning and bracing branches.
I think the Marines spend a lot of time out doors. They even supply the jacket.
How about working on a road repair crew? Talk about adventure? You take your life in your hands every shift.
Dog walker, dog trainer, dog breeder, dog catcher, dog. All outsiders.
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