Newly Launched: Just Between Seasonals

My sister is, what I call, a Wilderness Major. I think her exact education is on Wilderness Conservation Management or something, but I never remember. So I describe her as a Wilderness major, which usually buys me enough time to flesh out her description. Like that she worked as an outdoor firefighter soon after working with ranchers to advocate controlled burns (outdoor fires), or currently is working on a natural preserve in an absolute map-blip of a town called Battle Mountain, Nevada. To my mind, I do not believe a mountain, a battle, or anything else really, is there,

The world is not exactly an oyster for the Wilderness graduate. You spend four years in school only to hope that, upon graduation, you will have a chance to work at a very low paying job in the middle of nowhere. (Which actually sounds a lot like the Peace Corps, but I digress.) As one begins to build their professional resume they are frequently looking at seasonal positions that will help position them for better jobs in the future.

There's a lot of ambiguity for the Seasonal worker. With a guarantee you will not be earning your primary income for at least a few months out of the year you have to be wise with your money. Additionally, its rare that seasonal work provides a typical benefits package. You may find you have an awesome location-but no health insurance or its a great experience builder, but in the middle of nowhere.

Back to my sister. Meg has pretty successfully navigated the turbulent sea that is seasonal employment. She's dealt with the money, the house, the transportation, and she's done it with a dog. To help share this experience and provide a community of support she's launched Just Between Seasonals, as a resource and support for those looking to gain from seasonal employment rather than just survive through it. The site is well written and filled with worthwhile tips on making this type of lifestyle work for you, rather than your credit card company.

Regardless of your interest in seasonal employment, I highly recommend her write up on a Night Trapping Sage Grouse. Its an entertaining account of the spotting, capturing, and information gathering that is all-together so absurd it might as well be a metaphor for life. And hey, if this ends up turning you on to Sage Grouse trapping, all the better.