JOURNAL

As my college graduation date loomed closer and closer, the idea of staying in Washington, DC any longer than necessary weighed heavy on my mind.  While I loved my time in our nation’s capital, I was thoroughly burnt out and seriously missed the great outdoors. In a rare moment of clarity, the solution seemed so simple; I hopped on my computer and googled “fun jobs.” That is literally all it took.

The first page at the top of the search results was CoolWorks, which sounded promising.  I found a posting for a “Fun, Adventure Job” leading trips with a spirited company called Bold Earth Teen Adventures, sent out my application, and the rest is history.

I joined Bold Earth Teen Adventures that June in Golden, Colorado with a fresh Wilderness First Responder certification and an open mind.  Trip assignments are made at staff training so that first year was a particularly nerve-wracking one for me.  I ended up on an amazing 4-week long adventure called Bold West. My co-leaders and I picked up our group of kids in Las Vegas and then took off for the road trip of a lifetime.  Bold West brought us to Sequoia, Yosemite and Zion National Parks where we hiked, rafted, and climbed in some of the most beautiful places the West Coast has to offer.

After my first season with Bold Earth, I was absolutely hooked.  I returned for four summers to lead trips across Peru, Australia and in California/Nevada.  With this momentum, I leapt into some incredible years of seasonal work around the world.  Once I figured out how easy it was to find interesting jobs in cool places, life was just a series of amazing stepping stones.  Unfortunately, my momentum ran out and I found myself at a dead end in a food-service job in Philadelphia.  I remembered the anxiety from five years ago, jumped on Coolworks and was surprised to find a posting that was less than an hour old.

High Trails Outdoor Education Center was looking for new Field Instructors to teach at their facility in rural Colorado. It seemed like a perfect fit so, once more, I jumped at the opportunity.  CoolWorks successfully connected me to yet another incredible job, successfully getting out of my previous funk. I started teaching at High Trails and quickly realized my potential and influence as an outdoor educator.

After two intense and rewarding seasons, I realized that it was time for me to take my life galavanting around the world to the next level.  I was offered a full-time Director position with Bold Earth just a few months back, and the timing was perfect.  Now I happily help program the very Bold Earth trips I have been leading for years!  My trust in CoolWorks and dedication to Bold Earth helped me land my dream job; my career in the travel and outdoor industry owes so much to those first simple google searches.

I have now been an outdoor professional in multiple capacities for over 5 years, all thanks to CoolWorks.com. If you are nervous about taking the next steps, have faith! There are so many wonderful opportunities out there, and CoolWorks puts them right at your fingertips.  National parks, adventure travel companies, and Outdoor Schools are just a few of the examples of the wonderful organizations you’ll find.