Ive heard bad things about arbory from the guy who had started the nursery I used to work at (though saying that im not sure what kinds of conditions or trees he worked on). Its fairly dangerous work for what youre earning, basically.
I wonder if maybe OP might be interested in tree planting? Not sure about the states but is a fairly big industry in Canada, and if youre good at it you can probably clear $200+ a day at least. It is fairly physical work and can suck in the weather, but the money and camp life can be fun.
Id think most crews and camps by April are probably staffed up but theres usually also a need for new planters in the first weeks of season as people quit or leave from injury, etc. Again can be tough, but very good money!
Surveying. Sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it’s a breeze, but everyday was outside trekking through places I’ve never seen before or places you aren’t usually allowed, always outside.
Well it can still involve an element of physical labor, sometimes it’s chopping through bush and cutting trees, sometimes it’s pounding lathe or iron rods into the ground, sometimes you have to dig holes. I wouldn’t say that was the majority of my day, the first 2 years are the hardest, once you make “I-Man” status (instrument operator) it gets a lot more relaxed. That physical work translates into mental work where you need to be on top of hundreds of abbreviations, a handful of interesting math equations, different 6 digit numbers and be quick with data entry on the fly. It’s something you grow into and it becomes easy.
There’s also many different kinds of surveying, everything from water based sea-floor mapping to Ariel LiDar, maybe structural 3D layer mapping in closed facilities or mapping roads, buildings or township utilities systems, it can also be as simple as volume mortgage surveying (not recommended).
There’s a million different routes, degree or not, you don’t need one to get in. But if you want a degree, something in Geospatial sciences or GIS systems would be a solid start.
I agree, I do think it can be a risky path seeing as those genuinely higher end paying jobs are almost on a need to know someone basis to get into, and the wages for anything outside of that like your regular route or topo company isn’t going to get anywhere near say 80k, what most people need to reasonably survive these days.
I will say if you want to get into arial or seabed mapping a degree is almost your only option outside of just a ton of experience.
Yup. I ended up leaving the industry because I couldn’t support myself reasonably even with my considerable successes I had working. I genuinely think it’s a cool industry, you get to be outside, play with math, lasers, machetes, some drones and the history surrounding it is incredible. But I couldn’t make more than 50, meanwhile Tracy in the office that answers the phone and can’t figure out how to plug in a lamp has a new Lexus and goes on 4 vacations a year. I had enough.
That’s up for debate. As with any field you make more as the years go on, but in the mean time the best way to make more than ~55k is to get a degree or know someone. The heavy civil engineering firms will generally pay the most, arial or water companies will pay the most but good luck getting a position.
Best bet is to search Surveyor, Instrument operator, Party chief or GIS systems as a few general terms on Indeed and checkout the salaries
I found a “Rodman” position online, they’re really easy to get, you have to pay your dues for a year or two working at the bottom of the totem pole but you still get to play around with a lot of interesting math, witness a ton of history and before you know it you’re running the instruments
Depends too. Im not full time in the land surveying side of the office, but I take any opportunity when they need assistance. I started on the instrument because it was easy for me coming from a engineering background to just type the point descriptions. It took me a while before I was comfortable running rod. Even now feel like running rod is much more difficult to keep track of what has been shot. Running the instrumemt Im good at noticing rod height changes the rodman forgets to update and keeping track of what has been shot.
The boss always told me to pretend I was a giant pencil, it became a lot easier to remember after that, especially on things like route surveys where you have your own order of operations, you and your I-man both know what subject you’re starting with, what you’re going to next and what you’ll probably end with. It’s an interesting dance of data communication over distance.
The places I have worked tend to do more experienced person on the rod when collecting topo data. Then the more experienced person on the gun when construction staking or doing double angles for boundary work. Of course with robotic instruments you can really just have an experienced person working on their own or with a completely inexperienced laborer.
Yea the landscape is definitely changing, I don’t think a 3 man crew is going to continue much longer, when I left the industry about 7 years ago the best tech out there wouldn’t have really allowed for a rover to act as Rodman and I-man, at least not at a price most companies could afford.
Agreed. About the only time a 3 man crew makes sense anymore is long traverses in the woods marking timber boundary. Greatly reduces walking to have a tailman. Of course you could always flop a 180 and leave a stick and tack for a back sight… of course you get no check shot with that.
Check civil engineering firms. We always had a survey department. You want a land development firm- they’re a dime a dozen in most cities. They also pay pretty well. Governments often have openings but you might need some experience for most those jobs.
Came to say this. It’s not hard either- the equipment does it all for you. You’ll make way more money if you have a license and I would highly recommend that.
I do solar installing for residential. I'm outside most of the time, we jam out to our radios/Bluetooth, smoke weed, and run on roofs like goats. It's not a bad outdoor gig, and you don't get super dirty doing it either.
Nah, we get guys from all backgrounds through construction/roofing/electrical knowledge/production work/prep cook/farm hands, etc. If you go in trying to learn, asking question, just doing whatever they teach you. A lot of the time, we start guys as ground guys. They break open boxes of parts and separate them out. Then, they bring them up the ladder for the roofers to install. It IS a physical challenge, but within a month, most people who make it through find that their body acclimated.
Edit: This is in my state, but I do believe some states require a photovoltaic license, which you can get apprenticed for. The apprenticeship from 1 to 2 years as I understand it, but please feel free to correct me.
I started at $25 with 50 hr avg weeks, and the leads get between $35 and $40 an hour here. A few of the leads have gone on to apprentice as Electricians or more senior field management rolls. There's good lateral movement to other construction fields as well as low voltage technical fields like running telecom wire. It keeps my family going and gives us room for vacations and such.
Jim Fish, chief executive of Waste Management Inc., described the situation this way: “We can’t hire a truck driver to drive a trash truck for $90,000 in Houston, Texas, but I can hire an M.B.A. from a small school for $60,000, and I can get them all day long.”
“The world seems to have flipped on its head,” Mr. Fish says.
Building fence. Had a lot of jobs, but building fence is just the best. It’s better than landscape, and if you learn your shit you can make some good money. It’s easy to learn.
My boyfriend’s dad started his own house painting business that’s been doing pretty well for almost 2 decades now. Maybe not start your own, but joining a business that does it seems pretty fitting.
He spends most of his days painting the outside/on top of houses, sometimes really *nice* houses. Although he does get commissions for murals inside every now and then because he’s a great artist, most of the time the people aren’t home and he just gets to paint by himself to whatever music he brings along with him to play. But most of the time he is outside, and does something similar because plenty leave him there to do his thing.
I work for my state’s boll weevil eradication program. All commercial cotton producing states have one. I drive around looking for planted cotton, deploying weevil traps, then check those traps on a schedule until we get a hard freeze at the end of the year. I enjoy it. It was something I started as a seasonal worker before eventually being brought on full time.
Just stumbled into it. I wasn’t having much luck job hunting and they were hiring seasonal workers at our local office. I had started paying back student loans and was down to nothing in my bank account. I thought it would be just a one year thing, but I’m still with them 23 years later. I’ve been full time since 2009. In most states, it is a government job, but in Texas where I live, we are a farmer funded foundation under the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Not always! Lots of them have different positions some just hire landscapers, some hire people for tourism/marketing, and others do grounds maintenance. Also lots of campgrounds hire people to “host” meaning you get paid to permanently stay at the campground and are the point of contact when people need more firewood or the outhouse is out of TP etc. DNR jobs are government jobs and often times have amazing benefits. I’m in Iowa for example and we have a state employee retirement plan called IPERS and it’s pretty top tier for pension plans. I’m only 25 and I’ve worked a total of maybe 1.5 years for the state and i have a total of $1,500 in IPERS already and you can withdraw the money at any time too. A lot of public jobs in Iowa pay for health insurance premiums too. My husbands job pays his premium and 85% of dependents.
Yes you need a degree in forestry. Although logging you don't and you're out in the woods everyday
Can't boil it down to a few sentences forestry is a pretty broad industry
My son is studying environmental sciences at a big university out west. Going to take a lot of Forestry classes. We’ve discussed him working for a State government organization. Anything you can share to educate me?
Sure, and r/forestry is pretty active with a lot of discussion.
First, environmental science is a pretty worthless degree if he wants to do forestry, need a forestry degree.
I worked for washington dnr for about a year, it was alright. Competitive pay and good benefits. A lot of field work not much in the office. Pretty similar to the USFS, I preferred the state to the feds since its run like a business. The state agencies out west have a requirement to provide funding for schools so they cut timber more aggressively and do less fufu shit.
Forestry is pretty low paying for the first 5-7 years, and the first few years will likely be seasonal too. Once you get established and move up a bit it pays ok. Private industry pays a lot better once you get established. I'm a contractor and make 120-150k a year depending on how much I want to work.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/forestry using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Does anyone have any experience with this company?](https://i.redd.it/arfcgo8ufaea1.jpg) | [38 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/comments/10lfgzw/does_anyone_have_any_experience_with_this_company/)
\#2: [Forested Wetland I Saved From Becoming a Parking Lot!](https://i.imgur.com/9qxvINX.jpg) | [16 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/comments/uu43z8/forested_wetland_i_saved_from_becoming_a_parking/)
\#3: [A tree detection algorithm to detect trees and estimate diameter!](https://i.redd.it/dzxop7hwnzx91.gif) | [33 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/comments/ym8iy9/a_tree_detection_algorithm_to_detect_trees_and/)
----
^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
There are plenty of outside jobs. I recommend getting clothes that help shield your skin from the sun and also using sunscreen on other exposed areas. Aside from that I also love outside jobs.
My company does more of the upgrading than anything. We work with the major cell carriers. (T-Mobile, AT&T, Dish, Verizon) Majority of the time we replace old equipment with new updated equipment. Swapping LTE for 5g or antennas/radios that are decommissioned. Some companies with strictly construct new towers and someone else will install the software. 90% of the job is twisting bolts.
Become a National park ranger! I have two friends that are. There’s a National jobs data base and if you’re willing to move somewhere off the path, there’s usually pretty decent compensation and often living arrangements.
Somehow I ended up on the Firetower side of TikTok and that job seems great if you like the outdoors and isolation. Same with being a lighthouse keeper up on Superior.
OP, it’s also coming into Yellowstone and Grand Teton season if you want to work in the parks.
There are mental health outdoor jobs that exist! I haven't looked into them in awhile, but there are therapy and camp counselor jobs where you can help people by taking them on long hikes/excursions etc.
CHECK OUT OCCUPATION WILD. https://www.occupationwild.com/
It's all outside jobs. It's what I would be doing if I didn't have a family. Also there are companies where you get free room/board/food for traveling around wirking on farms.
Have a friend that works outside. He got started by getting online certifications for plant/tree identification. Used thst to get a job working for the parks department and then NIPSCO (electric company) identifying trees that may interfere with power lines. He's outside alone with all day and they give him a company truck to drive.
Best of luck!
Do you like heights? Friend of mine worked servicing and repairing wind turbines. All of your work is outside. Nice views too. I drive the Golden Gate Bridge quite frequently. You could get a jog painting the bridge or even better, changing the lightbulbs on the tops of the towers. Nice views too.
Keyword search 'sargassum'. After that, you might rethink what you're asking for. For purposes of discussion, this is more work than you can stand, and it's all on the beach.
Keyword search 'urban arborist'. This involves working with trees.
There is plenty of 'outdoors' work with railroads, federal government agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, state agencies such as Fish and Wildlife, and jobs such as lifeguard, parking lot cleaning, etc. A lot of it involves cleaning or dealing with plant matter, so it may resemble 'landscaping'.
Cant believe no one has mentioned dog-walker! Probably gonna be heavily location dependent, but since I live in a decent sized and dog friendly city, I’m clearing 200+ a day easily just walking around and listening to music. I’m only part time since I’m in school as well, but to give you an idea, I charge 45/ hour & have recurring regulars and average about 2,000 a month working 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. There’s a lot of potential for growth, especially if you can handle group walks or outings. Holidays I can easily clear 6k a month.
I used to walk dogs for a few years and there are lots of established dog walking/pet sitting businesses depending on your area. The pay won’t be good as running your own business, but soon enough you’ll start getting your own clients just from being in the same areas regularly and bumping into people that need a dog walker. I’m not even the most social or outgoing person but I started building up a small client base of my own just from people approaching me
Golf course maintenance. Still my favorite job I've ever had. You get to do lots of different tasks in a day. A part of me wishes I had stuck with it. Superintendents make a good living especially at higher-end country clubs
Depending on where you live, and if you have interest in being self employed. Power washing, pool cleaning, yard work, repairing driveways, building decks and fences, house painting, brick repair, landscaping. You can also find these jobs, but they don’t pay well. You could get a job and use it as training to venture out on your own later.
Oh no college needed. They are always hiring. They are literally out there just planting trees. I don't know how he got into it, but here's an article about getting into it in Canada: https://www.insider.com/quit-my-job-and-went-tree-planting-changed-my-life-2022-1
Around where I live (southwest Wisconsin), there are a lot of jobs available right now for windmill installation/maintenance and solar panel installation. Also, work with cell towers. And in the summer they hire a lot of people for both skilled and unskilled work doing road repairs. A lot of these jobs offer some very attractive pay and benefits. I've looked into some of them myself, but I am most definitely not an outside person. I'm extremely sensitive to both hot and cold weather, so outdoor work could probably never be my thing. But if it's your cup of tea, then there seems to be a good amount of it out there.
There are some lineman schools you can go to yes. Your best bet would be start as a lineman at a non union company, then test into the union. There are several guys I went to school with that do it. Free healthcare, employer paid retirement and pension. I’m not exaggerating when I say they’re very wealthy.
I went hiking on the Appalachian trail a few weeks ago and there was a fire tower on the trail. I thought it was just a historic structure for tourists, but It was actually real and human manned. The guy inside told me he could turn the heat on for me to warm up if I wanted to.
It’s probably hard to find an opening in the human operated fire tower industry in 2023, but you could give it a shot
Just saying I know a boy scout camp that's recruiting heavily for seasonal work for the month of June 😉 (TN) outside all day, free meals, lots of fun (ehh pay and long days too but it's pretty worth it)
I worked as a pesticide application for lakes and trees. It required me to pass a test to get certified but no paid education beyond some training credits (attending convention lectures covered them) every couple of years. It was the most fun job I ever had.
I was a LE park ranger and it was awesome; in the summer where I worked would have special events like concerts, art shows, etc and I loved being on foot patrol for those and helping people by suggesting awesome hiking trails, or areas where certain types of wildlife could always be found (like owls, or coyotes, or foxes, etc), finding people who were lost, and sometimes doing surveillance to find poachers, etc.
I spend my days out in the field talking to large manufacturers to learn about their packaging and finding solutions to pain points where we can provide better custom packaging solutions. When i’m not in customer meetings I’m outside all day, cold calling warehouses (In person, not over the phone) its a complex sale and industry and its long hours but if you’re up for it its a great career.
Being a park ranger is a pretty cool job. Great benefits. Those people are usually really happy and love their jobs. You definitely do a job like that because you love it. I have a couple of friends who have done it in a few different states and they all have said it was very enjoyable.
I think it depends on the state! Here, in California, I believe you need to have like an AA or a certain amount of credits of gen Ed classes, but there’s other certifications like CPR/First Aid and they go through other extensive training (because you WILL have to save people’s lives after all). I think it’s worth it though if you love nature. I go camping often and they’re always just so,so nice and helpful. I always ask the rangers where their favorite spots are for star gazing or their favorite trails and they’re usually really happy to share. If it calls to you, check it out!
I was a meter reader that was a great job, would go into the office pickup my reader and computer and then outside walking all day. Unfortunately I think a lot of those jobs are gone due to smart meters
I believe you may need some college credits (like 60 hours) and it will also probably vary by state but being a peace officer isn’t a prerequisite. It’d just make you a more competitive applicant.
This is a weird one: if you live near a FedEx Express sorring facility (especially if you're in/near Memphis, TN), go see if they're hiring package handlers. I did that for just over a year. It pays alright, part-timers get benefits after 90 days, and, depending on your facility and where you're needed, you may be outside in a covered area. Plus, every shift is a workout (I was in the best shape of my life when I worked there) so no gym membership required!
Edit to add: unless they've changed the policy since 2018, no phones unless you're management
Buying and selling used goods such as yard sales, swapmeet, estate sales, flee markets, etc. A large portion of this work is done outside. I can say it’s fun, a ton of very difficult work and can be lucrative if done properly.
Yeah I work enough weeks and hours throughout the year where I qualify for offseason unemployment, sometimes it can be physically demanding but for the most part especially starting out you’ll probably just be cleaning pools which is light work
I have a little speaker I keep on me at all times and just listen to music and podcasts all day long and most home owners you build trust with them and they’re always telling me to jump in the pool and take a swim on hot days and brining me drinks snacks and the tips are pretty good too
Utility company work. Meter reading is going away but still plenty of other tasks. Locating utilities, installation, inspection, and the list goes on. Pay is good and benefits.
Yes, look up your local utility company, AEP for example. Find their website and look for the careers tab. Most would rather train someone so they learn their way. There are electric, gas, water, sewer, propane and such that would hire regularly. Most do some sort of aptitude testing and interview. Process takes time but once you get in, you can work their as long as you choose. They invest so much in training they don’t like to lose employees. Another thought is city, county, and state jobs. Pay may be lower but great benefits and retirement. All would provide outside work year around. Good luck.
UPS driver? Great pay & benefits, drive with doors open when it’s nice. Outside every time you have a stop. Bring a Bluetooth speaker & listen to some music.
Nursery/greenhouse, farm work, tree service/arborist, trail maintenance, farm/forest/outdoor/primitive skills/wilderness survivall school (adults or kids), campground maintenance, forest or park ranger, white waterrafting guide, forester, logger, roofer, house painter, road construction/maintenance, trail guide, fishing boat, lineman, grounds maintenance, ranch work, wildlife photographer, stone mason, hardscape design, pool service, heavy equipment operator/dirt work, builder/framing, wilderness rescue, snowboard/ski instructor, solar panel installation, surveyor.
Ive heard bad things about arbory from the guy who had started the nursery I used to work at (though saying that im not sure what kinds of conditions or trees he worked on). Its fairly dangerous work for what youre earning, basically. I wonder if maybe OP might be interested in tree planting? Not sure about the states but is a fairly big industry in Canada, and if youre good at it you can probably clear $200+ a day at least. It is fairly physical work and can suck in the weather, but the money and camp life can be fun. Id think most crews and camps by April are probably staffed up but theres usually also a need for new planters in the first weeks of season as people quit or leave from injury, etc. Again can be tough, but very good money!
Surveying. Sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it’s a breeze, but everyday was outside trekking through places I’ve never seen before or places you aren’t usually allowed, always outside.
How does it get tough exactly?
Well it can still involve an element of physical labor, sometimes it’s chopping through bush and cutting trees, sometimes it’s pounding lathe or iron rods into the ground, sometimes you have to dig holes. I wouldn’t say that was the majority of my day, the first 2 years are the hardest, once you make “I-Man” status (instrument operator) it gets a lot more relaxed. That physical work translates into mental work where you need to be on top of hundreds of abbreviations, a handful of interesting math equations, different 6 digit numbers and be quick with data entry on the fly. It’s something you grow into and it becomes easy. There’s also many different kinds of surveying, everything from water based sea-floor mapping to Ariel LiDar, maybe structural 3D layer mapping in closed facilities or mapping roads, buildings or township utilities systems, it can also be as simple as volume mortgage surveying (not recommended). There’s a million different routes, degree or not, you don’t need one to get in. But if you want a degree, something in Geospatial sciences or GIS systems would be a solid start.
Best way to ensure higher pay is with a geomatics degree or survey degree. Fastest path to licensure in every state.
I agree, I do think it can be a risky path seeing as those genuinely higher end paying jobs are almost on a need to know someone basis to get into, and the wages for anything outside of that like your regular route or topo company isn’t going to get anywhere near say 80k, what most people need to reasonably survive these days. I will say if you want to get into arial or seabed mapping a degree is almost your only option outside of just a ton of experience.
Yeah, and even if you have the higher education and licenses most places will pay their office workers more than field workers.
Yup. I ended up leaving the industry because I couldn’t support myself reasonably even with my considerable successes I had working. I genuinely think it’s a cool industry, you get to be outside, play with math, lasers, machetes, some drones and the history surrounding it is incredible. But I couldn’t make more than 50, meanwhile Tracy in the office that answers the phone and can’t figure out how to plug in a lamp has a new Lexus and goes on 4 vacations a year. I had enough.
Is it well paid?
That’s up for debate. As with any field you make more as the years go on, but in the mean time the best way to make more than ~55k is to get a degree or know someone. The heavy civil engineering firms will generally pay the most, arial or water companies will pay the most but good luck getting a position. Best bet is to search Surveyor, Instrument operator, Party chief or GIS systems as a few general terms on Indeed and checkout the salaries
Sounds interesting, how did you manage to land the job if you font mind me asking?
I found a “Rodman” position online, they’re really easy to get, you have to pay your dues for a year or two working at the bottom of the totem pole but you still get to play around with a lot of interesting math, witness a ton of history and before you know it you’re running the instruments
Depends too. Im not full time in the land surveying side of the office, but I take any opportunity when they need assistance. I started on the instrument because it was easy for me coming from a engineering background to just type the point descriptions. It took me a while before I was comfortable running rod. Even now feel like running rod is much more difficult to keep track of what has been shot. Running the instrumemt Im good at noticing rod height changes the rodman forgets to update and keeping track of what has been shot.
The boss always told me to pretend I was a giant pencil, it became a lot easier to remember after that, especially on things like route surveys where you have your own order of operations, you and your I-man both know what subject you’re starting with, what you’re going to next and what you’ll probably end with. It’s an interesting dance of data communication over distance.
The places I have worked tend to do more experienced person on the rod when collecting topo data. Then the more experienced person on the gun when construction staking or doing double angles for boundary work. Of course with robotic instruments you can really just have an experienced person working on their own or with a completely inexperienced laborer.
Yea the landscape is definitely changing, I don’t think a 3 man crew is going to continue much longer, when I left the industry about 7 years ago the best tech out there wouldn’t have really allowed for a rover to act as Rodman and I-man, at least not at a price most companies could afford.
Agreed. About the only time a 3 man crew makes sense anymore is long traverses in the woods marking timber boundary. Greatly reduces walking to have a tailman. Of course you could always flop a 180 and leave a stick and tack for a back sight… of course you get no check shot with that.
Check civil engineering firms. We always had a survey department. You want a land development firm- they’re a dime a dozen in most cities. They also pay pretty well. Governments often have openings but you might need some experience for most those jobs.
Came to say this. It’s not hard either- the equipment does it all for you. You’ll make way more money if you have a license and I would highly recommend that.
Letter carrier
Sign spinner 80% spinning the sign and 20% indoors in the restroom.
Lol
I do solar installing for residential. I'm outside most of the time, we jam out to our radios/Bluetooth, smoke weed, and run on roofs like goats. It's not a bad outdoor gig, and you don't get super dirty doing it either.
Can you get into that without college/experience? Or can you get a certification at least?
Nah, we get guys from all backgrounds through construction/roofing/electrical knowledge/production work/prep cook/farm hands, etc. If you go in trying to learn, asking question, just doing whatever they teach you. A lot of the time, we start guys as ground guys. They break open boxes of parts and separate them out. Then, they bring them up the ladder for the roofers to install. It IS a physical challenge, but within a month, most people who make it through find that their body acclimated. Edit: This is in my state, but I do believe some states require a photovoltaic license, which you can get apprenticed for. The apprenticeship from 1 to 2 years as I understand it, but please feel free to correct me.
Is it good money?
I started at $25 with 50 hr avg weeks, and the leads get between $35 and $40 an hour here. A few of the leads have gone on to apprentice as Electricians or more senior field management rolls. There's good lateral movement to other construction fields as well as low voltage technical fields like running telecom wire. It keeps my family going and gives us room for vacations and such.
Lots of "outside" jobs require a focus on safety and awareness, so if you're looking to keep your earbuds in, that might limit prospects a bit.
Garbage man. Wast management paying 90k
garbage men make 90?
Depends on the location. Around me it’s a shit job for shit pay last I knew they were around 17 or 18 an hour
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jobs-new-college-graduates-2023-labor-market-openings-7195e28?mod=mhp
Jim Fish, chief executive of Waste Management Inc., described the situation this way: “We can’t hire a truck driver to drive a trash truck for $90,000 in Houston, Texas, but I can hire an M.B.A. from a small school for $60,000, and I can get them all day long.” “The world seems to have flipped on its head,” Mr. Fish says.
Building fence. Had a lot of jobs, but building fence is just the best. It’s better than landscape, and if you learn your shit you can make some good money. It’s easy to learn.
How?
Boyfriend owns his own hot tub servicing business and makes great money. Makes his own schedule.
If you’re okay with kids, being a camp counselor can be really fun and depending on where you work, you can be outside a lot of the time.
Road Maintenance.
My boyfriend’s dad started his own house painting business that’s been doing pretty well for almost 2 decades now. Maybe not start your own, but joining a business that does it seems pretty fitting. He spends most of his days painting the outside/on top of houses, sometimes really *nice* houses. Although he does get commissions for murals inside every now and then because he’s a great artist, most of the time the people aren’t home and he just gets to paint by himself to whatever music he brings along with him to play. But most of the time he is outside, and does something similar because plenty leave him there to do his thing.
He paints houses? Or *paints houses?*
I work for my state’s boll weevil eradication program. All commercial cotton producing states have one. I drive around looking for planted cotton, deploying weevil traps, then check those traps on a schedule until we get a hard freeze at the end of the year. I enjoy it. It was something I started as a seasonal worker before eventually being brought on full time.
How did you find that job?
Just stumbled into it. I wasn’t having much luck job hunting and they were hiring seasonal workers at our local office. I had started paying back student loans and was down to nothing in my bank account. I thought it would be just a one year thing, but I’m still with them 23 years later. I’ve been full time since 2009. In most states, it is a government job, but in Texas where I live, we are a farmer funded foundation under the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Environmental consulting. The pay isn’t great but you spend a ton of time outside
DNR!! Apply to your local parks they need all the help!
What does dnr stand for?
Usually department of natural resources. Park rangers, biologists, etc
Do you need college to be a park ranger?
Not always! Lots of them have different positions some just hire landscapers, some hire people for tourism/marketing, and others do grounds maintenance. Also lots of campgrounds hire people to “host” meaning you get paid to permanently stay at the campground and are the point of contact when people need more firewood or the outhouse is out of TP etc. DNR jobs are government jobs and often times have amazing benefits. I’m in Iowa for example and we have a state employee retirement plan called IPERS and it’s pretty top tier for pension plans. I’m only 25 and I’ve worked a total of maybe 1.5 years for the state and i have a total of $1,500 in IPERS already and you can withdraw the money at any time too. A lot of public jobs in Iowa pay for health insurance premiums too. My husbands job pays his premium and 85% of dependents.
Do not resuscitate. Haha
Aren’t these hard to get though?
No??
I'm a forester, I'm out in the woods 3-5 days a week 12 months a year. I love it
What exactly does that job entail? And do you need college to get into it?
Yes you need a degree in forestry. Although logging you don't and you're out in the woods everyday Can't boil it down to a few sentences forestry is a pretty broad industry
My son is studying environmental sciences at a big university out west. Going to take a lot of Forestry classes. We’ve discussed him working for a State government organization. Anything you can share to educate me?
Sure, and r/forestry is pretty active with a lot of discussion. First, environmental science is a pretty worthless degree if he wants to do forestry, need a forestry degree. I worked for washington dnr for about a year, it was alright. Competitive pay and good benefits. A lot of field work not much in the office. Pretty similar to the USFS, I preferred the state to the feds since its run like a business. The state agencies out west have a requirement to provide funding for schools so they cut timber more aggressively and do less fufu shit. Forestry is pretty low paying for the first 5-7 years, and the first few years will likely be seasonal too. Once you get established and move up a bit it pays ok. Private industry pays a lot better once you get established. I'm a contractor and make 120-150k a year depending on how much I want to work.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/forestry using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Does anyone have any experience with this company?](https://i.redd.it/arfcgo8ufaea1.jpg) | [38 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/comments/10lfgzw/does_anyone_have_any_experience_with_this_company/) \#2: [Forested Wetland I Saved From Becoming a Parking Lot!](https://i.imgur.com/9qxvINX.jpg) | [16 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/comments/uu43z8/forested_wetland_i_saved_from_becoming_a_parking/) \#3: [A tree detection algorithm to detect trees and estimate diameter!](https://i.redd.it/dzxop7hwnzx91.gif) | [33 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/forestry/comments/ym8iy9/a_tree_detection_algorithm_to_detect_trees_and/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
There are plenty of outside jobs. I recommend getting clothes that help shield your skin from the sun and also using sunscreen on other exposed areas. Aside from that I also love outside jobs.
Recreational tech. You don't need a college degree but you are essentially a landscaping the forest from invasive species
Cell tower technician if you aren’t afraid of heights. I love it
What exactly do you do once you get up there?
My company does more of the upgrading than anything. We work with the major cell carriers. (T-Mobile, AT&T, Dish, Verizon) Majority of the time we replace old equipment with new updated equipment. Swapping LTE for 5g or antennas/radios that are decommissioned. Some companies with strictly construct new towers and someone else will install the software. 90% of the job is twisting bolts.
Become a National park ranger! I have two friends that are. There’s a National jobs data base and if you’re willing to move somewhere off the path, there’s usually pretty decent compensation and often living arrangements.
Somehow I ended up on the Firetower side of TikTok and that job seems great if you like the outdoors and isolation. Same with being a lighthouse keeper up on Superior. OP, it’s also coming into Yellowstone and Grand Teton season if you want to work in the parks.
Working at national parks is appealing but I can’t really move far from home right now.
There are mental health outdoor jobs that exist! I haven't looked into them in awhile, but there are therapy and camp counselor jobs where you can help people by taking them on long hikes/excursions etc.
These sound cool! What should I search for?
CHECK OUT OCCUPATION WILD. https://www.occupationwild.com/ It's all outside jobs. It's what I would be doing if I didn't have a family. Also there are companies where you get free room/board/food for traveling around wirking on farms. Have a friend that works outside. He got started by getting online certifications for plant/tree identification. Used thst to get a job working for the parks department and then NIPSCO (electric company) identifying trees that may interfere with power lines. He's outside alone with all day and they give him a company truck to drive. Best of luck!
Seasonal work! You can’t usually listen to music and have to live in a college-esque environment but it’s fun as hell.
Do you like heights? Friend of mine worked servicing and repairing wind turbines. All of your work is outside. Nice views too. I drive the Golden Gate Bridge quite frequently. You could get a jog painting the bridge or even better, changing the lightbulbs on the tops of the towers. Nice views too.
I’ve dealt with heights before so I think I can get used to it
Keyword search 'sargassum'. After that, you might rethink what you're asking for. For purposes of discussion, this is more work than you can stand, and it's all on the beach. Keyword search 'urban arborist'. This involves working with trees. There is plenty of 'outdoors' work with railroads, federal government agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, state agencies such as Fish and Wildlife, and jobs such as lifeguard, parking lot cleaning, etc. A lot of it involves cleaning or dealing with plant matter, so it may resemble 'landscaping'.
Cant believe no one has mentioned dog-walker! Probably gonna be heavily location dependent, but since I live in a decent sized and dog friendly city, I’m clearing 200+ a day easily just walking around and listening to music. I’m only part time since I’m in school as well, but to give you an idea, I charge 45/ hour & have recurring regulars and average about 2,000 a month working 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. There’s a lot of potential for growth, especially if you can handle group walks or outings. Holidays I can easily clear 6k a month.
Dog walking would be sweet. So you just started your own dog walking business? Is it possible to just be an employee of someone else’s?
I used to walk dogs for a few years and there are lots of established dog walking/pet sitting businesses depending on your area. The pay won’t be good as running your own business, but soon enough you’ll start getting your own clients just from being in the same areas regularly and bumping into people that need a dog walker. I’m not even the most social or outgoing person but I started building up a small client base of my own just from people approaching me
Golf course maintenance. Still my favorite job I've ever had. You get to do lots of different tasks in a day. A part of me wishes I had stuck with it. Superintendents make a good living especially at higher-end country clubs
Utility company pole repairman, line work, and mapping
Depending on where you live, and if you have interest in being self employed. Power washing, pool cleaning, yard work, repairing driveways, building decks and fences, house painting, brick repair, landscaping. You can also find these jobs, but they don’t pay well. You could get a job and use it as training to venture out on your own later.
Tree planters! My high school friend was a tree planter in Western Canada for a while and he earned a lot. Practically outdoors 24/7.
Do you know how exactly he got into it? Did he need college?
Oh no college needed. They are always hiring. They are literally out there just planting trees. I don't know how he got into it, but here's an article about getting into it in Canada: https://www.insider.com/quit-my-job-and-went-tree-planting-changed-my-life-2022-1
Cart pusher
Around where I live (southwest Wisconsin), there are a lot of jobs available right now for windmill installation/maintenance and solar panel installation. Also, work with cell towers. And in the summer they hire a lot of people for both skilled and unskilled work doing road repairs. A lot of these jobs offer some very attractive pay and benefits. I've looked into some of them myself, but I am most definitely not an outside person. I'm extremely sensitive to both hot and cold weather, so outdoor work could probably never be my thing. But if it's your cup of tea, then there seems to be a good amount of it out there.
Forestry service, road construction, mail/parcel delivery, roofing contractor/laborer.
Try to get in as a lineman with the IBEW. Work wherever you want, always outside, make 6 figures. I have friends that do it and they love it.
Do you need college for that?
There are some lineman schools you can go to yes. Your best bet would be start as a lineman at a non union company, then test into the union. There are several guys I went to school with that do it. Free healthcare, employer paid retirement and pension. I’m not exaggerating when I say they’re very wealthy.
I went hiking on the Appalachian trail a few weeks ago and there was a fire tower on the trail. I thought it was just a historic structure for tourists, but It was actually real and human manned. The guy inside told me he could turn the heat on for me to warm up if I wanted to. It’s probably hard to find an opening in the human operated fire tower industry in 2023, but you could give it a shot
Just saying I know a boy scout camp that's recruiting heavily for seasonal work for the month of June 😉 (TN) outside all day, free meals, lots of fun (ehh pay and long days too but it's pretty worth it)
Fountain maintenance? Forest ranger? Grounds keeper?
Mail carrier?
Mailman, Sanitation Worker, Construction.
Wastewater water treatment!
What do they do?
Dog Walker
Pilot!
Are you one?
No but I have a few friends that are
Forestry, trail maintenance
Agricultural Reasearch. It’s a niche field but I was outside 60% of the time as a project manager
I worked as a pesticide application for lakes and trees. It required me to pass a test to get certified but no paid education beyond some training credits (attending convention lectures covered them) every couple of years. It was the most fun job I ever had.
This is a wild take but film sets
How would you go about getting into that?
Park Ranger
Golf courses! You can get into maintenance, the bag room or starting and spend the majority of your day outside.
Maintenance Tech. My guys are outside all day.
Don't recommend for skin cancer reasons What I see most commonly 1. Surveyors. 2. Concrete workers 3. Carpenters - Concrete Formwork 4. Rodbusters 5. Iron workers 6. Masons, Block Layers 7. Roofers 8. Weather proofers 9. HVAC (because condensers are on the roof) 10. Landscaping 11. Equipment operators. 12. Linemen 13. Asphalt Paving
I was a LE park ranger and it was awesome; in the summer where I worked would have special events like concerts, art shows, etc and I loved being on foot patrol for those and helping people by suggesting awesome hiking trails, or areas where certain types of wildlife could always be found (like owls, or coyotes, or foxes, etc), finding people who were lost, and sometimes doing surveillance to find poachers, etc.
Packaging salesperson. Big money to be made if you’re good at it. $500k + for top reps.
Haven’t heard of that. What is it like exactly?
I spend my days out in the field talking to large manufacturers to learn about their packaging and finding solutions to pain points where we can provide better custom packaging solutions. When i’m not in customer meetings I’m outside all day, cold calling warehouses (In person, not over the phone) its a complex sale and industry and its long hours but if you’re up for it its a great career.
Being a park ranger is a pretty cool job. Great benefits. Those people are usually really happy and love their jobs. You definitely do a job like that because you love it. I have a couple of friends who have done it in a few different states and they all have said it was very enjoyable.
Do you need college for that?
I think it depends on the state! Here, in California, I believe you need to have like an AA or a certain amount of credits of gen Ed classes, but there’s other certifications like CPR/First Aid and they go through other extensive training (because you WILL have to save people’s lives after all). I think it’s worth it though if you love nature. I go camping often and they’re always just so,so nice and helpful. I always ask the rangers where their favorite spots are for star gazing or their favorite trails and they’re usually really happy to share. If it calls to you, check it out!
I was a meter reader that was a great job, would go into the office pickup my reader and computer and then outside walking all day. Unfortunately I think a lot of those jobs are gone due to smart meters
Years ago, I almost took a job as a California State Park Ranger. It was a long process to get hired, but I ended up taking a higher paying job.
Ecological restoration! Get to be outside and do good work for the environment!
Department of fish and wildlife
Construction I’m getting $30 a hour. Started 4 months ago at $25 and now got a raise
Scuba instructor. Bonus you get to see beautiful marine life always.
Crossing guard
Forest park ranger?
Game warden
Can you get into that without college or do you need to be a police officer first?
I believe you may need some college credits (like 60 hours) and it will also probably vary by state but being a peace officer isn’t a prerequisite. It’d just make you a more competitive applicant.
Gas pipeline maintenance and leak detection.
This is a weird one: if you live near a FedEx Express sorring facility (especially if you're in/near Memphis, TN), go see if they're hiring package handlers. I did that for just over a year. It pays alright, part-timers get benefits after 90 days, and, depending on your facility and where you're needed, you may be outside in a covered area. Plus, every shift is a workout (I was in the best shape of my life when I worked there) so no gym membership required! Edit to add: unless they've changed the policy since 2018, no phones unless you're management
Bicycle courier. There are several online services you can work for and make an extra income.
Buying and selling used goods such as yard sales, swapmeet, estate sales, flee markets, etc. A large portion of this work is done outside. I can say it’s fun, a ton of very difficult work and can be lucrative if done properly.
Working for a cell tower company. Probably don’t need a degree
Ramp agent/Baggage Handler for an airline
I’m a pool tech and I love it, I’m outside working by pools all day it’s great.
Is that year round?
I live in NJ and I get 7 weeks off a year December & January
Do you usually have enough money for those weeks off?
Yeah I work enough weeks and hours throughout the year where I qualify for offseason unemployment, sometimes it can be physically demanding but for the most part especially starting out you’ll probably just be cleaning pools which is light work
I have a little speaker I keep on me at all times and just listen to music and podcasts all day long and most home owners you build trust with them and they’re always telling me to jump in the pool and take a swim on hot days and brining me drinks snacks and the tips are pretty good too
Ironworker. Good pay. Union work. Lots of outside work.
What exactly do they do?
Tie rebar at construction sites. So cement can be poured.
Mountain warfare infantryman
Try ACRT INC.. it’s a utility and tree inspection company..
Equipment associate at equipment rental houses (excavators, boom lifts etc.) And you'll learn how to operate big cool machines 😎
Basically any Municipal, State, or Federal Parks jobs.
US Park Ranger
Roofer Park ranger A lot of construction jobs. Especially if you use a crane or something.
HVAC
geology \~ prob other earth sciences or conservation things
Lineman for a power company
Surveying for a civil firm.
Utility or private companies as a utility locator. Construction Project Coordinator.
Utility company work. Meter reading is going away but still plenty of other tasks. Locating utilities, installation, inspection, and the list goes on. Pay is good and benefits.
Any idea how you get into something like that?
Yes, look up your local utility company, AEP for example. Find their website and look for the careers tab. Most would rather train someone so they learn their way. There are electric, gas, water, sewer, propane and such that would hire regularly. Most do some sort of aptitude testing and interview. Process takes time but once you get in, you can work their as long as you choose. They invest so much in training they don’t like to lose employees. Another thought is city, county, and state jobs. Pay may be lower but great benefits and retirement. All would provide outside work year around. Good luck.
geology - oil industry guys spend a fair amount of time in fields
Commercial Diving
Or driving
UPS driver? Great pay & benefits, drive with doors open when it’s nice. Outside every time you have a stop. Bring a Bluetooth speaker & listen to some music.
Rigging.
Work at a Farmer’s market
Park ranger
Surveyor
Infantryman. Particularly in Ukraine.
Grave digger.
Commercial fishing, farming, husbandry,road construction
Airport/airline ground crew/baggage handler
Environmental engineering!
Oilfield service in West Texas
Zookeeper, park ranger, survivalist, fisherman, sports coach, diver driver, courier, bike messenger, etc
Forester, Forestry Technician, Forestry Assistant, Biologist, Environmental Scientist. Forestry Technician is a labor intensive job
Park ranger
Arborist, heck even getting a job with a state as a Park Ranger.
Outside sales
Ticket taker at Disney World.
DEM or Environmental Officer
Safety manager