cntthnko1

So I was thinking, it is going to suck to grow up and get a 9:00 to 5:00 job at some place that I will most likely hate. I'm going to hate waking up everyday, and get no sleep every night. Whether I make a lot of money or not, I am going to have to throw away AT LEAST 8 hours of everyday. You take another 8 hours of everyday out for sleep. That leaves you only 8 hours and who knows to what societal bullshit that will go to.

SO, I thought why not get a job that I like? Now, it doesn't have to be in the snowboard industry; it could be surfboards, longboards, freebords, or skateboards. I'm not talking about being a professional, a retailer, etc. I mean building boards.

Let me elaborate. I don't mean literally building boards, more theoretically. A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to be a physicist. Unfortunately that means either making bombs or spaceships and working way more than 40 hours a week. I find physics interesting, but not enough to throw my life away for the government.

So one day I was thinking, who comes up with all this snowboard technology? Board material like all the different types of wood, fiber glass, UHMW, basalt, bio- plastic beans, board technology like concave, rocker, drop through, bowl, camber. I mean check out all the technologies of rocker and camber combo Lib Tech has ... Lib Tech Snowboards » Snowboard Technology

So if I were to sum this relentless rant up, it would be.. Who are these people, and how do I become one of them; are they physicists, biologists, chemists, botanists, environmentalists? How do I nail a job in the snowboarding industry?

BurtonAvenger

It's all who you know.

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Angry Snowboarder Because someone has to call it how they see it!

2hipp4u

That pretty much sums it up for any good job in any industry, it's amazing how many college grads who's major was beer and pussy get good jobs they have have no qualifications for.

It kind of sums up corporate america nowadays, all the these dumbass HR managers hire people off a piece of paper, a few questions answered correctly and who your daddy is. And the results are what we have all around us.

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GBR

mjcutri

It would be mechanical, chemical, and material science engineers who do all the R&D for that stuff. The scientists develop the theoretical stuff, but it is the engineers who put those theories into practice. If you really enjoy physics, I highly recommend going into mechanical engineering. It uses a lot of physics, but it is also one of the most versatile engineering degrees and allows you to go into a number of different fields.
As for getting into the industry, do internships/co-ops while you are in school for companies in the industry you want to work in. That is the best way to get a job once you graduate, because the you will have an "in" with at least one company and also have experience and know people in that industry as well. And don't worry about how much you get paid during your internship (if at all, but most engineering internships actually pay pretty well) because any experience you get will more than pay for itself once you graduate.
I'm speaking from experience here, I graduated from the University of Michigan in mechanical engineering, and I also loved physics in high school.

sheepstealer

As someone who went with the 9-5 route, it ain't so bad. Sure there are days that I hate my job, but then there are days that I like it a lot. It ebbs and flows.

I used to think it would be awesome to make snowboards/longboards/surfboards - and I still do. Unfortunately, the me that was going through college 5 years ago didn't really see eye to eye with the me thats sitting at my work desk dreaming about snowboarding and trolling snowboard forums instead of responding to emails.

I know a lot of people that try really hard to avoid the 9 to 5 gig but don't for a second think that it will prevent you from doing what you love. If you're worried about not having enough time to ride then try and set yourself up with a job that will help you get what you want when you're not working.

The best thing about my job? It's only Monday to Friday, meaning I have weekends completely off. What do I do in the winter? I coach middle and high school snowboarders at a mid-sized hill in New Hampshire. Its no Jackson or Tahoe, but I get to lap the park and goof around with kids all winter long and its a blast. I get tingly knowing that in a few months I'll be up there meeting the new batch of kids and riding all day long, every weekend between late November and late March.

It's all in how you approach what you want to do. And work hard at it. To do what I do in the winter, I essentially work 7 days a week for 4 months. But hey, it lets me do what I love and I get a free ski pass out of it.

Knowing people is a big plus as well. Get in with the folks in the area you want to work and you'll be well on your way to happiness and butterflies. Easier said than done, I know. Good luck.

hktrdr

Sorry, but I strongly disagree with the bolded bit. We spend way too large a proportion of our lives on our job/career/work to approach it as a necessary evil/means to end. It would be a very sad live where we spend half our waking hours 'playing' just to compensate for the suffering/unhappiness/lack of fulfillment from work. That is just so incredibly limiting and defeatist.

It is also limits what we can achieve in life, both for ourselves and for society. Personally, I refuse to artificially limit myself in this way.
Other than possibly my GF, my work has been the greatest source of fulfillment and happiness in my life. There are many things that I enjoy (including boarding, obviously), but none these have the same significance to me or define me to the same extent as my work does - that is why choose to spend more time at work than on the mountain or with other activities.
However, it is not only a question of enriching our own lives, but also of the contribution we can and do make to society. If I had I spend less time and effort on my work, many people would be worse off - some of them significantly so.

Engage_mike

This post reminds me of a kid in my middle school class way back when..The teacher said..."Brad, why aren't you paying attention" and Brad told the teacher in a very obnoxious and disrespectful manner (while wearing his 10 sizes to big jnco jeans and Roces tshirt, "I don't have to do this crap...I'll be a professional skater." Anyways...fast forward 20 years and he is now working for an insurance company....real life happens

slyder

Hktrdr,
If I may, how old are you.

Wisdom in dem-dar-words

** Engagne-Mike had to giggle about your location, sorry, Orlando and snowboarding not exactly a great mix hahahaaa **

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Thanks
-Slyder

Engage_mike

LOL...ya the Florida heat keeps me foaming at the mouth for every season...I started snowboarding 3 years ago now on a family trip to Snowshoe Mt. and have made it back every year since to different east coast locations...A trip a year is all I get with 3 days of slopes time...not as lucky as a lot of you guys but I'll continue to make it a vacation as long as I can...goal is to get good enough to teach my 1 year old daughter some day Then once she is hooked...it becomes a mandatory trip

hktrdr

Not sure if it matters, but I am 35.